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Low-Key Photography

selfie ERIC KIM and seneca

Low-key photos are photos that skew towards the dark end and the darker side. The opposite of ‘high key’ photography (very bright photos).

Low-key photos are more dramatic, dark, and mysterious. I say that a low-key photograph is around 80% dark, and 20% bright (80% black, 20% white).

The benefits of low-key photos:

Depends on the vibes you’re going for

selfie ERIC KIM and seneca

If you’re trying to make more ‘artistic’ photos, typically the darker your photos, the better. Why? Because when your photos are darker, there are *LESS* details, which forces you (the viewer) to fill in the gap and details with your mind and imagination:

Do both.

seneca normal exposure

Impossible to know which exposure or exposure-compensation is the ‘best’ while you’re shooting. Thus I suggest to ‘work the scene’ and try to experiment with all forms of exposures, and *LATER* you select the one which you best like.

  • selfie ERIC KIM and seneca
  • seneca normal exposure

COMPOSITION by KIM

In pursuit of making (greater) compositions!

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION

  • STREET by KIM42 clear and dark
  • 12 Photography Composition Ideas
    Chiaroscuro in Photography

VIRTUAL REALITY COMPOSITION

  • three dimensional composition ERIC KIM
  • leading lines
  • leading lines walking lady
  1. ERIC KIM VIRTUAL REALITY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION LESSON

The Game of Composition

composition-layers-ERIC-KIM-
  • Photography Image Selection/Editing Technique: Choose Photos You Want to Draw Composition Over
    Photography and Planes: Composition
  • HOW ERIC KIM STUDIES COMPOSITION
  • Photography Composition Techniques
  • Beyond “Clever” and Ironic Photos
  • How to Be More Creatively Innovative with Your Compositions as a Photographer
  • How to See in Layers
  • Video Street Photography Composition Lesson by ERIC KIM (4K)
  • How I Analyze My Photos
  • The Game of Composition
  • Why I Like to Shoot Layered Street Photography Compositions
  • Composition and Decomposition: Construct and Deconstruct Great Art

Technical compositions

  • Circle Photography Composition Technique
  • Wavy/Wave Composition
  • ERIC KIM Photography Composition Techniques
  • How to Stress Test Your Photos
  • Bounding Boxes for Photography Composition

Composition Studies

  1. Helmut Newton Photography Composition Studies
  2. W. Eugene Smith Composition Studies
  3. PDF: ERIC KIM Photography Composition Studies
  4. PDF: Josef Koudelka Photography Composition Studies
  5. PDF: Richard Avedon Photography Composition Studies
  6. PDF: Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography Composition Studies

Philosophy of Composition

Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition Simplified GIF
Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition Simplified
  • How to Teach Yourself Composition in Photography
  • Striving to Discover New Compositions in Photography
  • Off-Center Composition
  • Why I Love Composition
  • Philosophy of Composition
  • More Dynamic Photos, More Powerful Photos!

Aesthetics

Downtown LA, 2015 (shot on a Ricoh GR with the fixed-focal 28mm lens)
  • Image Quality and Great Photos
  • Imperfect Photos are More Beautiful
  • Do you photograph the world better, the same, or worse than reality? #aesthetics
  • Aesthetics are Ethics
  • Beauty over Truth #philosophy #aesthetics
  • Philosophy of Aesthetics and Beauty in Photography
  • Aesthetics in Photography
  • Aesthetics Strengthen, Simplify, and Focus
  • Not better image quality; more beautiful aesthetics!
  • Why Aesthetics?

ERIC KIM X ANNETTE KIM X BAUHAUS REMIX

Master composition for yourself:

Photography Composition Concepts

  • Outline Photography Composition
  • Re-Interpret your Photos
  • Visual Gist
  • Dynamic Composition
  • 10 Tips How to Work Your Compositions in Photography
    • Download ZIP of composition files >
  • Composition for the Sake of Composition
  • The Gaussian Blur Test
  • How to Teach Yourself Photography Composition
  • Composition vs Aesthetics in Photography
  • 10 Simple Composition Tips to Make Better Photos
  • How to Compose a Photograph
  • Edge Detection Photography Composition
  • Vector (Arrow) Photography Composition
  • Clear and Obscure (Chiaroscuro) Photography Composition

Street Photography Composition Tips

Tokyo, 2017
Tokyo, 2017
  • 7 Street Photography Composition Tips
    The Superman Low Angle Perspective Photography Composition Effect
  • High Angle Perspective Street Photography Composition Technique
  • How to Shoot Low Angle Perspective Street Photography Composition Technique

Photography Composition Tips

  • 5 Photography Composition Ideas
  • How to Photograph Motion
  • Photography Composition: Which Direction is Your Subject Looking?
  • Blocking Technique in Photography
  • How to Shoot a Triangle Photography Composition
  • How to shoot a golden triangle composition in street photography
  • 8 Simple Curve Composition Tips
  • 5 Simple Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition Tips
  • Foot Zoom
  • Photography Composition: Light and Dark
  • Street Photography Composition Lesson #16: Scale
  • Shape, Arrangement, Position (S.A.P.) and Contour, Inter-Contact, Position (C.I.A.) in Photography
  • 10 Tips How to Fill the Frame in Photography
  • Look Up! 16 Photography Composition Perspective Tips
  • 5 Simple Street Photography Composition Tips
  • Depth Perception
  • Golden Angle Composition in Street Photography
  • Photographer as an “Arranging Artist”
  • Dynamic Off-Center Street Photography Compositions
  • 5 Essential Composition Tips in Photography

Color Theory

Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors.
Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors. Image from CREATIVE EVERY DAY
  • Red and Green Composition Color Theory For Photographers
  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Color Photography
  • Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
  • Color Theory For Photographers
  • Color Manual
  • How to Shoot Color Street Photography

Learn From the Masters of Composition

Sergio Larrain Compositions
Sergio Larrain Compositions
  • 10 Lessons Matisse Can Teach You About Art and Life
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition
  • 10 Timeless Lessons Edward Weston Can Teach You About Photography
  • 10 Inspirational Sergio Larrain Compositions
  • 5 Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography Composition Lessons

Dynamic Photography Composition 101

Leading lines. ERIC KIM DYNAMIC COMPOSITION
Leading lines. ERIC KIM DYNAMIC COMPOSITION
  • Introduction to Dynamic Photography Composition
  • How to Visually Analyze Your Photography Compositions
  • Dynamic Tension: Opponent Based Theory For Photography
  • Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
  • Dynamic Photography Composition 101: Figure to Ground

Painting Compositions

Vermeer
  • Johannes Vermeer
  • Raphael

Dynamic Photography Composition Tips

Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM
Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM
  • 7 Simple Photography Composition Tips
  • How to Make Aggressive Photography Compositions
  • 10 Dynamic Photography Composition Tips
  • How to Make More Dynamic Picture Compositions
  • Unorthodox Photography Composition Techniques
  • Deconstructed: Saigon Eric Kim Photos

Composition Theory

Dynamic low angle composition. Tokyo, 2011 by ERIC KIM
Dynamic low angle composition. Tokyo, 2011 by ERIC KIM

Take your composition to the next level:

  • Gestalt Theory
  • Juxtaposition
  • Center Eye
  • Low-Angle
  • Dutch Angle
  • Deep Depth
  • Spacing
  • Silhouette
  • Leading Lines
  • Figure to Ground
  • Fibonacci Spiral
  • Cropping
  • Emotion
  • Composition by Eric Kim

Street Photography Composition 101

DYNAMIC REFLECTIONS. Man and three reflections by ERIC KIM
DYNAMIC REFLECTIONS. Man and three reflections by ERIC KIM

For distilled lessons on composition, read the free ebook: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.”

Further articles to improve your compositions in photography:

  • Composition Lesson #1: Triangles
  • Composition Lesson #2: Figure-to-ground
  • Composition Lesson #3: Diagonals
  • Composition Lesson #4: Leading Lines
  • Composition Lesson #5: Depth
  • Composition Lesson #6: Framing
  • Composition Lesson #7: Perspective
  • Composition Lesson #8: Curves
  • Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits
  • Composition Lesson #10: Urban Landscapes
  • Composition Lesson #11: “Spot the not”
  • Composition Lesson #12: Color Theory
  • Composition Lesson #13: Multiple-Subjects
  • Composition Lesson #14: Square Format

Composition Theory

Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM
Woman and door. Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM

Learn compositional theory:

  • Why is Composition Important?
  • Don’t Think About Composition When You’re Shooting Street Photography
  • How to Use Negative Space
  • Street Photography Composition 101
  • The Theory of Composition in Street Photography: 7 Lessons from Henri Cartier-Bresson

Compositional lessons from the masters of art

  • Composition Lessons Raphael Can Teach You About Photography
  • In-Progress: Leonardo da Vinci

Composition lectures


Composition pictures/grids

Eric Kim photography Bauhaus Piet Mondrian


Golden Diagonal Composition

golden diagonal composition
Golden Diagonal Composition / Kyoto Station, 2018

ERIC KIM WORKSHOPS

red hand ERIC KIM

Unleash your creative potential:

2021:

  • May 22-23, 2021: CHICAGO / CONQUER COMPOSITION STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – (NOW LIVE!)
  • June (exact date TBA) 2021: NEW YORK CITY / STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS by ERIC KIM [Register Intent Here]

Be notified of when new workshops are live here.


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Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship

My brand-new Udemy Course, "Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship" now live!

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Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography

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CREATIVE EVERY DAY

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PHOTO JOURNAL

Photo Journal Print Edition

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HAPTIC MAG

Read our HAPTIC MAGAZINE: Issue 1 “Our Story” >

HAPTIC makes creative tools to empower visual artists. From educational tools, art platforms, to camera equipment, HAPTIC is driven by a spirit of experimentation and creative collaboration. We are a majority women led, family operated industry, and have great pride in everything we make.

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