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What I Learned from the Masters of Photography
Dear friends,
For a limited time in the HAPTIC SHOP, MASTERS DIGITAL EDITION is now FREE! You can also pick up a first-edition printed version of MASTERS here.
Why study the masters?
The biggest benefit to studying the masters of photography is to learn how to ‘kill’ them. That means:
Extract all the necessary wisdom and experiences from them, but then realize you must cut the umbilical chord, and pursue your own path … to pave your own path and journey in photography.
Henri Cartier-Bresson is still probably the GOAT (greatest of all time) but when he started, he wasn’t. It was probably Andre Kertesz, his personal senior.
Every master has a master somewhere
Even photographers like Richard Avedon learned from artists like Alexey Brodovitch. Even HCB’s mentor was the painter André Lhote. Henri Cartier-Bresson’s inspiration during the time was the trendy ‘surrealism‘, which was led by the radical thinker Andre Breton. So if you think about it —
Now after these masters die, we deify them as being infallible geniuses, but they all started somewhere too.
“We started from the bottom now we’re here” – Drake
To become a ‘master’ is something which is appended to your name loooong after you’re dead. To be a ‘living master’ seems like a nonsensical title. And to be a ‘master’ (maestro) is simply to be a ‘teacher’. As long as you can teach what you learn, in some ways … you too are a master.
So don’t get so caught up on becoming a master in your lifetime. Strive to plumb the deepest depths of knowledge from those who came before you, and then re-inject your own experiences, knowledge and wisdom into your own work.
And to keep learning, see all 100 lessons I learned from them [PDF].
Also you can download on Dropbox or download on Google Drive.
The book is open-source and free. Feel free to forward it to any friends, store it on any device, and you can also see all my books here.
Re-motivate your passion for street photography
If you’re hungry for some new motivation, direction and inspiration in your street photography, invest your time in an upcoming ERIC KIM EXPERIENCE below:
- August 27 (Friday): SEATTLE MASTER STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
- September 11 (Saturday): DOWNTOWN LA ADVANCED STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
New turbo thoughts
Share your best street photos
Get real feedback on your best street photos on arsbeta.com
Why?
Philosophize with ZEN OF ERIC KIM, or the ‘Why App?’
What I’m up to
- Films and Cinema — INFINITE with Mark Wahlberg, 300 [SPARTAAA!!], Mad Max fury road black and chrome edition.
- Reading: The Will to Power [Penguin digital edition]
- My workouts: Heavy kettlebell swings (2 handed and 1 handed) with a new 48 pound kettlebell (105 pounds).
To get back to basics, START HERE >