A simple question: why walk?
Month: August 2018
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Don’t Seek Perfection
Perfection is Undesirable:
In life, I think it is good to always have the spirit of improvement, however I think we need to be careful of the Cerberus (false ideal) of perfection.
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Why Image Quality is Overrated
Dear friend,
Something I want to reflect with you is this:
What is image quality, is it important, why is it important, and what is the function of image quality? And is there an objective way to judge image quality– or is it all subjective?
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Visual Experimentation in Photography
Treat photography as visual experimentation. Have fun with it! And be like a visual scientist; never stop experimenting!
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How to Curate Your Own Photography Portfolio
Taking photos is easy; curating your best photos is hard.
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Keep it Super Simple (KISS)
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Dear friend,
A practical idea: in photography, life, and art, strive to keep your work super super simple.
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Desire Both Pleasure and Pain in Life
A powerful idea I got from my buddy Nietzsche; in order to grow, we need BOTH pain and pleasure!
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How do you know if you’re making progress in your photography?
How do you know if you’re making progress in your photography? Is it important to make progress in your photography?
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Beautiful vs Ugly
In the philosophy of photography and aesthetics, we can categorize photos into a binary categorization: either beautiful or ugly. But what makes a photo beautiful or ugly? Or what makes things beautiful or ugly?
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How to See Like a Machine
We are in a brave new world of photography; we can leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to make better photos! Some things I’ve been learning:
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Photography Composition: Which Direction is Your Subject Looking?
Dear friend,
A simple technique we can integrate into our photography — let us draw imaginary red arrows whichever direction our subjects are looking, or the direction they are walking!
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5 Simple Tips How to Shoot Better Street Photos
Some of my favorite and may best street photography pictures, and why I think they are good:
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7 Tips How to Be Inspired to Shoot New Photos
Dear friend,
One of the most difficult challenges we have as photographers is to find inspiration to shoot new photos. Some practical ideas:
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Point of View
Dear friend,
A realization I’ve had after having a nice conversation with my buddy Christophe Wu: photography (and life) is all about point-of-view (POV); your perspective of the world.
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Life Update From San Jose
Currently in San Jose, enjoying time with my mom, Annette Kim, Cindy, and loving life. Gonna teach a few workshops here, then off to NYC for another workshop, then Montreal in November (first time), then back in LA in December!
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Subtract the Superfluous
Dear friend,
An aesthetic and life philosophy I strive towards; subtracting the superfluous.
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3 Tips to Instantly Improve Your Street Photography Composition by Your Father Martin
My good friend and former workshop student Martin just made a new YouTube video on 3 practical street photography composition tips. Give the video a watch and subscribe to him here.
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Photography is Your Art-Work
Dear friend,
Take your photography seriously — it is your art-work, the expression of your soul, and what gives you the spirit to live!
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The Art of Observation
What I think differentiates a good photographer and a great photographer is this: a great photographer is a better observer of the world around them! But how can we observe better as photographers, and why observe better?
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New ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG: For the Artist-Photographer
The New ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG: Create, travel, be prepared for every photography adventure EVERYDAY.
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Use and Abuse Your Gear!
Dear friend,
A practical idea for you: if you want to shoot more, don’t baby your gear. Instead, give yourself permission to use and abuse your gear!
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Personal Street Photography Philosophy
What is your personal street photography philosophy? It’s different for everyone; discover it for yourself.
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Elevate Yourself
Elevate yourself and your own inner-wealth. Play the cards you’ve been dealt; but be clever and be sly. Don’t be shy, you got great potential, my friend. Self-mend your broken heart; stay bright, today is a fresh new start!
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Part 2: Battleship Potemkin Film Cinematography Composition
Continuation of PART 1. Battleship Potemkin, an epic film from 1925– apparently Stanley Kubrick would watch the films of Sergei Eisenstein on loop. Watch it here.
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Publish Yourself
Why do we wait to get “discovered” by others? Why not just self-publish, and publish ourselves?
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Why I Love Pictures
I have a passion for pictures; all pictures! Paintings, photos, illustrations, graphic design, typography, sculpture; any visual art and all art in general!
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Is Photography Fun For You?
A realization while at the gym: photography must be fun, or else it isn’t worthwhile.
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Leonardo da Vinci Composition Sketches
Personal sketches of Leonardo da Vinci — trying to better analyze and digest his paintings:
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HAPTIC TURNS TWO! Haptic Anniversary Celebration
Two years ago, Eric and I (Cindy Nguyen) got married and officially launched HAPTIC INDUSTRIES with STREET NOTES and THE CITY OF ANGELS. Now HAPTIC is now in its terrible twos. We’re terribly excited to keep making art, building community, and sharing our love for education. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the love and inspiration to keep experimenting!
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High Risk, High Reward
You never know whether you will make a good photo or not before you shoot it. Thus to me it only makes sense that you must just shoot a lot; and the more you shoot, the luckier you will get!
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10 Super Simple Street Photography Tips
Simple is elegant. Here are some (super) simple street photography tips to integrate into your shooting:
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Creative Freedom
Dear friend,
A very basic idea– what we truly desire as artists is “creative freedom” — to create what we desire without anyone else preventing us from doing it!
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21 Stanley Kubrick Photography Composition Lessons
Some personal lessons I’ve learned while studying Stanley Kubrick’s early photography collection:
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How Do I Know I’m Making Progress in My Photography, Art, and Life?
Dear friend,
I believe one of our tasks as humans is to progress. To improve. To advance, and for us to visibly see our own progress, and actually be proud of our progress!
But how do we know we are advancing or progressing in our photography, art, and life? Some personal ideas:
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Eric Kim CASE: Available Now in PHANTOM BLACK and BRONZE
Eric Kim CASE: Always have your RICOH, film, SD cards, and accessories with you. Eric Kim CASE now available in the HAPTIC SHOP in BRONZE LEATHER or PHANTOM BLACK.
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Placate Yourself
Placate yourself, disregard your wealth
Keep careful eye over your health, stay strong and stand tall; don’t stay knelt. -
Look Behind You
“A backward glance can always lift the heart.” – Dante (The Divine Comedy)
We are often told to “count our blessings” to find more happiness, joy, and satisfaction in life. I would say it’s more effective to “consider all the people who are less fortunate than us, people dying of disease, enduring war, and exile.”
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What Doesn’t Destroy You Makes You Stronger
Dear friend,
A realization I had: if it weren’t for my scars and suffering and difficulty in the past, I wouldn’t have become as strong as I am today.
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How to Never Stop Shooting
Never stop shooting. No matter how boring or uninteresting you feel like your life is; there’s always something to shoot! Some practical ideas to always stay inspired to shoot:
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SELF-RESPECT
Dear friend,
Do you respect yourself? Meaning– do you trust yourself? Do you consult your own conscience before consulting others? Can you look back into your own soul, and truly see and understand your own thinking and intentions? Do you have high regard, consideration, and do you trust in yourself?
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Street Photography Composition Manual
Dear friend,
This is an attempt (an essay/assay) into making a comprehensive (yet simple) manual to street photography composition. It will be based on my personal experiences, turned into theory.
Let’s begin.
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The Phone is a Legitimate Camera
Treat your phone like a pencil; take fun, and quick visual sketches of whatever you see, constantly workout your visual muscles!
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The Small Thumbnail Test
Dear friend,
A practical tip to speed up your photography workflow: use the ‘thumbnail test’. Look at your photos as small thumbnails (contact sheets) to more quickly and efficiently choose your best photos!
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Anti-Social Extrovert
Dear friend,
I believe we should seek this duality in life– to be BOTH social AND solitary. Or in Kendrick Lamar’s words, an “anti-social extrovert.”
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PHOTOLOSOPHY: Discover More Personal Meaning in Your Photographic Life
Dear friend,
Welcome to PHOTOLOSOPHY! The course is organized numerically. Feel free to skip around, and there is no real order you need to go.
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Part 1: Battleship Potemkin Film Cinematography Composition
Battleship Potemkin, an epic film from 1925– apparently Stanley Kubrick would watch the films of Sergei Eisenstein on loop. Watch it here.
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Photography is Art
Dear friend,
As a photographer you’re an artist. Never let anyone else tell you otherwise.
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Why Photographers Should Deadlift
To me, powerlifting and deadlifting is my zen meditation. Not only that, but powerlifting and deadlifting has taught me — I have no limits.
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The Decapitation Technique in Street Photography
A technique I like in street photography is the ‘decapitation technique’– literally cutting the head off your subjects (or just showing their limbs):
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Never Blame Anybody But Yourself
Dear friend,
A random thought I had this morning– what if we never blamed anyone else, but ourself? To me, this would be one of the most empowering sentiments. Why? It means that we have 100% control over our lives, and it is silly for us to blame anyone else!
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Why Photograph Your Everyday Life?
Let’s say you have an “uninteresting” life. If so, is it still worth photographing? I say yes!
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20 Simple and Elegant Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition Lessons
My favorite compositions of Henri Cartier-Bresson:
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13 Lessons Claude Monet Has Taught Me About Art
Claude Monet: I love his colors, and his personal writings. Here are some practical lessons I’ve learned from him: