With cameras, equipment, lenses, gear or any other decisions of the type try to honestly ask yourself: “Will this decision or purchase help me create more�
If so, just go for it. If not, just use what you got and make on!
The definition of “creativity†as the propensity to create … anything!
Photographic fitness: to shoot a lot, frequently, and to always stay fit with your photography; your technique and sharpness in shooting, your photographic vision, and your photographic muscles!
You are a special type of artist– one who paints with light. You write and paint with light; this is what photography is!
Thus in photography, think about creative ways you can write with light and paint with light. Utilize the light, create light, and write your feelings with your photos!
Why I love RICOH GR III, and why I think it is the best camera (better than any Leica camera, rangefinder, iPhone, etc):
A epiphany I had while shooting with the iPhone Mini (one handed, in my left hand while walking):
The most flexible form and the best technique in photography is having the ability and privilege to shoot one-handed.
For example, most of the time when we are out living our everyday lives, we often have to do something with one of our hands (holding a grocery bag, holding a coffee cup, or pushing a stroller if you got a child).
This is one of the reasons I LOVE the Ricoh GR III–I can shoot with it one handed! And also the new touchscreen for autofocusing points is great, because I can even use one hand to touch a certain point of the screen to autofocus. As a result, I’ve been able to shoot more personally decisive moments— when walking around the neighborhood with a coffee in my left hand, and a camera in my right! Or holding an umbrella with your left hand, and a camera with your right hand!
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How do you know what great design or technology is?
The more you use it, the more you like it!
Or,
The more you use something, the more the design surprises and delights you in ways you couldn’t have even imagined!
For example, the iPhone Mini: the joy of shooting photos with one hand, the ability to reach all of the screen with one hand, and even the ability to use the phone with my (less dominant left hand)! The thought that ‘one handed photography‘ is great!
What do we desire?
We desire to look forward to a more beautiful and prosperous future.
What does this mean? This means:
When I look at my most powerful photos, this is what I have noticed:
My strongest photos are typically very close (I am close to the subject, both physically [macro mode] or emotionally).
This goes not only in my street photography, but my personal photography.
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Or in other words:
Life is too short to pursue or do anything you are *NOT* passionate or enthusiastic towards.
I still believe:
If you pursue your passion(s) with the greatest zeal and might in life, there is no way you cannot succeed and win.
Why? With passion, you will have pure endurance, perseverance, not out of some sort of ‘virtue’, but you cannot do anything otherwise (meaning, you cannot help but keep on going on pursuing your passion, because you are compelled by yourself to do it naturally, with love, play, and fun!)
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The goal:
To make more powerfully impactful images.
Photos which elicit a strong and powerful emotional response within us. Stronger and more powerful aesthetics, stronger light, and stronger and more emotional subject-matter (for example, photographing your family, loved ones, or children).
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When do we have the greatest zeal and zest for life?
When we strive to over-come and over-go ourselves.
In other words:
A thought —
In terms of aesthetics, story, drama, and happenings … darker is better.
This is what I mean:
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I’ve been pretty much wearing ‘all black everything’ (in terms of clothes) for around 4+ years straight. Today I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought to myself:
I really don’t like the way this black t-shirt looks on me.
Instead, I put on a well-fitted Uniqlo V-Neck Supima Cotton (White) and I thought to myself:
I actually far (right now) prefer the way the white t-shirt looks on me, with a black bottom (black merino wool leggings with black athletic shorts on top).
Which made me think:
Wow … no matter how ‘perfect’ you make a certain aesthetic ideal … you will always (eventually) bore of it.
Thus perhaps our minimal pursuit of just finding the ‘perfect’ everything (aesthetics you will never get bored of) is an impossibility. No matter how great, cool, zen, stylish a certain aesthetic you got (in terms of cars, clothes, watches, devices, etc) … you will eventually bore of it!
Then the question and thought:
Is it possible to achieve a certain aesthetic you will never bore of?
Then–
Actually, is it a *GOOD* thing that we bore of certain aesthetics?
For now my takeaway is this: yes, it is good that we bore of certain aesthetics, designs, and things … or else, what motivation would we have to innovate? Otherwise we would all still have iPhone 6’s, still be wearing top hats and monocles, and pantyhose (men as well).
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Every photo you make is a reflection of yourself (the saying that a photo is a mirror with a memory):
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For me, having the ‘best’ or the most ‘optimal’ tools and things in order to *NOT* second-guess or consider other options, which frees up mind space in order to focus on what is truly important– your focus on your artistic and creative creations, deeper philosophical thought, and innovation!
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I don’t need the best — I’m more about reviewing and testing? I don’t need to own the things. In fact, I prefer to own nothing — to he tied down by nothing.
The goal and game isn’t to acquire all the best things. Rather, to use, test and experience/learn from the best things, tools and designs, and transfer these concepts to your own designs, creations and art works.
Nowadays, to say anything about the body is seen with bad taste. For example:
If you flex to much, it is seen as vain and sinful.
Also:
Due to our Christian-Judeo morals and ethics in America, the body is seen as bad, evil, and to be untrusted.
Yet the irony is that in America, we glorify the body. We glorify swimsuit models, bodybuilders, and superheroes in movies. Can you imagine Batman or Superman being the average ‘skinny fat’ American? Or can you imagine Wonder Woman without her muscles and strong form?
Thus the strange bias:
In the media (TV shows, movies, films) or things that aren’t ‘real life’, we love and glorify the human body. But in everyday affairs, we look at the body with part scorn and hate, yet desire.
But what if we returned to more robust Ancient Greek ideals — which glorified the body (the ‘arete’ notion of Ancient Greece)– in which to reach the apex magnanimous version of being a human, one had to excel both in spirit and soul *AND* their body.
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Something I thought about when looking at the Puma x MAISON KITSUNE collaboration line (specifically these yellow and black sneakers):
Wow, Puma makes some really cool shoes, even though Puma isn’t considered as prestigious or “cool†as Nike or Adidas.
In a similar vein, I find the new Kia and Hyundai/Genesis cars very cool from a design perspective — specifically the Kia K5 (the wolf grey is insanely cool) and the Kia Stinger (Panthera metal). Kia Telluride is also very cool (all black).
With Hyundai, the new Elantra front end (the Elantra N with a 6 speed transmission is super cool), and the bold styling with the Hyundai Sonata. For Genesis, the new G80 is insanely innovative from a design perspective (far cooler than any Porsche, Audi, BMW or Mercedes sedan).
Which makes me think:
(more…)When we desire things x, y, z … how much of it do we want for the brand prestige and name, or just the design?
How does one feel extreme gratitude? Through extreme difficulty and through long periods of enduring difficulty.
Thus in life, one cannot feel gratitude without difficulty. One cannot force oneself to feel gratitude.
Furthermore, perhaps life ain’t about trying to avoid difficulty and challenge, but rather to take it in good stride and know:
(more…)Once this difficult task is finished and accomplished by me, it will all be worth it … due to the extreme gratitude I will feel!
The new tag line of the new Nissan Z Proto. I love the concept and execution. Why? I believe it is what I actually do believe in— the best design gives homage to the past, while injecting in the present and modern. Even the car having a classic 6 speed manual transmission — brilliant. Even the recent new Toyota Supra was a huge letdown to fans, as it is only available in auto(tragic-matic). Same goes for many new models of Porsche 911 and BMW M-cars; only automatic!!! Considering that sports cars is all about romanticism, control and the joy of (manual) driving — this should be kept pure.
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My buddy Anthony Larson told me about the new MacBook Air, and how the new apple M-chip is quite epic.
A related thought:
After trying so much to try to improve my productivity with iPad, iPhone, etc… still at the end of the day, I am 100x more productive with a laptop.
Which makes me think:
(more…)Are phones and iPhones the red herring– a distraction from true and deep productivity, which is best achieved with a laptop?
In life, art, writing, and thoughts — always opt for the more interesting one.
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What do we aspire to? Simple — augmenting, improving and raising our visual and artistic acuity to photography.
But how does one do that? Some ideas:
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I think I first heard the notion of ‘lifestyle design’ waaaaay back when talking about Tim Ferriss. The general gist:
You craft and create your own ideal life and lifestyle for yourself.
Lifestyle has been the trend for a long time. But what does ‘lifestyle’ mean, and why is ‘lifestyle’ design important?
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You are the craftsperson of your own life.
I say:
Adjust the different settings of your life — continually tweak the knobs and levers, to build your own ideal life.
Nobody will hand you your own life on a silver platter. Similarly speaking, nobody knows what *YOUR* preferences are. Thus, be staunch, strong, and head-strong. Craft your own ideal future.
ERIC
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Know your body, know what is best (and what is worst) for you:
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No such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ thoughts. All thoughts are thoughts, and worthy of being shared:
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Just got a new iPhone mini and was checking out all the new iPhones. Some thoughts:
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If all of existence built up to one day of insanely sublime joy, it was all worth it!!!
UBER-LIME: The opposite and other half of ‘sub-lime’ (ABOVE and OVER the line). The deepest and darkest sorrow as necessary for the highest and most sublime joy.
What do we desire as photographers?
To make beautiful photos.
What is our desire for cameras, lenses and equipment?
(more…)To have a certain image quality or aesthetic to the camera, sensor, or image-processing which helps us create beautiful photos.
A thought while looking outside my window, and seeing a new electricity pole:
Wow, even seeing this slightly different version of my view is very delightful!
The electricity pole is brand-new– taller, with a darker (more aesthetically pleasing) brown wood, and there is some bright orange tape on it.
Taking it further — let us assume the ‘eternal return’ (Nietzsche’s concept assuming if our life were on loop forever) — would we prefer consistency, or a life of forever change and novelty?
I say the second!
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A simple heuristic and approach to life:
When it comes to decision making, either do it ‘as much as possible’ or not at all.
For example, when it comes to food (intermittent fasting), either don’t eat anything during the day (fasting) or when you break your fast (at night, in the evening after sun goes down) eat as much meat as possible.
With children, how many should you have? Either none, or as much as possible.
With coffee consumption, how much coffee to drink? As much as possible or none. Perhaps the same goes with drinking water?
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Or why I hate Google Chrome, Android and (most) of Google products and social media:
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We often regret:
Oh I should have known better. I wish I had made a better decision.
But how rarely do we think:
How grateful I am that given the circumstances something FAR WORSE did not happen!
Or in other words, having the wisdom or insight to understand that your “mistake†was very small and limited, and could have been 1000x worse!
For example the other week I slipped down the stairs (while wearing slippery socks on the slippery stairs). I had a major headache after it and pain, but instead of bemoaning my injury, I thought:
Oh shit, thank God this didn’t happen with me while I was holding the baby!!!
My earliest passion and interest in photography was specifically street photography. But starting off, how does one approach street photography?
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One of the challenges I deal with:
How to keep up with my photos.
What I mean by that is this:
I am shooting so much now (with the birth of my son) — perhaps on average ~500-1000 photos a day.
So the question:
How can I most effectively continue to shoot while still editing, selecting, exporting, and publishing/sharing my photos?
Some thoughts:
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Your task and duty:
(more…)To create, shape, and form yourself — whether philosophically, artistically, entrepreneurially, physical (muscular, body composition).
Beyond the “decisive moment†in photography. What we are actually searching for are *significant* moments in photography — moments which are personally meaningful and significant to us!
For example, the smile and laugh of your child or loved one. Even in street photography, we are trying to capture certain moments which we find beautiful and significant to us, not just “decisiveâ€.
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The best design is the design you don’t need to think about, or the design you no longer notice.
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We certainly know we care about certain things x, y, z, but we never ask ourselves how it matters — how this decision or taste of ours will actually practically manifest and affect our everyday lives and lived realities.
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What is the meaning of our predilection towards the visual arts, whether photography, film, cinema, sculpture, fashion, art design etc?
Visual delight! Delight in the contrasting shapes and forms, movements, colors, hues, textures, patterns and compositions!
We talk much on how to shoot photos, and I’ve also covered a lot of thoughts on *why* shoot photos. But something we haven’t explored as much:
(more…)When should we make photos?
Hyper photos and hyper photography —
(more…)Going beyond just basic notions of photography — making the photos go *above* and *beyond* basic photography:
Beyond just ‘adaptation‘ — strive to optimize each and every moment of your day.
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Perhaps this is the best way to make things which last— art works which last, albums which last, projects which lasts, and ideas which last!
Like Nietzsche said: durability is of supreme value of things on earth!
Not everything happens for a reason. But what do we have control over?
(more…)Having the guts and courage to think … perhaps 10 years from now looking back, I will learn to realize how this difficult time in my life was one of the best and formative experiences of my life … and in fact, were desirable!
I see resentment as one of our worst evils. Similarly speaking, I’ve heard resentment is the #1 cause of divorces in marriages and pain in relationships.
Certainly we cannot control whether others resent us or not, but we can control orienting ourselves and acting and living in such a way which we don’t resent others. Some thoughts:
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We are all so obsessed with building billion+ businesses, building unicorns, etc but instead —
Why not just focus on our entrepreneurial aims and ends to ourselves?
What if *we* are the unicorns? What if we are the proper ends to our investing, self-speculation, and self-developments?
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The thought behind reflexive photography:
The photos you shoot are a reflex (reflexive) of you.
The photos you shoot are a reflection of you and in some ways, *are* you!
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Question:
(more…)When it comes to your work or life … do you have an inner impellation which drives you, or an external social expectation spur which drives you?
What types of media, music, films, books, literature are good? Those which aid you in thinking — which act as a stimulus for your thoughts!
Thus as a simple suggestion:
It seems that the bias is that all sacrifices are good sacrifices; that sacrifices you do for the sake of others is good. But when are “sacrifices” selfish in disguise?
Thinking about self-interested “sacrifice” and “sacrifices”:
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When optimizing for decisions in life, don’t try to get suckered into thinking what will make you “happierâ€(tends to be consumerist luxury items and things). Instead, optimize for your health— the more direct way to be “happierâ€.
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The root of photographic motivation: a fervent love of life!
To get more motivation for photography, position yourself to love life more!
Information as not “goodâ€or “badâ€â€” it is all information. This means:
It is how you harness and use the information which makes it good or bad.
For example let’s talk about your “mistakesâ€in life or poor judgements. Treat it as good information — down the line in your future, this small mistake will prevent a 100x bigger mistake down the line!
For example certain decisions I’ve made in life which ended up being bad decisions … now I know with great certainty *NOT* to do or *NOT* to pursue in life. And this will help me live a greater and superior life.
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Too much knowledge of one self as bad — it will paralyze your from acting or doing. Some self blindness and ignorance as a good thing.
An important step towards our self wisdom:
Will these things actually improve my life or (in theory) aspirationally improve my life?
