To plan ahead, even with working out is fragile. Why? Impossible to know how you will feel tomorrow.
Month: May 2022
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Mazatlan Mexico Street Photography
If you’re curious about what Mazatlan, Mexico looks like (CRUISE Carnival destination, for the 7 day Panorama cruise):
Typically, the grittier and more ‘low key’ the city, the better it is for street photography:
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You Don’t Need to Monetize It.
Desiring to monetize things (unnecessarily) is a sign of lack of self-confidence?
It is fine to monetize your passion, but for random stuff (like YouTube, social media, etc): you don’t need to monetize it.
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Advertising That Looks Like Art-Work?
Make beautiful advertisements, which can just be timeless (‘evergreen’) art works? My aspiration for advertising my workshops.
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HOW TO PROMOTE PHOTO FLOW
A simple theory on photography:
All your photos are a stream of your own self-becoming.
What does this mean?
It ain’t about any individual single image … it is about the continuum of your photos– your stream of photos.
1. Don’t obstruct the flow.
All things considered, the best way it seems to get in the flow of photography is to put on some good noise cancelling headphones (either the BOSE ones, or the AirPods Pros) and listen to the same single album on repeat, to get yourself in the zone.
Use this zone to either review/flag/export/share your photos, or when you’re out shooting photos, don’t shoot with your iPhone (use RICOH GR III/IIIX instead), turn your phone off or to airplane mode, and focus on shooting. Even the 15 minute photography pomodoro technique works well.
2. The right tools
When I was in Vietnam I was probably in peak flow. No phone (I got rid of my phone/phone plan for nearly 2 years), no using emails (didn’t check my email for 2 years+), and my 13” MacBook Pro (maxed out, refurbished at the time, cost me $2000) was ideal. Now my laptop is starting to lag and slow down.
It seems to get the most powerful, maxed out MacBook Pro laptop (smallest size, and the most powerful for the size/weight) seems ideal. Nowadays even though I hate it, the 14” MacBook Pro seems ideal.
Essentially you don’t want your laptop or devices to slow you down.
3. No social media
Delete the gram. In today’s soft world and soft society, one of the very easy things you can do to exhibit courage is to figure out what to delete, get rid of (VIA NEGATIVA COURAGE).
Delete your Instagram, and build up your own blog instead.
4. Understand your photos as you publish and share them
To me, I don’t remember or have any personal meaning of my photos until I publish or share them.
This is what I say:
- Use Apple photos to import your JPEG photos
- Flag (select/favorite) your favorite ones
- Export them to your laptop (Dropbox folder)
- Upload them to your blog
- Publish all your photos as a ‘Gallery’, and re-review your blog post to better analyze your own photos
- Repeat
5. Insanely robust health
If you got insanely robust health (insanely great sleep, eat a shitload of beef/steak/beef ribs before sleeping) and you have a lot of great coffee in the morning (light roast, espresso, no sugar/cream/milk alternatives — straight black), put on some noise canceling headphones and got a laptop … what can’t you achieve?
6. Extreme self confidence in yourself and your photography
Once you delete instagram, social media, and no longer metricate your own photography (demetricate your photography, and demetricate yourself), then …
You will no longer fear how many likes/followers/lost followers will happen to you.
7. Keep publishing
Experiment using offline options. APPLE PAGES to design and export your book into a PDF ebook or e-zine.
Share them to your own website, blog, or just email them directly to friends and family.
8. Email newsletter
sendy.co (what I use for this email newsletter) is good for email newsletters. Setting it up is a pain, but good for the long-run.
Why? If you post a photo to Facebook or Instagram, let us say you have 60,000 followers. Perhaps only 5,000 of them might even see your post. Very low percentage. Compare this with email newsletters– nearly a 30-40% open rate (at least 100x better than social media). And with social media the algorithm is always favoring advertising (to ‘boost’ your post, you must pay money). Self hosted is the future [open source].
Like JAY Z SAYS:
Until you own yourself you can’t be free, until you own yourself you can’t be me.
WKSHPS
If this sparked any good creative ideas within you, feel free to share to a friend!
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SELF HOSTED IS THE FUTURE.
For example, self-hosted email newsletter (sendy.co), self hosted website/blog (WordPress.org).
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INSANELY ROBUST HEALTH.
My only goal in life:
To have insanely robust health, in order to think the most epic and lofty turbo thoughts, to share them with others, and to elevate myself to another level (becoming my own uber-man),
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IGNORE THE OBJECTIONS OF OTHERS.
“Give them what they need, it may not be what they want” (KANYE WEST / YEEZUS ALBUM)
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GOPRO VIDEOS OVER IPHONE VIDEOS
More fun to shot on a GoPro, import the videos to your laptop, and screenshot them and share them with friends and family.
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How to Build a Blog
Simple:
- Register your own website (bluehost.com, start paying for the most basic self-hosted website plan, and install WordPress.org).
- When you register your own website domain, select a .com domain, ideally your firstnamelastname.com. If not, firstnamelastnamephoto.com.
- Install WordPress.org, and use whatever theme you like. Ideally pay money for it. At the moment it seems that wpastra.com is the fastest theme. Just buy it (lifetime access).
- Start posting. Keep posting. Even after 10,000+ blog posts, I feel like I’m still self-learning.
- Keep uploading new media and sharing them.
- Perhaps coding and computer programming is overrated. Blogging as highly *UNDER-RATED*!
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VIA NEGATIVA COURAGE
In today’s world, the best way to exhibit courage is via negativa. What you decide *NOT* to do, *NOT* to say, or what you decide to get rid of or subtract.
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KEEP IT FLOWING!
A simple thought on media and art:
Just keep it flowing!
For example, keep making photos and keep sending them to people you care for.
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IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE LEGIBLE.
A thought:
When it comes to music, art, vocals, songs, rapping, etc — it doesn’t need to be legible (have clear words, etc).
For example, DONDA 2 (HAPPY with KANYE/FUTURE) is very ‘illegible’ in terms of what Kanye is saying or what Future is saying. But ultimately — it doesn’t really matter what they are saying but rather the mood and the energy and the ‘vibes’ they are transmitting.
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PHOTOS ARE FASTER.
I’ve been shooting more videos lately, and have been having a lot of fun with them. But the downside:
Videos are slow.
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JUST DELETE IT AND MOVE ON.
A simple workflow idea:
Just upload it to your blog, post it as a blog post, or upload the videos to YouTube or send the videos to your family.
When you’re done, just delete them, clear your trash, and move on.
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Why Innovation is My Passion
To do things differently, to think things anew. To attempt new processes, to think in new ways. Innovations are good.
Sociology is all about societal innovations, new modes of living, and also new modes of thinking.
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SPEED IS EVERYTHING.
Espresso, faster websites, faster internet Wi-Fi (fiber) and 5G.
Uglier, but faster.
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MOVE MEDIA.
Smaller file sizes. Extra small jpeg. Smallest video resolution — 720p, only 30 or 60 fps. Ideally shoot in 720p, 60fps. If not, 1080p at 30fps, and maybe downsize and resize to 720p at 30fps.
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Photo Epiphanies After Being on a 7-Day Cruise
Dear friends,
Just fresh out of a 7 day cruise (7-day cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo — via Carnival ‘Panorama’ new cruise ship from 2019). Some photo epiphanies:
1. Good for photography
My first batch of thoughts is in my ‘Cruise Thoughts‘ PDF E-ZINE [PDF LINK].
Basically — a cruise is great for photography. Why? There are many photo opportunities both on the cruise sip and off the cruise ship (on shore).
I actually ended up shooting a lot of street photography in all 3 destinations in Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta has a cute ‘romantic’ part of the city, and a good beach boardwalk. Mazatlan actually reminded me of Cuba (very colorful, more local). Cabo was waaaay better than I anticipated. Cabo has insanely beautiful water, and even was able to take Seneca in a dip on the water.
Basically the upside is this:
It is the most efficient way to travel, and visit a lot of places in a short period of time.
For example, the Cruise ship is like a mobile hotel, and has all of your stuff. Most of the locations the cruise ship stops off at is easily see-able in half a day or so. Thus in the morning, you just get off the ship (easy), get onto land, walk around, shoot photos, and jump back on the cruise ship.
2. Cruise ship as the ultimate life hack?
Being disconnected for about a week on the cruise ship is good. I was able to innovate, and even make an ‘Cruise thoughts’ PDF e-book/zine via Apple Pages on my laptop (MacBook Pro). When you are offline for a week, it forces you to be more creative with your photography in terms of how to share and publish your photos (offline).
If you’re on the cruise ship, just bring your laptop and camera (RICOH GR IIIX) and take lots of photos, and enjoy your cruise time to process your own photos, do some writing (offline via ‘IA WRITER’), and a chance to think and meditate (reflect on life).
3. GoPro is great
I picked up a new GoPro hero 10 before the trip, and I’m having a ton of fun with it. I returned the iPhone Pro a while ago, and now just the only phone I got is the new iPhone SE. And this is the big thought:
Shooting videos on the GOPRO is 1000x more fun than shooting on an iPhone Pro (or any iPhone, ultra wide).
Why? Seneca loves to shoot with it (GoPro is child-proof), and because the GoPro is so robust, it motivates you to shoot more unusual angles, and shoot more frequently. Now the new great shortcut on the GoPro (just hit the record button, and it automatically turns on, and starts recording).
I highly recommend any street photographer or photographer to buy a new GoPro 10. Just keep it in your front left pocket, and shoot videos for fun in ‘super wide mode’ whenever opportunity strikes).
4. More random thoughts
Some other thoughts (cruise ship as life hack):
- The goal is to become a great photographer
- How can you harness the power of the ocean?
- Not total freedom, but total power is what we desire
- Non-Tangible things are best (money, Bitcoin, crypto, etc)
- Crypto is optimistic (even saw my Uber driver in Mexico City checking his blockchain while driving)
- Mexico is good for Americans // America is boring
- When in doubt, travel more.
- Optimistic fatalism is good
- Street photography is our sport
WKSHPS BY KIM
Other thoughts
- Buy the market when it is down! I recommend buying more Bitcoin, Tesla, Apple (I’m long Apple).
- Buy a GoPro hero 10
- Perhaps the 14” MacBook Pro (the cheapest base model) is the best laptop.
- RICOH GR IIIX is still the goat. If you got a RICOH GR III, just stick with it until the IV comes out.
HAPTIC PHOTO SUPPLY
- Travel Notes mobile // Print
- ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II: The ultimate travel strap for RICOH
- Henri Neck Strap Mark IV: Classics never die (Mahogany Brown x Phantom Black)
- HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO: For the pros
- ERIC KIM WRIST STRAP MARK II: My strap
- HENRI SHOULDER STRAP: For the heavyweights
BOOKS
EXPLORE ALL KIM
If this sparked any interesting ideas within you, feel free to share to a friend!
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In Praise of Sendy for Email Newsletters
Sendy.co: probably at least 1000x times cheaper than Mailchimp, and simpler, more direct. I write email newsletters in IA WRITER (Markdown) and copy as HTML.
Setting up a self-hosted email service with Sendy is difficult, but in the long run, so worth it!
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Crossover is Compromise.
Anticross crossover. Crossover cars are not very attractive, and don’t do anything really that well. Crossover cameras suck.
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SHOES ARE SCULPTURE.
If you want the most functional shoes, just get Vibram five fingers. Otherwise, if you want the most epic design, buy a pair of Yeezy’s, or Kyrie Nike basketball shoes (all blood red).
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Stronger vs the Weaker
The stronger have a duty to the weaker. For example, if you go hiking, ethically because bicycles are more powerful than pedestrians, mountain bikers should put a bell on their bicycles.
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Not Where You Are Happier, but Where You Are More Powerful
Being on a cruise ship for seven days, was great, with all your basic needs met, and not having to think about feeding yourself and cleaning. Yet, the upside of being on land is this: on land you have Wi-Fi. Super fast Wi-Fi. And Wi-Fi makes you more powerful.
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Cruise Ship as the Ultimate Life Hack?
You live a far more dynamic life. Getting off the port, walking around, exploring, taking photos. The 7 day carnival cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo was actually really fun and interesting! A good life hack for street photographers.
Also, my record is eating 8 steaks (all medium rare) at dinner — sit down. Get the horseradish. You can order unlimited steaks and entrees from the menu!!
Also the Panorama cruise ship is great, built in 2019 — the gym on the ship even has dumbbells up to 100 pounds!! As the ship is brand new, everything very clean. Also the Guys burger joint actually very good. I ordered 12 Patties (only meat) and nobody really blinked an eye.
Cruise ship doesn’t have Wi-Fi so you can actually “disconnectâ€. Good for the mind.
Also after working out at the gym, using the hot sauna (either dry, or you can steam) as very optimal.
Ship as very hygienic. Rooms cleaned everyday like a hotel room, new rooms very nice. Tons of staff keeping the place clean. Also fun to talk to staff (many from Indonesia or Philippines)— very friendly. Also everyone on the ship is very friendly, met some cool couples and families on the ship. Certainly a lot of degeneracy happening on ship, but you can just ignore them.
I’m healthier on a cruise ship?
I sleep better, more. Room air conditioning works very well. Good noise isolation.
Also everyday going to the gym. Saving tons of time because we don’t need to clean (staff does this).
Also lots of walking around the ship (more step count), and also up and down the stairs (my calves are getting super buff).
Coffee on board isn’t great, but acceptable. Best to get off at the port cities and get good espresso on land. Just ship coffee to get you going in the morning.
Time efficiency
No time being stuck in traffic or driving. Ability to just get up and start going in the morning. No need to cook, clean, go shopping for food, or even have to plan meals.
Only really bad thing is boarding — this takes insanely long the first day (3-4 hours in total).
However getting off the ship to land is quite easy for the destination cities. Also nice after a day of exploration in the city, you can get back on the ship where all your stuff is in your room. So more efficient in terms of traveling — no need to always pack and unpack assuming you were staying at multiple locations at a hotel.
Cruise ship as a mobile hotel. Also a “full stackâ€â€” all inclusive unlimited buffet, dining, entertainment, coffee etc.
Vaccines required
Ironically you might be safer on a cruise ship — mandatory vaccination for COVID before you board and you must also present a negative COVID test before boarding the ship.
Staff always wears masks at all time, ship cruisers not so much (90% of people don’t wear masks, only a few people).
Living life without limits?
Unlimited “free†electricity, unlimited water (even sparkling water), unlimited “free†air conditioning, unlimited food, beverages, etc.
Life with no limits. Basically not having to think about maintenance — no concern for cleaning, keeping clean, being “wastefulâ€, no thinking of having to “moderate†your air conditioning or electricity use (its all included for free on the ship).
If you really need Wi-Fi, just go on land when the ship docks at the ports, find a local coffee shop and just connect to Wi-Fi there. Also if you got T-Mobile you get free Mexico roaming (3g connection), sometimes even LTE 4g. So when the ship is docked in Mexico, you can just use the internet from your phone.
What does a cruise ship lack?
Powerlifting (in terms of very heavy squats and deadlifts).
Also lacking uber-fast Wi-Fi on the ship (you can buy ship Wi-Fi but it’s not as fast as home).
Can you get bored on the ship?
Of course. But my thought is that only boring people become bored. As long as you have creative things to do (write, make photos, process and edit and export your photos, think, workout, travel on land, etc)— you won’t.
So… why go back on land? Why not live indefinitely on the cruise ship?
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THE ETHOS OF POWERLIFTING
Lift the maximum weight for any given movement or lift, just once. Maximal force transfer, focus, and the most efficient/effective form and method.
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Don’t buy inexpensive things
Only buy the best, most expensive you can afford. The best way to be “sustainableâ€.
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OPTIMISTIC FATALISM.
To accept things as sub-optimal, and won’t get better .. and to accept “not the bestâ€â€” perhaps this is the best road to extracting the maximum out of life and existence?
The purpose of life isn’t to optimize for the “bestâ€, but to use the current “bad†situation and scenario you got right now, and exploit that to the maximum.
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What will make you more powerful?
The internet. Not powerful tools. Certainly not your car.
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Ocean Power
Become the ocean.
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Less Equipment
Less equipment makes you more connected to the ground, more focused, less distracted, stronger.
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Mexico is good for Americans
You can Uber anywhere and T-Mobile works free roaming here!