Month: June 2022

What’s good for you is also good for your kid. BOGO lifestyle.

I really want to like the Tesla Model 3, but ultimately I don’t. I just really don’t like how the back end of the car looks.

In praise of less material. Why? Dries faster, takes up less space in your bag, more flexible.

In praise of short shorts and tanktops.

Optimize it all for photo:

Perhaps max 3 times a week at the gym. Apparently John Cena only works out 3 times a week.

Also anti “high frequency” trading. Low frequency trading (just once a year or every other year) as better.

With food consumption, less frequency is better. Better for your metabolism and hormones to just eat one massive meal day, instead of 3 square meals a day, or even worse, 5-6 small meals a day. Anti “snacking”.

What I love in my photos:

The biggest key to success: just make a photography blog.

Dear friends, some motivational photo thoughts:

1. What is the source of our strength?

What is the most important muscle for us photographers? Our legs. As a simple thought: if you could squat 400 pounds, this should make you a stronger and more motivated photographer. Similarly speaking, if you get deadlift over 500 pounds, with no belt or straps, certainly this will make you a more fearless Street photographer.

2. I need more meat

I cannot say for women, but for us men, it seems that the hormonal source of our motivation comes from our testosterone, or our testes (balls).

For myself, it seems that the more meat I eat, the better. The better I sleep at night, the more powerful I feel waking up in the morning, improved muscle mass, etc.

I wonder if I’m the first person to think this: perhaps if you want to become a better photographer, eat more beef liver, beef short ribs, instead of buying camera equipment or gear.

For example, instead of buying the new iPhone or Apple device or Tesla, use that money to go to the Costco business Center, and buy a shit load of the brisket, or beef ribs.

3. I’m off the grid

Get off of the photo grid. That means, get off of Instagram and Facebook. Instead, build up your own photo empire, with wordpress.org and your own self hosted website.

A question a lot of people asking me is this: what is the difference between a website and a blog?

Well, a website is just like having a plot of land on the Internet. And a blog literally means a web log of your thoughts, and digital artifacts. A log, is literally just like a log, like Captain‘s log in Star Trek.

In the early days of blogging, it was more like a public diary. You just said what you did during the day, and posted some photos. Then when Web 2.0 came along, became more about writing insightful articles. And currently, it seems that blogging is quite dead, instead, public opinion is run by Twitter, the news, and big corporate media empires.

What should one do about this? I say take back the keys. Build your own blog.

4. Break free of routine

Certainly some routine is good, but 100% routine is bad. I say, even if you’re stuck in the same neighborhood, city or area, take slightly different routes. For example, if you plan on driving somewhere, every time you go to the place, just take a different route, even though it may take a little bit more time. I found that even while driving, taking a different route stimulates different types of thought.

The same thing with walking. Strive to break free of your routine to walking. This is one of the best things that learn for my sociology class, that when walking somewhere, always take a different route.

5. If possible, walk to the gym

Always have your Ricoh GR in your front right pocket. And I say, the supreme life is a life without a car. Or a life in which you could literally walk everywhere.

Walk to the gym. And on the way to the gym, make photos.

6. Opportunity cost and money

Let us say that you have $35,000, and you want to buy a new car, or a used car. I say, rather than dumping that money into a car, which will slowly lose value over time, invest in something which will gain value over time: experiences, and yourself.

Example, assuming that a round-trip flight is about $1000, $35,000 is 35 round-trip flight tickets.

Or, let us see you already have a car. I say use that money on gas, and go on a road trip, go camping, and stay at a nice Airbnb. And make photos along the way.

7. High contrast black and white

I love both color and black-and-white photography. Yet, for maximal motivation, it seems that monochrome is the way. Why? We don’t see the world in black-and-white, which makes monochrome more interesting. Also, the difficult thing about color is that if you see something that is not colorful, or the light is not good, aesthetically, the color photos will look ugly. Black and white is more robust to lighting conditions.

I’ve just been shooting extra small JPEG, on Ricoh GR 3X, in high contrast black and white mode, and I’ve literally been logging at least 500 photos a day.

8. Get constructive critique on your photos

Upload your photos to arsbeta.com

Also, it seems that as you give constructive critique to other photographers, you yourself learn. Why? A lot of us often make the same mistakes in photography, and by giving a constructive critique to another photographer, you yourself learn that lesson for yourself.

9. Real life is the best entertainment

A simple thought: I wonder if we will become more motivated human beings, and photographers, if we canceled all of our digital streaming services. Cancel Netflix, cancel Apple TV, Hulu, etc.

Also, instead of watching porn, just go on a walk around the city, go to a local bar or nightclub, or go to the gym.

The best entertainment is the one in which you’re an active actor. The reason why TV media is often so bad is that it makes us passive. Certainly media should just be a stimulant for us to actually go out into the real world, and do stuff.

10. Even if the thing is at least 1% curious to you, just shoot it

Remember our motto —

JUST SHOOT IT.

ERIC

ADVENTURE AWAITS YOU!

DISCOVER YOUR SOUL IN PHOTOGRAPHY at my upcoming SEOUL travel photography experience this summer >

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ERIC KIM BLOG

Good to do it outside, on a gasoline propane grille.

#MEATLIFESTYLE

My favorite meats

Galbi short ribs are super good.

Also pro tip:

Boil beef ribs before hand, then finish them at very high on the grille.

Also–

Eat Kimchi with your meat, helps you digest and eat (more) meat.

MEAT BY KIM:

1. BEEF BRISKET MUK BBANG ERIC KIM
2. BEEF RIBS ARE KING.
3. CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.
4. The Philosophy of Meat Eating
5. No Meat, No Life.
6. The Anti-Meat Conspiracy
7. Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
8. If You Want to Gain Muscle Mass and Lose Body Fat, Eat More Meat (and Quit Sugar, Carbs, Fruit, and Starches)
9. No, Meat is Not Bad for You.
10. Alcohol is Okay, but Meat is Bad?
11. Under-Nutrition is the Issue?
12. ERIC KIM EATS
13. Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
14. Better to Record and Shoot Videos of Your Food than Still Photos
15. Why Eating Fat is Good for You
16. ERIC KIM EATS MEAT
17. Meat is King
18. How I Cook
19. Meat
20. Why I Eat Meat
21. In Praise of Crock Pot Cooking
22. Eat a Lot of Meat *AND* Eat a Lot of Bitter Greens
23. CARNIVORE DIET
24. How I Cook at Home
25. The More Meat You Eat, the Stronger You Will Become.
26. How Much Meat Can You Eat in a Day?
27. Why Meat is Good
28. How to Eat More Meat
29. Why Eat Meat?
30. Cholesterol (Meat) is a Steroid

I want to keep moving! Keep exploring, and discovering more.

How often should I squat? However often you feel like it.

I say–

If you’re in the mood to squat, just do it.

Listen to your body. If you feel any (unusual) aching in your knees or back, just stop for the day, take a few days off, and then attempt your one rep max later.

What is the best use of your time and energy? I say, use that extra time energy you got to review your photos on the daily, and publish them on the daily. Never fall behind your workflow in your photos.

iPad as insanely fun (standing), while outside to review your photos:

A type of street photo I like making:

Urban landscapes >

For example, instead of buying a car for $35,000, use that money on gym memberships, travel, hotels and Airbnb‘s, airfare, clothing, meat, etc.

Or buying a GOPRO, RICOH GR IIIX, IPAD PRO, ETC.

When I cook meat, it is the time for me to zen out.

With strong legs, anything is possible.

TURBO LEGS, TURBO THIGHS is the goal.

Hygiene as having supreme importance.

For example, to spend extra money to NOT have advertisements, or TVs in front of me

BEATS BY KIM PODCAST

Not “how much can you bench? but “how much can you skquaaat?”

When warming up, go ‘ass to grass’ (all the way down). For higher weights, just hit parallel.

No meat, no life:

1. GoPro hero 10
2. RICOH GR IIIX
3. Black merino wool tshirt (outlier.nyc)
4. Vibram Five Fingers EL-X shoes
5. Gym membership, squats, deadlift, chalk
6. Direct sunlight
7. Walking around in the sun topless
8. iPad Pro
9. Coffee
10. Backyard grill (and meat)
11. Fast Wi-Fi connection
12. Living somewhere which doesn’t require driving (North Park San Diego is great)
13. My son Seneca
14. Purple earplugs on Amazon
15. Optimizing my life to sleep better

Tiled gallery on your blog, or full view gallery:

Certainly an iPad is not a laptop replacement. And I am very anti-stylus for the iPad, and very anti-keyboard.

However, it does seem that the iPad is a new type of device. Truly the full manifestation of Steve Jobs’ vision. Being able to compute upright, while in the direct sun, not hunched back over laptop seems phenomenal.

New sights, new colors, new architectures, new concepts, new fewts of strength, new ideas.

The never ending quest — to always make things even more optimal.

Never compromise your personal beliefs. Not for family, friends, country, etc.

Perhaps this is why all the great philosophers and entrepreneurs were solo.

NB: Cato renouncing his friends once he took political office.

Instead, perhaps motivation and art is.