ERIC KIM

Why Do You Shoot Photos?

FIRST SENT TO ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

Dear friend,

The thought to inspire and motivate you:

Ask yourself… ‘Why do I make photos?’

From this answer, all the other answers will come easy.

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Why?

I cannot speak for you but I can speak for myself. For me to shoot and make photos is:

  1. Artistic self expression. This means when I am making art (my photos), I am imputing my soul into my photos. To me, this gives me great joy. It is like the art of procreation.
  2. Memory recollection. If you shoot photos of your child, it is probably because you want to (one day in the future) look back and your photos of your kid and think: “Wow, he/she has grown so much since then!” Similarly speaking when we shoot meaningful photos of our loved ones (even selfies at meal time), it is to mark that moment with some sort of emotional significance, and to say: “I am happy, this is a happy moment”. We also hope that in this happy moment, by sending our photo to our loved ones, they will also derive joy from the photo. It is spreading the love.
  3. Photography as a lifestyle and the same as breathing. Do you gotta force yourself to breathe? Probably not. Similarly speaking, then why force yourself to make photos? Just shoot effortlessly. Don’t strive to make good photos or bad photos. Just shoot photos like you would blink, eat, drink, or breathe.

Your answers are your own

ZEN OF ERIC CHAT BOT (WHY APP?) is my attempt to have us better reflect on why we do any of this stuff. I cannot answer the question for you, but hopefully the more you can shoot and share your best photos that bring you joy (upload it to arsbeta.com), the greater you can grow, develop and thrive as a photographer and visual artist!

SHOOT ON!
ERIC

NEW IDEAS

  1. How to live more
  2. Happiness and photography
  3. The art of living well
  4. Photography is like breathing
  5. A bad photo is superior to no photo

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PHOTO ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU

“CHANGE” is the topic. Whatever you think is ‘change’, whether it be changing colors of the leaves on the trees, the wrinkles on your face, your kid growing up, the changing weather or whatever… upload what you consider your best ‘change’ photo to arsbeta.com

For more motivation, check out my new YOUTUBE VIDEOS or PODCASTS.

And never forget our motto, when in doubt, just shoot it!

ERIC

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Dear friend,

If you’re new to photography, start here:

  1. The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography
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  3. 100 Photography Tips for Beginners

Photography is Everything!

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RICOH GR II selfie in mirror, double eye surreal. Prague, 2017
RICOH GR II selfie in mirror, double eye surreal. Prague, 2017

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Learn From the Masters of Photography

MASTERS PROTOTYPE by HAPTIC

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

  1. Why Study the Masters of Photography?
  2. Great Female Master Photographers
  3. Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
  4. 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
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The Masters of Photography

Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos
Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos

Classics never die: