How to Optimize Your Photography

Optimus, optimal means ‘best’. And it seems nowadays we like the notion of ‘optimization’. But the question:

How do we apply this notion to photography?

How-to-Optimize-Your-Photography Download

1. Optimize your workflow

The simplest workflow is the supreme workflow. That means:

Small JPEG
Use a pre-set filter you like
Simplest software (like Apple Photos)
Backup to Dropbox, and upload your favorite photos to your WordPress media library
Publish/share the photos you love and care for.

‘As small as possible, but no smaller’ seems to be the goal (a riff off of the Albert Einstein quote, ‘As simple as possible, but not simpler.’)

For example, you want your file sizes to be as small as possible, but not smaller. For example I tried experimenting with JPEG sizes, and I found the ~3000px wide setting to be optimal. Shooting ‘extra small’ JPEG seemed too small (too much loss of detail). I suppose the same is with cars, you want the smallest car as possible, but not any smaller. For example, if you got a kid (or two kids) a Tesla Model 3 is fine, but you probably wouldn’t want anything smaller.

2. Optimize your shooting

To optimize your shooting means–

When you are out shooting, become LESS self-critical, and become more open and free to photographing anything.

The most superior photographer will not see boundaries and genres, and just photograph it all. The inferior photographer will only think in terms of likes, and whether his/her photos will ‘please their followers’.

3. The best is your platform

Own your own website blog. Bluehost.com and install wordpress.org.

You want to become the lord and the master of your own domain. Any service you use which is ‘free’ has a hidden downside somewhere.

The best platform is your own self-hosted and self-owned platform.

4. The optimal camera

What is the ‘best’ camera? RICOH GR III. The best straps for RICOH GR III are ERIC KIM WRIST STRAP MARK II, or ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II.

Neck strap is ideal when you’re traveling, and wrist strap for everyday shooting.

5. Optimal towards what end?

Certainly it is good human nature that we always want better. If we were easily content, we would still probably be living in the Middle Ages where we had poor sanitation, poor civil rights, etc. Thus the human lust for more and better seems to be a good one.

Yet often the problem in terms of photography is in which we already have a great camera, and we have this nagging feeling:

If I only had a better camera, I could actually go out and make ‘better’ photos.

But is this ever the case? Often not.

Thus perhaps the goal ins’t to optimize our equipment (camera, tools, etc) but to simply become MORE inspired, MORE motivated and MORE curious in our photography, our desire to travel, see and experience new things, and to make new types of photos!

ERIC

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