I just re-watched ‘2001 Space Odyssey’ by Stanley Kubrick, and holy shit– this movie is one of the best movies of all-time.

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I’ve been super-inspired recently in my photography: finding more beauty in everyday life — in the small details. Life is great!

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Dear friend,

I was walking down the street of my boring suburban LA neighborhood, with the Lumix G9 Pro strapped around my wrist with the classic Henri Wrist Strap, and had the thought:

The great thing about photography is the zen-like state that it gives you. That you disappear. You’re in the “Zen zone” of walking on the streets, and you lose a sense of yourself. You are totally perceptive of the world around you, and your visual-motor-cortex is in overdrive. You see and perceive all the beauty of the world around you, and you stay focused on re-arranging the visual building blocks of reality, to make your own unique art.

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How to shoot more photos

So I think the secret is this:

Create the least amount of possible friction between yourself, your eyes, your hand, and the photo-making process.

For example what I mean is this:

1. Always have your camera on your neck or wrist: The reason Cindy and I made the new HENRI SHOULDER STRAP is to make sure you have your camera always ready BEFORE you see an interesting decisive/moment photo opportunity. I do truly believe that photography is all about regret-minimization. I’ve missed a billion photo opportunities in the past because I didn’t have my camera either on my neck or wrist, and therefore missed a ton of photo-opportunities as a result. By having my camera always around my neck with the HENRI SHOULDER STRAP or the HENRI WRIST STRAP, I end up shooting more photos. And the more photos I shoot, the happier I am!
2. Using the simplest possible settings on your camera (‘set it and forget it!’): I’ve been using the Lumix G9 Pro and Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens in “IA MODE” (intelligent auto), which the camera automatically chooses your aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus. And it works phenomenally well — it allows me to think less about the technical settings, and focus more on the creative act of actually framing, composition, and timing (when to click the shutter). Not only that, but I’ve been shooting in JPEG (medium size, around 3000px wide) so I can worry less about the processing afterwards (I just import my photos into my laptop with Lightroom Classic CC, and apply the ‘ERIC KIM CHROMA’ presets upon import.
3. No phone or music: I think photography/street photography is all about a ‘zen walking meditation’. For myself, when I walk without a phone (only using my “stand-alone” camera), and when I don’t listen to music — I can let my mind wander, and I actually see more photo-opportunities! My theory is that the less you bombard your mind with music-auditory inputs, and the less distractions you have on your phone, you can just become more perceptive to the world around you! Therefore, I recommend you to unplug when you’re out shooting photos. Turn off your phone completely, or if you shoot photos on your phone, switch your phone to airplane mode. I would also recommend shooting photos without headphones on. Sometimes shooting with headphones can be good to get you into the groove of making photos, but when you have your headphones off, you can over-hear interesting conversations, you can hear the beauty of the ambient sounds of the world (birds chirping, rustle of trees in the wind), or practical benefits (hearing cars driving by, so you don’t get hit and die — I almost got hit by a car once while shooting photos with headphones on and I wasn’t paying attention//couldn’t hear the sound of incoming cars).

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Why walk?

A thought I’ve been pondering to myself recently: Why walk?

I mean to say this:

Do humans need to walk in order to survive/thrive?

In today’s world where we can just drive everywhere or take a bicycle/motorcycle/motorbike/scooter anywhere — what is the practical function of walking?

My theory is this: much of the human brain has evolved to coordinate our bi-ped movement (it is really hard for an organism to balance on two legs). And the reason why humans perhaps evolved to walk on two legs is to free up our hands (hands to do more intellectual stuff). And therefore if we don’t walk, perhaps we will get some sort of mental-problems/dysfunctions in our mind.

If you look at organisms that need to move in order to procure food, they all have brains. Look at plants (no brains); they don’t need to move in order to get food — they just get it from the soil and the sun.

Why I love walking

I know for myself I come up with the best ideas while I’m walking. Many philosophers in the past have said similar things:

• “The best thoughts are conceived while walking!” – Nietzsche
• “To first become a philosopher, start by taking long [pointless] walks.” – Nassim Taleb

Not only that, but if you’re a street photographer, you can only make photos if you’re walking! Therefore as a practical idea: the more you walk, the more street photos you will shoot!

I know the excuse a lot of us (myself included) make in our photography is that our neighborhood is boring, and therefore we don’t find inspiration/motivation to shoot. Living in the suburbs of LA, I know the feeling.

But I’m pretty amazed: even though my neighborhood is boring, whenever I walk (even around the block for 10 minutes) with my camera on my neck or in my hand, I will always see photo-opportunities! Whereas if I’m simply driving, I don’t see anything. And if I walk around the block without my camera, I generally regret it– because I will end up seeing something I want to photograph (But unfortunately, I don’t have my camera on me).

The smaller the camera, the more photos you will shoot!

I still believe the RICOH GR II is the best camera for most people as an ‘everyday’/’street photography’ camera. Why? It is small, compact, has phenomenal image quality (APS-C/DSLR-sensor), has an integrated flash, and a great 28mm prime lens.

I’ve shot with the Ricoh GR II for a long time, but the problem was always having it with me. After seeing my friend Wilder travel with his RICOH GR II in Vietnam with a neck strap, I wanted a neck strap as well, but couldn’t find any which were compatible with the RICOH GR II (the Ricoh doesn’t have the traditional lug-nuts of most cameras, but rather requires a small nylon string).

Therefore, I worked closely with Cindy and our friend Lan in Saigon, to design and make the ERIC KIM NECK STRAP (compatible with the RICOH GR II). This was awesome, I started to shoot SO MUCH MORE with the RICOH, because the camera was always around my neck.

Why are you shooting with a Lumix?

Since about a month ago (my RICOH died after about a million photos, the aperture blades get stuck) I got the Lumix G9 Pro (because I wanted to shoot more videos for my YouTube channel), and have been loving the new HENRI SHOULDER STRAP. We designed the new Henri Shoulder Strap to be longer (can be worn around the shoulder/cross-body), and also increased the size of the neck pad (which is good for the heavier Lumix G9 camera).

I’m also becoming a pretty big proponent of the Micro 4/3rds system. Why? The image quality is phenomenal, the cameras are smaller, and the autofocus is insanely fast and accurate! It is seriously the best sensor (in my opinion) for everyday/street photography. I am still a big fan of digital medium format, but to be frank I think ‘full-frame’ is overrated (either go with a really small sensor like a phone, Micro 43rds, or go REALLY BIG with a digital-medium-format).

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What is the best camera?

Once again remember, the most important thing about a camera is for it to disappear. The best camera is frictionless, always with you, and you can shoot without thinking. The less you can think, and the more you can let the photograph shoot itself; the better.

The world is so full of beautiful moments, beautiful people, and beautiful matter– just waiting for you to photograph it!

There are so many ripe stories for you to tell through your photography. Never let the weight or cumbersomeness of the camera hold you back. Never stop exploring, walking, and shooting new photos! Your creative life thrives on the NEW! Never stop innovating in your photography, by adopting new technologies (like 3d/augmented reality), and new places for you to travel to and explore!

YOU HAVE NO LIMITS!
ERIC

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Straps by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES

Discover all of the camera straps made by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES:

New Henri Shoulder Strap (available in CREMA BROWN + PHANTOM BLACK)

• Buy Henri Shoulder Strap in HAPTIC SHOP
• Henri Shoulder Strap (PHANTOM BLACK) on Amazon >

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Henri Wrist Strap (Classic)

• Buy in Haptic Shop >
• Buy on Amazon >

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Henri Neck Strap (Classic OG)

• Buy in Haptic Shop >
• Buy on Amazon >

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Limited-Edition Henri CHROMA Wrist Straps

HENRI CHROMA Wrist Straps: available for a limited time in HAPTIC SHOP + Amazon.

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ERIC KIM NECK STRAP (Compatible with RICOH GR II)

• Buy in Haptic Shop >
• Buy on Amazon >

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ERIC KIM Wrist Strap (Compatible with RICOH GR II)

• Buy in Haptic Shop >
• Buy on Amazon >

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EQUIPMENT by ERIC KIM

There is no “perfect” camera. Don’t fall into GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and falsely believe that buying a new camera will make you a better photographer.

If you’re not feeling inspired in your photography, I recommend you to buy books, not gear. Also check out these 75+ Inspirational Photo Books You Gotta Buy. You can also download my free books.

Equipment Articles >

• Zen Body-Hand-Mind Connection with the Camera
• Why It Doesn’t Matter What Camera You Shoot With
• What is the Best Camera and Lenses for Street Photography?
• The Best Travel Street Photography Equipment 2018
• 6 Lessons I’ve Learned After Shooting All the Expensive Cameras
• How to Make Good Photos on a Shitty Camera
• Why I Shoot With One Camera and One Lens
• My Travel Equipment, Winter 2017
• What is the Perfect Camera For You?
• What to Consider When Buying a Camera

Smartphone Photography >

• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Smartphone Photography
• Benefits of Shooting Street Photography With a Smartphone
• In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better

Film Photography 101 >

• Film Street Photography Manual
• What I Learned Shooting 100 Rolls of Black and White Film
• What I Learned Processing 164 Rolls of Film

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My favorite camera for street photography

There is no perfect camera for street photography and everyone’s tastes are different. My favorite camera for street photography is the Ricoh GR II.

The Ricoh GR II is the best bang-for-the-buck camera for street photography on the market. It has an APS-C sensor (DSLR-sized sensor), a super-sharp 28mm lens (no anti-aliasing filter), and literally fits into your front pocket.

The Ricoh GR II is pretty much the same as the prior Ricoh GR, except it has Wi-Fi built in.

Why do I recommend the Ricoh GR II?

First of all, for street photography you want the smallest, most compact, and inconspicuous camera (that you can always carry with you). I find that with other digital cameras, you end up never carrying them with you 24/7, simply because they are too big. The Fujifilm X100F and digital Leica’s are fantastic tools, but honestly even those cameras are too big to fit in your front pocket.

In street photography, the size of the sensor is also not very important. In-fact, having a non-full frame camera is generally preferable, because you have more depth-of-field in street photography, which is beneficial to “zone-focusing.”

When I shoot with the Ricoh GR II, I generally keep the camera on “P” mode, ISO 1600, and center-point autofocus. I treat it like a point-and-shoot: I simply point and click. This makes me have to think less when shooting, and spend more energy focusing on the composition, framing, and capturing emotion in the photos.

Many photographers bemoan the fact that the Ricoh GR II doesn’t have a viewfinder. Honestly, I feel that viewfinders are a bit overrated — the LCD screen helps you be more creative with your compositions (shooting super-low angle, or a super-high angle), and also helps you photograph your subjects closer (putting a small compact camera close to someone’s face is less intimidating than putting a big DSLR lens into someone’s face).

Also if you want, the Ricoh GR II has a fantastic “snap mode” which allows you to pre-focus to a certain distance (1 meter, 1.5 meters, 5 meters, infinity), which is like zone-focusing on a rangefinder camera. This means when you’re shooting on the streets on a sunny day, you can set your pre-focus to 1.5 meters, ISO 1600, aperture-priority mode in f/8, and take photos that are all sharp and in-focus.

In addition, the Ricoh GR II has the simplest yet comprehensive menu out of any digital camera I’ve used. You can change the function buttons, you can change whether the power lamp is on or off, and everything in the menu is easily searchable. I believe the Ricoh GR II was designed by photographers, not simply by engineers.

The camera is extremely affordable, which means you can save all your hard-earned cash on buying experiences, not stuff. Use that money to travel to a country you’ve always wanted to travel, to buy photography books, and to invest in photography-education (workshops, classes, seminars).

Furthermore, you can charge the camera via USB, which means you don’t need to travel with a bulky battery-charger. As long as you keep the camera off while you’re not shooting on the streets, one battery should last you a full day.

If you end up buying the camera, I recommend picking up a 3” LCD screen protector, shooting in RAW, and using my free Lightroom film simulation presets.

• Read my review of the Ricoh GR II

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Best Equipment by ERIC KIM

This is a list of my personal favorite equipment in photography, computers, and life:

Of course, this list probably won’t apply to you — but this is advice I would give myself (if I needed to buy stuff):

Cameras

My favorite cameras:

Digital cameras:

Best value digital camera for street photography

Fujifilm X100F Review // Buy on Amazon for $1300 >

Best digital compact camera

Ricoh GR II Review // Buy on Amazon for $600 >

Best 3-inch screen protector

For Ricoh GR II: Expert Shield 3” LCD protector ($14)

Best designed mirrorless camera

Olympus Pen F (silver): $1200 + Olympus 17mm f/1.8 Lens: $500 //my review

Best value mirrorless camera

Fujifilm XT-2 ($1600) + Fujinon XF23mmF2 WR Lens ($450)

Best digital rangefinder

Leica M10 + Leica 35mm f/2 ASPH Lens

Best digital video camera

Sony A7S II ($2700) + Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar ($800)

Best SD card

Transcend 128 GB SD card UHS-3: $73

Best fashion digital camera

Pentax Medium-format digital 645Z ($6500) + Pentax 55mm F2.8 AL ($960) // 7 Lessons I’ve Learned Shooting Fashion Photography For the First Time

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Film cameras

If you’re new to shooting film, pick up a copy of FILM NOTES.

Best film rangefinder

Leica MP + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron Lens

Best affordable film rangefinder

Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Lens

Best compact film camera

Contax T3

Best medium-format film camera

Fujifilm GF670 (discontinued, find on eBay)

Best black and white film

Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed to 1600): $5

Best color film

Kodak Portra 400: $8.50

Best film scanner

For medium-format/35mm: Epson v800: $800

For 35mm: Plustek OpticFilm 8100: $270

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Camera accessories

Best camera shoulder bag

SAIGON SATCHEL

Best camera backpack

Fits 13” Laptop and Camera: Thinktank Perception 15 (black): $120

Best photography neck strap

• Henri Neck Strap: $99
• ERIC KIM Neck Strap: $99 (for RICOH GRII)

Best photography wrist strap

• Henri Wrist Strap: $49

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Best photography inspiration website

MagnumPhotos.com

Best photography news blog

PetaPixel.com

Best photography software

Adobe Lightroom

Best video editing software

iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro X ($300)

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Books

See all my free books.

Best educational photography book

Magnum Contact Sheets

Best black-and-white photography art book

“Exiles” by Josef Koudelka

Best color photography art book

“The Suffering of Light” by Alex Webb

Best photography handbook

Street Notes

Best philosophy book

On the Shortness of Life – Seneca ($8) // 10 Lessons Seneca Has Taught Me.

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Best digital tools

Best laptop

Any MacBook Air or Pro

Best tablet

iPad Pro 10.5 inch, 64 gb, space grey

Best phone

iPhone X

Best value phone

iPhone SE (cheapest model): $400

Best android phone

Samsung S8

Best value android phone

OnePlus 3T ($440)

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Best Mac Apps

Best writing app

IA Writer (for writing) + Ulysses (for note-taking)

Best screen recorder

Camtasia

Best image resizer

JPEGmini Pro

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Audio

Best noise-cancelling headphones

BOSE QC 35 (black): $350

Best earbuds

Apple Beats X

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Apparel

Best watch

Casio Men’s F108WH Illuminator Collection Black Resin Strap Digital Watch: $13

Best underwear

ExOfficio Men Boxer Brief (black): $26

Best T-shirt

Outlier NYC Merino Wool T-Shirt

Best socks

Darn Tough Socks Merino Wool

Best shoes

Nike Free Flyknight RN Motion (black/white) // my review

Best pants

Merino Wool Leggings (black)

Best glasses

LINDBERG – Titanium

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Finance

Best bank / credit card (USA)

Chase / Chase Sapphire credit card

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Best entrepreneurial tools

Best blogging platform

WordPress.org + Genesis theme (I use the ‘Academy Pro’ theme).

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Best paid online services

Best cloud storage

Dropbox (Pro)

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Diet & Nutrition

Food

Intermittent fasting — with one big meal a day (only dinner)

Workout

Deadlifts (one rep max) + squats + dumbbell press + chin-ups + pushups

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Conclusion

Of course this is just a list of stuff that work for me. It probably won’t work for you.

But I got inspired to make this list– because it took me about 10 years to figure out the best equipment for me. And this works for me, and I hope it can help simplify your purchasing decisions (at least in photography and some other details).

I’ll continue to do articles and videos related to equipment– because I do believe (up to a certain degree) having the ‘right’ equipment in life makes life easier. But the problem is falling victim to GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) where we are buying stuff for the sake of it (has happened to me).

If you already have a bunch of equipment that works for you– stick with it. But if you need some help, I hope this list helped you.

Always,
Eric

Why is street photography so great– and how can we make ‘better’/more engaging photos? My suggestion: tell more engaging stories through your photos!

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Stanley Kubrick: not only a master film-maker, but also a great photographer.

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Dear friend,

A simple technique to make more photos: take photos while walking!

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Ridley Scott: one of my favorite film directors of all-time.

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Hey friends,

I wanted to give you a quick life update from LA.

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Dear friend,

A mini epiphany I had: If you’re not sure what to do with your life, or what direction to take it— consider your lifelong journey to be this: focus all your energy, ideas, and focus in becoming the most fully-developed ARTIST-PHILOSOPHER you can.

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Just arrived back in sunny Southern California, and feeling super #grateful in life.

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Last set from Tokyo, shot on Lumix G9 Pro, Leica 12mm f/1.4 lens (24mm full-frame equivalent), iA mode, medium-jpeg, processed in ERIC KIM PRESETS.

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HAPTIC INDUSTRIES is proud to announce our newest product, completely handmade, limited edition HENRI SHOULDER STRAP, in two colors: Crema Brown and Phantom Black.

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If you live in the suburbs, and want inspiration to shoot– I encourage you to try out ‘Walmart Street Photography’, Costco Street Photography, or just shoot in grocery stores, markets, and other places in the suburbs!

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Dear friend,

A random philosophical musing: I think ‘willpower’ is misunderstood/overrated in the general sense. What exactly is ‘willpower’ — do we start each day with a limited supply of it? Do we ‘deplete’ our willpower as the day goes on? Can/how you replenish your will-power? And are some people born with more will-power than others? And if you don’t have enough ‘willpower’ — is it because you lack some sort of genetic deficiency, because you are “lazy” (attributable to your lack of effort), or can/should we blame our lack of willpower on external sources?

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What is willpower?

First of all, let us break down the word ‘willpower’.

a. “Will”

The word ‘will’ comes from Proto-Germanic (wiljana) which means ‘to desire/wish’, which comes from Proto-Indo-European, “welh” (which means to choose/wish).

So in the general sense, to “will” is to desire/wish something.

b. “Power”

What does the word ‘power’ mean?

The word power comes from Latin (possum/posse) which means ‘to be able’.

Therefore we can consider if someone has the ‘power’ to do something, they have the ability/faculty to do something.

Will+Power

Therefore the word “will-power” should be defined as this:

To be able to do something you desire.

The difficulty/trouble with will-power is this: If you somehow lack the willpower to do something, others will judge you moralistically. If you don’t have willpower, others will negatively judge you as being lazy, incompetent, and perhaps consider you an ‘evil’/bad person.

But the hard thing is this: as individuals sometimes we lack either the ability to do something, or we don’t know what we desire.

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Self-doubting

Furthermore, sometimes we do desire something — but we mistakenly think that we don’t have the ability to do it.

For example, let’s say you want to start your own business. You got a great idea and concept, but you don’t think you have the ability to do it — because you believe yourself to lack resources, money, time, or something else.

This is self-doubt. This self-doubt comes from nay-sayers, negative “haters”, or what society or our parents have socialized us into believing. It is of my belief that if you grew up without having anyone believe in you or your dreams, it technically isn’t “your fault”; rather, you were unlucky that you were born into a life situation where you didn’t have the right support network. But the positive note is this: as an adult, you have the opportunity and power/ability to control and change your life! You can decide whom to spend time with, and whom not to spend time with. You can decide and control what to spend your time, attention, and money on. You have the power and opportunity to direct your life however you would like!

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What do you desire?

This is another tricky thing: a lot of us don’t know what we desire in life. Not only that, but we must also consider: do we desire stuff (physical things?) Do we desire to obtain markings of external “success” (money, fame, influence, power)? Or do we desire to do stuff, desiring to create, or make stuff?

Personally I think we are most fulfilled when we are in the creative flow and zone of making stuff. I’m the happiest when I’m coming up with new ideas and sharing them with others. I’m happiest when I’m trying out new things, innovating new processes, discos discovering new things, learning new things, taking new risks, and taking on new challenges!

What do you desire in your life, and what do you desire to do, make, achieve, or create?

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How to build more will power

So I will break it down with you; how we can build more willpower in a practical sense.

First of all, to build “willpower” we must build more strength in our ability to do stuff.

Part 1: Build your abilities and skills

Now, we can increase our abilities by the following:

1. Learning how to do stuff, building our skills, our technical expertise or know-how (reading books, online courses, in person-courses or workshops, school, videos, information)
2. Self doubting ourself less: Philosophically asking ourselves why we doubt ourselves, and asking ourselves, “Where does this self-doubt come from?” Not blaming yourself for doubting yourself, but trying to figure out practical solutions to overcome/conquer your self-doubt.
3. Determining whether you’re suffering from “paralysis by analysis”: You are paralyzed into indecision because there are too many options in the modern world. My solution: just do it 80% “good enough” and publish, share, or create it! Also, creating your own “minimum viable product” (MVP), which is the minimum possible manifestation of whatever you desire to create or do. For example if your big dream is to own your own big restaurant, a “minimum viable product” may be starting your own food delivery service, where you do all the cooking and delivery (and you don’t pay for rent for a physical space).

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Part 2: How to build your desire

A lot of us don’t know what we desire to do or achieve in life. And not only that, we don’t know whether our desires are genuine or not; sometimes we think we really desire to do something or achieve/possess something, but in reality, we were just spoon-fed that desire from advertising, social expectations/pressures, cultural values, etc.

I challenge you friend to spend some time to “Zen out”, disconnect yourself from the outside world (uninstall social media, distance yourself from negative people in your life) and really ask yourself:

“What do I truly desire in life?”

I don’t think there are any “right” or “wrong” answers here. Just be brutally honest to yourself.

Then ask yourself: how can I achieve my dreams? How can I do this thing I desire, everyday?

Then you can setup your life accordingly, to live our your dreams (I suggest everyday).

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ERIC KIM PSYCHOLOGY

I cannot speak for you, but I’ll share my personal psychology with you.

In my life, I desire to seek the secrets of living the best possible life. I want to learn these truths/secrets in life and apply it to my own life, and of course I also want to share these discoveries with others.

So a lot of this in my life is self-experimentation, self-doubting, and self-introspection, risking, attempting, and trying out as well as learning new stuff.

At best I’ll live to be 100. At worst, I’ll die today by a distracted texting-while driving driver.

I value life and I love life. I love being alive, I love all people and humanity, and I want to empower all of humanity to be as happy, dope, fulfilled, and epic as possible. That’s it.

This is why I study philosophy, this is why I write, why I make videos, and why I share these ideas with you. Because I know what it feels to feel disempowered, I know what it feels to be depressed, I know what it feels like to lack willpower.

I don’t have all the answers for myself (yet), and I won’t have it all before I die. But that’s the fun and exciting thing; I’ll never stop striving, questioning, and exploring. I want to live my life to the fullest, and also help you live your life to the fullest.

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So friend, once again; what do you desire to achieve in life? What’s holding you back (if anything)?

BE BOLD, be a little foolish, have fun, and put a dent in the universe!

ERIC

I just watched the film “All the Money in the World (2017)” by Ridley Scott /// cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and was blown away.

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I am proud to announce that I did the cinematography for Cindy’s new film: “MISS STEP”. I wrote some of my personal lessons creating the film for her (in terms of doing the filming), but now I want to analyze some of the compositional techniques I learned (while shooting), and I have some practical video-shooting techniques I want to share with you (if you are a photographer who is interested in doing more video/cinema-work):

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Dear friend,

One of the biggest challenges all of us face (myself included) is finding the inspiration and motivation to shoot everyday.

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I recently dropped two new brand new courses with Cindy and Udemy: “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography” and another ambitious course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship” and learned a ton. If you were ever curious about teaching your own online course, here are some lessons I’ve learned, which I hope can also help you.

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I just finished doing the cinematography for Cindy’s newest film/music video: “MISS STEP”; and it was a phenomenal experience.

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Panasonic G9 + JPEG + New ERIC KIM CHROMA PRESETS (CLASSIC CC LIGHTROOM):

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While in Photobooks DINER Megutama in Tokyo, I came across a copy of Nan Goldin’s famous “Ballad of Sexual Dependency” photobook. To me, it is the one of the most powerful photo books of all-time, about gender, sexuality, and human relationships.

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Dear friends,

I am super pumped to share this brand-new FREE Lightroom Classic CC Workflow PDF Visualization by ANNETTE KIM // from the HAPTIC team.

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A true saying by Hugh M: “Ignore everyone else”, in order to thrive as a creator.

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If you see an interesting scene in street photography, and you think you might be able to make a good photograph, linger longer than you think you should, continue to click the shutter, keep your feet planted, and keep shooting! The longer you linger and continue to shoot, the more likely you are to make a good photo!

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Dear friend,

Never lose your childlike sense of curiosity in street photography! Always return to beginner’s mind, to never run out of inspiration and motivation!

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Dear friend,

A simple street photography assignment you can try today from STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION: shoot your subjects against a simple background.

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Dear friend,

A realization: when it comes to mobile apps and platforms, VSCO is a million times better than Instagram. Why? Let me outline some ideas here:

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HENRI CHROMA Wrist Straps: available for a limited time in HAPTIC SHOP + Amazon.

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Lumix G9 Pro, Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens + ERIC KIM PRESETS:

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A list of my personal favorite street photographers, and photographers I recommend you to follow (in no particular order, just the list of photographers who pop into my head):

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The golden angle is one of the most dynamic street photography techniques/compositions we can apply to our photos:

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Dear friend,

A life realization for myself: INNOVATE FOR THE SAKE OF INNOVATING (if you want to find daily motivation to create new things, and to find more hope/optimism in life!)

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I recently bought a Panasonic/Lumix G9 Pro — why? Let me outline my reasons and thoughts:

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Dear friend, if you haven’t heard the exciting news already– MASTERS is now available as both a digital and print edition! To promote the book, here are some practical lessons I learned from the masters:

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New batch of photos in Tokyo, with Lumix G9 Pro, 12mm f/1.4 Leica Lens (shot in iA/intelligent auto mode), with ERIC KIM CHROMA PRESETS:

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My YouTube channel is mostly popular for my GoPro POV Street Photography Videos. I wanted to do this article to teach you how you can make your own GoPro street photography POV videos– and even explain: why even do them?

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to

To thrive as photographers and artists, we need both inspiration and motivation. But what’s the difference, and how do we keep our creative flame alive?

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TOKIO Shot on Lumix G9 Pro + 12mm f/1.4 Leica Lens:

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Dear friend, one of the best ways to stay motivated in your photography is this: shoot more ambitiously!

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If you want to achieve your personal maximum in photography, learn from MASTERS MOBILE EDITION (Volume 1).

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New YouTube street photography videos for you:

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Dear friend, a practical idea: photograph what makes you smile, and brings a spark of joy to your life/day!

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Lumix G9 Pro + Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens + ERIC KIM PRESETS.

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Dear friend,

A word of encouragement and something I believe in: realize that reality is malleable!

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Dear friend,

I wanted to give you a quick life update from Tokyo, and why I am feeling so phenomenally inspired!

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A technique to use in street photography: get close to your subject, keep clicking (until your subject notices you).

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Dear friend,

Your life is both long and short. Imagine like you’re going to live to be 100 years old; do you imagine shooting until the day that you die?

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I just bought a new Panasonic Lumix G9 Pro + Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens as my new street photography/video setup. I think it is probably the best still camera/video camera in the photography market (as of 2018):

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Practical street photography tips to get you going!

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Dear friend,

I am super pumped to announce my two brand new street photography workshops in NYC in 2018:

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Dear friend,

I am super pumped to share my brand-new street photography workshop in SINGAPORE, July 21-22nd, 2018.

Singapore is a country that I actually really like– the food, the people, the diverse street scenes, the good vibes, and the phenomenal photography community.

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Dear friend,

Another thought which might benefit you: embrace the philosophy of Stoicism, and apply it to your entrepreneurial pursuits in life, to feel less fear, to take more risks and to live your life to the fullest for the sake of empowering humanity! (memento mori).

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Dear friend,

A thought I got from Nietzsche/Steve Jobs: always seek to innovate, make new things, new approaches, and experiment with the new; instead of seeking self-preservation. Life is about thrivival (thriving) not just mere survival!

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Dear friend,

A small epiphany: the purpose of life is to make new stuff! To make new photos, new videos, new films, new poetry, new clothing, new ideas, new products, and new children; this is what life desires, and this is what we should also desire!

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First batch of photos with my RICOH GR II in Tokyo (which has recently died, RIP — the shutter/aperture blade gets stuck when I open it). Still the photos look fantastic. Some photos shot with flash; all photos shot on JPEG, processed with ERIC KIM PRESETS:

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Dear friend,

A realization: GOOD PHOTOGRAPHERS STEAL; bad photographers copy.

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Dear friend,

As a present, here are some new ERIC KIM LIGHTROOM CLASSIC CC PRESETS 2018 for you!

Also check out my new Tokyo CHROMA Lightroom Presets.

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The last set of photos from Kyoto. Also see KYOTO FINAL 2018 (VERSION I).

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Command + A step here.
Control + Zipper. No, zebra. A zigging and zagging and surrender to the zephyr on my cheek.
Option + Alt you. You hilarious tease of forgotten functions.

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Good memories from Kyoto:

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Only 3 more days for the SPECIAL BUNDLE pricing for Eric Kim Course x Udemy: (50% off early access pricing + free ebooks). Offer expires May 6, 2018.

1. Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography
2. Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship

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Dear friend,

I made a new GoPro POV portrait YouTube video session of Cindy to teach you how I make portraits at night. If you’re with a friend, loved one, or your partner, shoot portraits of night of them with a flash.

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Dear friend,

A technique to use in street photography: the 360 degree technique. The basic concept is you see an interesting person from behind, quickly jog up next to them, and keep taking photos as you are circling around them (like a 360 degree sphere around them). I made a video on YouTube to demonstrate the 360 degree technique in action in your street photography; enjoy!

If you want to practice these street photography techniques in “real life”, join me at one of my upcoming street photography workshops.

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Dear friend,

A fun idea: realize that in reality (aka, the real world in which we are alive right now): there are no “limits” to what you can do. Nobody can prevent you from building a house, however you desire to design it. Nobody can control your time, effort, energy, or attention (unless you decide to get a 9-5 job, which constricts your day-to-day living). We all have the ultimate choice in life— to live however we desire, to make whatever we desire, and to give our attention to whatever we desire.

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If you like to make photos, videos, poetry or words, you’re a content creator. Here are some tips I wish I could have given myself if I started content creation all over again:

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Dear friend,

Greetings from Kyoto! I wanted to give you a life update, and to share some brand-new and very cool stuff, and also life lessons I’ve learned while I’ve been here!

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The world is a beautiful place. The greatest blessing is the blessing of being alive!

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Dear friend,

To advertise my new online course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship“, I wanted to share why we should all be photography entrepreneurs, and also why you’re probably (already) a photography entrepreneur (without even knowing it!)

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Dear friend,

A small epiphany: Make photos that affirm life; not negate life!

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Dear friend,

One thing I believe in is ‘calculated’ risk-taking. What does that mean, and how can we harness this principle to succeed/thrive more in life? Let’s talk more:

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