Month: October 2021

I want to become the first photographer to do a good suburb street photography project:

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Use this information to iterate, and change/improve and do differently next time.

A thought with the new cinematic mode on iPhone and just the trend towards YouTube and film/cinema streaming services:

Invest in cinema.

For example, the new LUMIX S cameras or micro 4/3rds cameras for vlogging or cinema. 24fps or 60fps, and 4k or even 5k.

Ironically enough in 2021 and beyond, MORE people are watching films series and shows (consider all the online streaming services).

Invest in cinema and video — the way of the future.

If you want a photo idea: just go on a hike and bring your camera along.

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Move weight. I move photos.

The motivational photographer as someone who makes and moves photos. And motivates other photographers to move their bodies more and make more photos.

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One rep max. No need to do more than one repetition of any workout?

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The reason why notions of improvement in self improvement are good as this: the tells us that we can grow, evolve, and become stronger. In a world where you cannot improve, you have no free will and you are destined to the fates.

Then, improvement in our photography seems to be the goal. But what does this mean and how can we do it?

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When it comes to investing, why do we feel like we need to make prudent monetary investments towards the future? The problem with investing towards the future is this: the future is uncertain, but your present today self is certain.

I say that the best investing is self investing towards yourself with a more definite end.

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Every time you make a new photo, you are innovating in your photography. Then the goal is for you to keep innovating by making new photos.

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Let us not be fooled: social media is the matrix.

If you desire more happiness, productivity, well-being and power, you must unplug yourself from the social media matrix. A simple and modest step: delete your Instagram.

Stop listening to podcasts because it will crowd out your own unique thoughts. Better to listen to music than podcasts, because music has the power to uplift and motivate you, whereas podcasts are designed to tell you why what you’re doing is wrong.

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One of the best ways to improve your photographic composition is to sketch them. A simple way to do this on your iPhone or iPad is this: when you see a photo you like, screenshot it then draw on top of it.

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Nieztsche talks about the “grand style” in art and aesthetics. I’m not quite sure what that is, but I know the notion of style is very important to me. Why?

Style as a stamp of you.

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ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

Dear friend,

If you upload your photos online, you’re a photography entrepreneur. Then assuming that we are all in a stream of becoming, then the question is:

How can we become MORE entrepreneurial in our photography and life?

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Looking at the Polestar electric car (owned by a Chinese company, who also owns Volvo)–

Why and how are Chinese companies so innovative?

Some thoughts:

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A simple end —

Strive to empower other photographers.

Or in other words:

Empower other photographers as you wish you were empowered starting off or though your photographic journey.

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Things you do for the sake of it (doing it is the reward in itself), rather than doing it for ‘rewards’.

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Rather than wanting to become Elon Musk … isn’t it better to become yourself, or to become your own ‘Elon Musk’?

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MATRIX thought:

Unplug yourself.

Unplug yourself from social media (Deleting Instagram as a form of taking the ‘red pill’). Stop using Facebook. Slightly de-dose yourself from using Google in order to think deeper thoughts.

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If you share your photos online, you’re a photography entrepreneur.

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My personal desire and hunger to become insanely different— insanely different in how I look, how I act, what I own (or don’t own), insanely different aesthetics and ethics, and an insanely different (and bright) vision for the future.

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A personal thing:

No matter how good something is, it is never good enough for me.

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What is it that we are searching for or seeking for? I believe it is searching for the upside without the downside. Or maximizing the upside while limiting the downside.

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Let us realize and recognize that everything is always a work in progress. In fact, when are creative projects are done, it is quite anti-climactic. In fact, the ultimate completion to life is death.

For example, what is the best iPhone and the most perfect iPhone? The one that will come out a year or two from now. And at least for our lifetimes, Apple will certainly be continuing to make new iPhones ad infinitum.

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Let us say street photography is your passion. Then the question is how can you harness the Internet to make your passion your living?

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My ideals:

No matter your background, no matter how poor or disadvantaged you were or are, you can become great.

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Towards undefining street photography:

It is all street photography.

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A simple way to make more creative photo compositions:

Experiment with your focus.

For example focus on what’s closest to you via macro mode, or focus what’s really far away, while getting close to your subject (deep depth, layers in photography).

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New photos is the goal:

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The great passion — a burning inner drive to do something. That nothing gets in your way. The refusal to let things get in your way.

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The only cardinal sin of the Internet: being boring. I consider myself a very interesting person, and also very interested in many different things. Also I’m one of the most hated people online, especially in the photography community.

Whether people love Eric Kim or hate him, you cannot deny that he’s not boring.Whether people love Eric Kim or hate him, you cannot deny that he’s not boring.

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Seneca project:

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We all want to become more artistic and creative. My thought: perhaps the secret to artistic creativity is creative constraints. That is, to choose one variable unlock it, and don’t change it, and see how you could innovate within that constraint.

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ERIC KIM NEWS

Dear friends,

Some thoughts:

First of all, right now is the best time to be alive as a photographer. Pre-COVID, it seems the world was quite boring and static. Now, everything we photograph is interesting. Simply to leave your house and go somewhere or do something is an act of heroism.

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Why photograph your life? Your life is the ultimate photographic project.

Photograph your loved ones (#cindyproject), your kids (#senecaproject), your partner, your friends, family, etc.

Photograph it all.

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A computer — either a laptop, phone, tablet, and now I suppose cars (self driving Tesla) and digital cameras. I consider all these “computers”. But the question:

Why?

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ERIC KIM NEWS

Dear friends,

We are visual artists, who happen to use photography as our primary art creation form. Yet, we should not trap ourselves in a narrow Procrustean bed of just “photography”. We are artists.

Thus, the goal then seems to be to augment our creativity and artistry. To become more artistic, and to make more visual art.

What does that mean? Some ideas:

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Dear friends when in doubt —

Just make more photos.

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What is ERIC KIM? Simple– a photography entrepreneur. His passion is at the intersection of photography, philosophy and entrepreneurship. His blog as a source of his ‘stream of consciousness’ thinking or his ‘turbo thoughts‘ (as he gets from his best friend Kanye West).

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Better to ‘undefine’ yourself than to define yourself.

Thinking that we are currently in a stream of ‘becoming‘ (rather than just to ‘be’), then perhaps the best way to become more entrepreneurial is to *BECOME* outside the box.

Refrain from being constrained by definitions, bios, or categories.

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The motto of the entrepreneur.

Move people (motivate people, workshops) and move products (ideas, physical or intangible products).

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For those of us stuck in boring places — you can still shoot street photography; making interesting photos out of a very boring place!

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A thought: what is the best way to spark your passion and motivation for photography is a visual detox. That is, to spend a period of time not looking at any other images but your own.

For example, maybe spend a month not looking at the photos or anyone else, and you only look at your own photos and your past photos. Don’t watch any movies, only read books and literature, and listen to music. No social media, YouTube, or any other visual distractions.

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What are good reasons for going to college, what are bad reasons for going to college?

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Why experiment with new forms of Composition? Simple: it is a very fun and interesting way to experiment with your photography. And no matter how boring your environment may be, you could supersede that boringness by experimenting with more bold and unique compositions.

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Perhaps the best way to stand out is to look or seem more common.

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Whenever I meet new people and try to tell people what I do, it is difficult. I’m not quite sure how to introduce myself. but upon thinking about it for a little bit longer, The best way I would describe myself as an Internet photography entrepreneur. That is, my passion is using the power of the Internet, and to promote photography and interesting ways.

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What is the goal of blogging? Simple: to never stop posting.

It seems that in today’s world, the trend is towards film photography. That is, dissatisfied photographers who want to become more artistic seek film as a means of becoming more unique, “artsy”.

But in fact, I think ultimately film photography is more of a crutch. I see digital photography at superior to film photography, having shot film photography for a great period of time. why? My thoughts:

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The reason why I am so enthusiastic about the photography of Henri Cartier Bresson, that is, my passion for Composition.

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Dense as an ethos and philosophy. (more…)

What is the great passion? That which impels you out of bed in the morning — not out of a sense of “duty”, but genuine passion and enthusiasm. AUTOTELIC things — things you do for the sake of it, the reward is doing it. For example for me, photography, blogging, thinking, weight lifting, walking, socializing, sharing.

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A thought: what is it that way you really desire? My thought: the beautiful.

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It seems that as a healthy capitalistic society, consumerism will never go away. Rather than try to fight it, perhaps it is more clever to attack it from a different angle.

I have a notion of “reuserism”, that is consumerism but slightly different. Based on principles of reusing things.

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Customize towards what ends, that is when do you know to stop modifying it or do you keep modifying it indefinitely?

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What makes an enigmatic photo? A photo which is hard to decipher (even by you), in which you gotta squint closer to make sense of what you’re looking at. A photo that feels other-worldly. The only monochrome sublime aesthetic I’ve seen thus far is from Josef Koudelka.

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Apparently back in the days, to call oneself a philosopher (lover of wisdom) was the low-key way of saying:

I love wisdom, and seek wisdom, and I seek to become wise.

Back then (as now), you are not allowed to tell others that you are ‘wise’.

Similarly speaking, in elite circles … you’re not allowed to call yourself a ‘poet’. Also it is apparently presumptuous to introduce yourself as an ‘artist’ to others. If you tell others you are an artist, they will always ask you the money question or ‘do you make a living from it’ question.

But anyways, my thought:

Anyone and everyone can become a philosopher. And all children are born as philosophers.

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My turbo thought:

Curiosity in others is a vice, curiosity in yourself as a virtue.

Individuation. That is, the desire hunger and lust to become insanely different and unique.

Unique in our thoughts, unique in our appearance, unique in our mannerisms and talking, to be genuinely one-of-a-kind.

This is what drives consumerism, that is thinking that buying a certain product or combination of products will make you unique. But we all know that the exterior of it superficial, and the inside interior is what is profound and deep.

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When others show interest or desire in us.

A thought: perhaps we should only invest in things that get better over time, and to ignore or disdain that which gets worse over time.

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Why do we care so much about our phone? My theory: in today’s modern society we see the phone as our weapon, or tool of advantage. That is, if you want the best possible advantage in life, you must have the best possible phone. This will continue our never ending quest of always buying the newest iPhone and upgrading our newest iPhone, into perpetuity. Because no one ever likes to feel like they’re at a disadvantage.

Perhaps the key to interesting photos and better black and white photos is disdain for detail. Higher contrast and blacks. Crush the blacks. More extreme post processing. RICOH GR III in high contrast black and white JPEG, with maximum contrast. Lower exposure compensation — as dark as possible (ADAP).

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