Archive

Month: December 2020

Photo essay / Dec 30, 2020

LIFE IS INHERENTLY GOOD.

How do most philosophies and modes of thinking fail? The bias: Life is bad, and being born is the worst thing which could have possibly fallen upon you. But in truth, being born is …

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Photo essay / Dec 30, 2020

WARMUP

Before going super hard at anything … warmups are good:

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HDR junkyard photography street
Photo essay / Dec 30, 2020

Thoughts on HDR Photography

A new thing I’m experimenting with: HDR photography (in-camera HDR setting on RICOH GR III), and have been having a lot of fun:

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Hand scribble drawing
Photo essay / Dec 30, 2020

New Year, New Photos

A good thought: The reason why photography is so great … deep excitement, hope and joy for this upcoming new year! New year, new experiences, new laughs, new sorrows, new happenings, new news, and …

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Money from nothing ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 29, 2020

On Making Money from Nothing

The other day I cashed out some gains I got from crypto (Bitcoin), and thought to myself: How is it that this profit was created out of thin air? Which makes me realize: Money …

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Photo essay / Dec 29, 2020

Why Live a More Exciting Life?

There ain’t much we can control in life, but one of the variables we can control in life is this: How much (the degree) of excitement we decide to pursue in life. And the …

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10,000 blog posts
Photo essay / Dec 29, 2020

Reflections After 10,000+ Blog Posts

I don’t think I can say I’m the best blogger, but I can certainly say I’m the most productive and prolific blogger. I don’t know anyone else who has written as much as I …

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Anti Apple
Photo essay / Dec 29, 2020

Anti-Android

I’ve always been an Android and anti-Apple fanboy ever since my college years. I preferred the open system of Android, Chrome, etc. But now as of 2020, Android and Google is starting to creep …

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Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Everything in It’s Own Time

A Taoist “wu-wei” concept. No need to force things; let things naturally resolve itself by letting go. Follow your gut. Much wisdom in purposeful procrastination. Only do work when your body is strong enough …

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Crypto gif
Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Crypto Thoughts

Overall, I am very bullish on crypto (cryptocurrency (Digibyte, Bitcoin), smart contracts (Chainlink), and other forms of cryptography in regards to security, decentralized financed, etc). Why? It seems simple: Our world is becoming more …

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Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

The Zen of Photographing Nature

In Providence I went to the local Roger Williams park and discovered by chance this Japanese zen garden, which is pure sublime. I had soooo much fun just running around and photographing all the …

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Enough
Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Enough is Never Enough.

We are hunting to get more and more, to procure more and more money, savings, etc in order to finally feel “secure”. But will we ever feel secure? No. Thus it seems the practical …

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Wealth
Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Via Negativa Wealth

Wealth isn’t via positiva (having +++ tons of 1s and 0s and commas in your bank account). But instead, wealth as via negativa (wealth is good, as it *subtracts* your worries and concerns about …

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Wealth
Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Wealth is Mental

I just cashed out some gains I got from Bitcoin (cryptocurrency) and currently I feel very pleased and secure with my finances. But the thing is: With cryptocurrency, you can be very rich on …

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Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

Speed Wins

When in doubt, optimize for speed. Speed will always win — when it comes to business, entrepreneurship, workflow, and life:

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meal food
Photo essay / Dec 28, 2020

MEALS

What is one of the greatest joys in life? Meals with friends, family and loved ones. Morale of the story: To feel more joy in life, have *MORE* meals with others you love and …

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Open source triangle
Photo essay / Dec 27, 2020

Open Source Art

My vision of open source art: Release your artwork openly and freely to the web. Open standards like PDF, JPEG, RAW, TIFF, PNG, .ZIP, etc. No need for copyright, watermarks, DRM (digital rights management), …

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Selfie ERIC KIM glitch
Photo essay / Dec 27, 2020

You’re the Artist

In this game of art, you’re the artist. You’re the creator, curator, and taste maker. You don’t require the permission or validation of any other external party besides yourself. No need to quote others, …

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Design
Photo essay / Dec 27, 2020

Design Rules Everything Around Me

Everywhere I look, design is king. For example think about Apple, Steve Jobs, and Jony Ive and now Tesla and Elon Musk. Since then, designers are the new demigods of society. If we consider …

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meat tongue
Photo essay / Dec 26, 2020

The Philosophy of Meat Eating

Why eat meat? Why *not* eat meat? I have yet heard a philosophical argument *for* meat-eating. All new-agey philosophy and modes of thinking are staunchly ANTI-meat eating. Or for the more ‘woke’ folks (who …

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dumbbell press
Photo essay / Dec 26, 2020

Peak Physical Strength

Currently I am at my peak physical condition. Deadlift is at 455 pounds (I can do more), Squat is at 375, floor bench is at 265, etc. I am convinced … one of the …

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metatron cube
Photo essay / Dec 26, 2020

Social Stochastic Resonance

Random thought: Why is it that I can concentrate more when I am working at a coffee shop (with some stochastic resonance noise … aka small background noise), and why is it that I …

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Photo essay / Dec 26, 2020

Dynamic Lifestyle

Not to cleave to one lifestyle. Rather, as your life progresses, you allow yourself to *dynamically change* based on your circumstances and life. This means: There is not one perfect lifestyle for your entire …

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selfie triangle ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 23, 2020

CONQUER CREATIVITY

We are all creative, yet it seems the *fear* is to be creative. How do we conquer this fear to create, and to perhaps … conquer creativity itself?

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Hearts ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 22, 2020

Shoot What Scares You

I think I get this from Bruce Gilden as a photography assignment: shoot what you’re afraid of. Totally makes sense. If you see something which scares you, it probably interests you. And the more …

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Cindy ERIC KIM reflection selfie car
Photo essay / Dec 22, 2020

Always Be Editing

Your opinion regarding your own photos is always in a state of flux and changing. Certain photos which you were super enthusiastic about one day, you might lose that enthusiasm over time. Typically time …

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Simplest composition ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 22, 2020

Why Simpler Compositions are Superior

Something which endlessly fascinates me: How to make the best composition of a given scene? I was looking through some photos, and a simple realization: The simpler the photograph, the more superior.

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Triangle
Photo essay / Dec 22, 2020

Visual Artist Exercises

We all know that in order to become stronger and more fit physically, exercise is essential. Same goes with our artistry. We need to exercise our creative and visual muscles. Some ideas and exercises …

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hand light
Photo essay / Dec 22, 2020

What Makes an ‘Artistic’ Photograph?

We are not just mere photographers, we are also artists. But the thing is: Some photos we create are *more* artistic than others. For example, if I make a photograph of my grocery list …

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Photo essay / Dec 21, 2020

Do What Scares You

What’s the best way to live life? Simple: Do what scares you. By doing that which scares you, you’re more likely to achieve epic things, and discover more interesting things about existence. What is …

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STREET by KIM42 clear and dark
Photo essay / Dec 21, 2020

Chiaroscuro in Photography

Chiaroscuro: the Italian word which means ‘clear‘ (chiaro) and ‘obscure‘ (oscuro). Thus in simple photographic terms, chiaroscuro is the art of extreme contrast (juxtaposition) between the clear and the dark in a photograph:

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Experiences ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 21, 2020

All New Experiences are Good Experiences

A thought and realization: In life, all experiences are good experiences. This means: No experiences are “good” or “bad” in themselves. All experiences meld and form you to become *more*.

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Barre ERIC KIM abstract
Photo essay / Dec 21, 2020

In Praise of Barre

Barre is essentially dance classes meets yoga meets ballet-fitness. The reason why barre is so interesting to me — it’s perfect for weight lifters and power lifters. In fact I prefer it over yoga.

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Science art ERIC KIM golden section rectangle
Photo essay / Dec 19, 2020

Science x Art

Is there a science to art? Or perhaps science *and* art as the ultimate hybrid synthesis?

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Photo essay / Dec 18, 2020

How to Boost Your Mood

What is mood? Mood is your physiological condition. How much energy, hype, motivation and energy you have in your muscles. The trillion dollar question: how does one improve their mood?

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Glitch chain
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

The Artist-Entrepreneur

To be an artist isn’t enough … we must also become more entrepreneurial.  The only artists who succeed … are a hybrid of good self-marketer, good self-brander, good self-promoter, and risk-loving entrepreneur.  Or in …

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Geometry composition
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

Why Photographers Should Study Geometry

By studying geometry, we can better understand the dynamic relationships of lines, shapes, forms, and planes in our photographic compositions. As a consequence, we become more cognizant of the dynamic visual forms in our …

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Swing cross
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

Creative Photography

A realization while walking in the snow and shooting photos: The purpose of photography is to be creative and create. In some ways, all photos you shoot are creative. But at the same time, …

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Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

Creative Iteration

Creativity is fun when you take matter and reimagine and retransform it into something else:

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Cindy side composition ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

PHOTO JOURNEY

Life is a journey. As a photographer, your task is to document your photographic (and life) journey:

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selfie black and white flash ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

The Philosophy of Happiness

In modern times, everyone wants to be ‘happy’. It seems much of consumerism and capitalism is to maximize our ‘happiness’. But what is happiness? Is this even something to be desired?

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black and white abstract ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 17, 2020

Black and White Photography as Optimistic

A thought — The upside of monochrome photography is that it is more optimistic? Or deeper: To make optimistic photos in monochrome is more difficult and takes more skill/creative ingenuity than making optimistic color …

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Bauhaus font design outline ERIC KIM
Photo essay / Dec 16, 2020

BAUHAUS DESIGN STUDIES

Personal studies on iPad and Procreate. The gist: As I study Bauhaus design, I find images which compel me. If I’m compelled to sketch, trace, dissect and analyze these designs … I find them …

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Cindy red eye Kyoto, 2017 #cindyproject
Photo essay / Dec 16, 2020

How to See More Artistically as a Photographer

Free motivation on ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER > Dear friends, wanted to shoot you some words of motivation and words of creative energy. First of all, recognize that you’re not just a photographer, you’re a …

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Photo essay / Dec 16, 2020

How to See Like an Artist

Artist vision as a photographer means you see more subtlety, beauty, and connections in everything you see, witness and experience. As photographers our greatest attribute and advantage is our creative sight and vision. Thus …

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Cindy juxtaposition ERIC KIM top and bottom
Photo essay / Dec 16, 2020

Why Exhibit Your Photos?

Question: *Why* exhibit your photos? What is the functional purpose of exhibiting your work? What are the negative consequences of *not* sharing and exhibiting your photos?

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