Month: November 2021

We all want electric cars … but how come no love for ‘electric cameras‘? (digital cameras)?

No more penis-envy of other forms of artists (painters, sculptors, drawers, etc).

We photographers are the apex artist.

After making a bunch of money with crypto, the funny thing:

Once I can afford it … it no longer appeals to me.

What is so fascinating to me about cryptocurrency, crypto technologies, etc —

The concept of living in embodied reality (or the meta verse) with no limits.

Brand loyalty is slavery

Dear friend,

What we must think about deeply:

What is it that we really want from our photography?

Some thoughts:

A turbo thought: perhaps we artists need greater stimuli, in terms of audio visual and multi sensory.

Stimuli in terms of music, stimuli in terms of human beings in social situations, stimuli in films and shows, stimuli in videos, stimuli in literature in poetry, and even virtual reality augmented reality and 360 stimuli.

Thus the simple takeaway is this: do not just restrict yourself to one type of stimuli. All sorts of stimuli which you get you going, motivated and inspired is good.

Stronger Philosophy, more intense music, coffee, thoughts and films, etc.

Something I’ve learned: be very very wary of people friends and family who often hate on others. Why? Hate is contagious. Hate is like a poison and disease, which we do not desire to be affiliated with.

What is the best way? The street photography way. The street photography lifestyle, the steeet photography approach and ethos to life.

He thought: would it be best for us to just always be out and about, outside of our homes, in public places but just doing work and being productive in our phones? I think so.

What is it that we want out of life? I think we want a more beautiful life, and more beautiful existence.

Live stream your life through your photos.

This is a very innovative way to approach photography: because it no longer relies on capturing just one great single image, either to be published in a book, printed, in an exhibition, or to maximize likes on social media.

Better to approach photography like video games streamers will approach their streaming.

That’s the take away is this: don’t put too much attention on any single photograph. Rather best to just think about the whole stream as a collective.

How to give an honest self-appraisal of your photos:

The more you can make automatic the basic stuff, the more you could focus on controlling or creating the important stuff.

ERIC KIM NEWS >

Dear friend,

Why do we do photography? Because it is our art.

Why do we not consider our photography our art? Is it because the bias that photography is not a ‘true’ art, because it is too easy (compared to oil painting)? Or is it because of the elitism of the art world?

Regardless, we must pursue our photography art. Why?

Weight reduction (for sports cars), and also fitness (better to lose body fat than to add muscle mass).

Moving forward with Apple products, or any products–

Prioritize AIR (lightness, compactness) over ‘pro’ (materials, power, etc).

Some more thoughts regarding the meta-verse:

If you think about it philosophically, it’s all the meta-verse. What does this mean? All of our desire for things, money, popular acclaim, is all within the meta-verse.

Dear friend,

Street photography (and photography in general) is our passion. But the question —

How do we stay inspired and motivated to keep doing it?

Some thoughts:

Simple thought:

Once you no longer concern yourself with your own self-preservation or your own ego (notions of success or failure), then you can attempt all the epic risks (which interest you).

Perhaps the ‘best’ way to innovate (the American school) is to strive for extreme innovation? For example, TESLA, SPACE X, KANYE WEST YEEZY, etc.

When it comes to design, for example comparing Japanese design versus German design, and American design: think this, all design philosophies have an underlying ethos and philosophy behind it.

The truth:

No need to have people in your street photos.

Certainly most street photos are superior *with* people, but they are not necessary. If you can create strong images without people, so be it!

Half the fun of street photography:

Aiming to make fun and novel compositions!

For example, shooting layers. Or striving to discover new compositions never done before.

A creative publishing thought:

Don’t see too much of a difference between your photos and videos.

Instead, combine them.

I love the bay:

I’m quite certain that my next car will be an electric car. Why?

There are many interesting analogies we could use for video games in real life, and modern society. However ultimately, I still believe that embodied reality is far superior than video game reality.

If real life was an MMORPG, this is how I would create real life analogies:

One of my ideals and goals for the future: decentralized photography. To get photos off of Instagram and Facebook, and to put the power in your own hands.

arsbeta.com as my first attempt and assay. But we must go further.

To innovate best to piggy back off the dominant platform or technology.

Question: what is it that we actually want from our cars?

A thought —

Perhaps in life, the best way we can leverage our archimedes lever in life is to just focus on photography. Our photography. Our photographic innovation.

Dear friend,

A thought:

How can I extract the maximum out of existence?

I think the secret is ‘productivity’ — being able to do more (meaningful) things with your photography and life with our shortness of life. As Seneca said:

Life is long as long as you know how to (efficiently) use it.

Some productivity thoughts:

A thought —

Better to meditate and think about your FUTURE photos, than to ruminate too much on your past photos.

To be a more productive photographer, step more, walk more.

One of the best things I learned from Daido Moriyama or the Japanese ‘Provoke’ school of photography:

Snapshot photography is good.

Ironically enough, the MORE devices you got, the LESS productive you will become.

What does it mean to be a street photographer? To me it is all about an attitude and ethos. A philosophy and approach to life.

For example, preferring to be outside. Loving other people. Loving humanity, making small talk with strangers, and finding beauty in society in the world.

The street photographer as artist-sociologist. Visual sociology.

Isn’t this the ultimate, to make art out of people?

For me, I only get happiness and joy when I am actively building creating and making. Not consuming or playing.

For me, our legacy will be all about what we built and made. Thus it seem that in order to extract the maximum out of life and existence, focus on building.

One of the things I found which is really good in life, is just compliment strangers. This is the best way to make small talk with strangers, push yourself outside your comfort zone, and find beauty in every single human being.

This is the ethos of the street photographer.

The tricky thing is this: there are certainly certain products in life which make our lives much more convenient, efficient, and productive. But this is what I learned: no matter how good or perfect the product is, it will never bring you joy. At best, you won’t hate it.

However this is a plus one to Wabi Sabi aesthetics. Things that become more beautiful overtime, with more wear and tear. For example Henri camera straps, which are made out of leather, which age in patina over time, and become more beautiful. And this is what you can have pride in, the more you use some thing, the more pride you have in it.

Therefore when it comes to purchasing products in life think this: invest in products which get better over time, avoid that which is simply robust or gets worse over time.

I love the iPad, but the problem is this: it is not a laptop replacement. Nor should it be. Thus, don’t have the pipe dream that thinking that getting an iPad Pro will somehow replace your laptop. It won’t.

iPad is good for viewing your photos, using procreate, calligraphy on Zen Brush 2, and that’s about it. iPad Pro is the best viewing experience for your photos, but for the best laptop just get a maxed out MacBook Air.

Something to a lot of people talk about: whether street photography has to be on the streets or not. I say it does not. Street photography is more of a catchall term which involves photography that has to do with humanity.

Why street photography? It is a way of life.

One of the new critiques I have of Legos this: it is reductive and close ended. That is, you’re only allowed to be creative in the reductive box of Lego, and you can only build with instruction. Better to have open world creativity instead.

Anesthetic thought: whenever I look at cars, I hate cars that have chrome accents. Chrome just looks cheesy and cheap.

Lesson, when designing your car or purchasing your car get something with no chrome. Blacked out. In praise of the new Tesla cars with the blacked out accents.

Homeownership is a trap. Better to occasionally rent nice Airbnb‘s, instead of dealing with the hassle of owning one.

Some quick life thoughts from my last trip to the BAY:

The best gear:

Dear friend,

A focus this week for you:

Focus on making photos as dark as possible (ADAP), and practice with highlight weighted metering.

One of my greatest skills in life, and also having studied sociology, and social skills, especially the ability to talk to strangers.

If you’re feeling gloomy, or depressed or anxious, the best panacea is being social.

Also attending workshops, in person things, even online zoom things (like online zoom workshop). Go and be a part of society, make small talk with strangers, etc.

A simple thought: optimize your life for generation, not consumption.

For example, generating writing, photos, art work, thoughts.

Something new I learned with my Ricoh GR 3 when experimenting with my friend Jun, perhaps in the new firmware update is the highlight waited metering mode. A new game changer, especially for the as dark as possible aesthetic (adap).

Some random thoughts I jotted down on my iPad with iA Writer while on my flight from Oakland back to Orange County:

Not the “decisive moment”, but everyday “in-between” moments which we are trying to capture as photographers.

Airports are a fascinating place to me. Why? Because airports are a non-space. A liminal zone between departure and arrival. Almost like a place where time stops.

Street photography is truly great. Why? It combines all of the things which are beneficial to humans thriving: walking, social interaction, being in public, making artwork, traveling, and being active.

A new ideal for myself: extreme stoicism. This means to be irrationally stoic. To swallow insults like chewing glass, to harness your anger as energy for personally productive things, and to hold your tongue like a dragon.

It takes a lot more skill to be stoic, than to say what’s really on your mind.

I propose a simple idea: when you’re angry, or feel injustice, wait at least 48 hours before responding.

Life is infinitely too short for us to be practical and boring. Go opposite — strive for insanely epic and different instead!

I do think there are some perfect things in the world. Some perfect designs, some perfect tools, some perfect cars, some perfect cameras, some perfect lifestyles etc. But the thing is this: once you get perfect, it quickly gets boring.

Thinking about 007 and John Wick, and certain aesthetic standards that we are inspired by and desire to emulate.

All photos are alike and different in their own way:

ERIC NEWSLETTER >

What is it that we want in our photography? Not necessarily to get “better“, but to become more confident. More self-confident of ourselves, our photographic ability, and our photographic future.

You’re a designer *and* photographer.

Avoid the news, social media, political commentary etc. Why? It is “outrage porn”— optimized to anger and outrage you. It gets us addicted to a sense of injustice, self righteousness and of course … anger and outrage. Which goes nowhere, just like us swallowing our own poison.

Delete the news from your personal life.

We are usually taught that having dreams are good. But what if dreams were bad — a trap? A fantasy with no upside?