A poem inspired by my upcoming KYOTO ZEN PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE

YOU ARE A STREET SAMURAI, and your camera is your sword.

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HAPTIC INDUSTRIES: a win for you and me.

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Dear friend,

Recently I’ve been thinking about personal growth, and studying a bit of ecology as a metaphor.

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It seems today our most valuable asset is our thumbs. We use our things to swipe, pinch, and touch phone screens all day. What if we could use our thumbs for social good?

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Men are over-represented in photography. Here are some great female photographers to know:

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Some ideas for you to make more dynamic compositions:

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A photo in Saigon, deconstructed, part of PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION 101:

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Ideas for you to have more fun in Street Photography, brought to you by STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES.

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Dear friend,

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101, here is some more photography and life advice that you should probably ignore from me: Go against the grain.

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I think one of the best technological innovations has been the “mute” button — the technology to disable sound and distractions.

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Part of PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101

Dear friend,

If you don’t want to make money with your photography, please don’t read this.

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Part of PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101

I’m not 100% sure about the secret to success in photography, business, entrepreneurship, and life, but I know the secret to failure is timidness.

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Dear friend,

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101, realize: there is no “blueprint” for success in photography.

However, I want to share some things that has helped me become “successful”. Of course this advice won’t help you, not apply to you.

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Dear friend,

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101, let’s talk how you can build a following.

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Dear friend,

I was walking the streets of Hanoi today, with the question: “What is success? How would I define success? How do we know when we are ‘successful’? And is “success” a modern concept— and should we even have the word “success” in our vocabulary?

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Okay friend,

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101, realize that nowadays, everyone is a photographer. How do you stand out from the masses, and differentiate yourself in a meaningful way?

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Dear friend,

To kick off STREET CLUB and STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION, and VITRUVIAN CAMERA ARTWEAR, here is my gift to you: a new book on street photography. This time, more theoretical, yet practical. Less filler, more killer. And of course, the book is open-source.

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Dear friend,

In this chapter of STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL, let us talk about the theoretical framework of becoming a badass street photographer, aka, a STREET STOIC.

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Dear friend,

Let’s continue STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL, and talk about the importance of wandering, following your curiosity, and being a “Flaneur.”

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Don’t have any regrets in your photography or life. Look at the present. Look at the future.

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Dear friend,

I’m gonna give you real talk: ignore your haters. They’re not worth any of your mental energy.

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To proudly announce our new HAPTICPRESS launch of VITRUVIAN CAMERA ARTWEAR, here are some lessons you can learn from Leonardo da Vinci on photography:

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ANNETTE KIM x HAPTIC: VITRUVIAN CAMERA ARTWEAR

HAPTIC presents VITRUVIAN CAMERA ARTWEAR by ANNETTE KIM:

• VITRUVIAN CAMERA (Men’s)
• VITRUVIAN CAMERA (Women’s)

VITRUVIAN CAMERA is an homage to Leonardo da Vinci, and his passion of combining technology and art. By wearing VITRUVIAN CAMERA proudly on your chest, it will reveal your passion for photography — ‘painting with light.’

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Dear friend,

Have you ever felt frustrated in your photography, because there are all these bullshit “rules” you gotta follow?

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If you make photos, you’re an artist.

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Okay, please pardon me friend, but one thing I have is no patience for excuses. Imma rant a bit if you don’t mind. Please close this if you don’t like it.

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Dear friend,

Let’s continue STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL by talking how by being more aggressive, you can make better photo and connections with your subjects.

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I very much believe in the “beauty of imperfection” — that everything in the world is “imperfect” in one way or another. You will never see a tree in nature which is 100% symmetrical. You will never find a river that is 100% straight. You will never find an organism which is totally symmetrical on the left and right side.

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Dear friend,

Are you complacent in your photography and life? Or will you fight reality, carve out your own reality with your camera knife?

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Why should you invest in ERIC KIM?
Well, he believes in you, playful grin.

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I fudging hate pretentious photography, and pretentious photographers.

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Dear friend,

What does Eric Kim belive in? ZEN CAPITALISM.

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In no particular order, here is who ERIC KIM considers the most “famous” and influential/important street photographers.

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Dear friend, let’s continue our conversation in STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL, now discussing how you can get into a good street photography flow.

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To continue STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL, let’s talk some practical tips how to take your street photography composition to the next level:

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For this chapter in STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL let’s continue our exploration into street photography via risk taking.

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To continue STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL, I cannot say I’m the best street photographer. Far from it. But I can say, I’m probably the best street photography educator and teacher. I’m also one of the most brave street photographers in the world.

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Dear friend,

Let’s go in a fun street photography adventure: I wanna share some secrets, brutal truths, and honest advice on how to elevate yourself as a street photographer: to take your work to the next level, to conquer your fears, and fulfill your personal maximum.

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Dear friend,

Continuing our series on Photography Entrepreneurship 101, let’s tackle this concept of “scarcity”– how to make yourself more valuable as a photographer and entrepreneur by making yourself more scarce.

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Don’t be afraid. Pierce the shadows. Shoot what you’re afraid of.

As children, are afraid of the shadows. We are afraid of the monsters that might lurk in the dark. We let our imaginations get the worst of us.

What if we learned to pierce the shadows — and shined a spotlight on our fears? We would discover that no ghosts, ghouls, or enemies lie in the shadows. What only lies in the shadows are our own self-constructed fears.

Pierce the shadows with your flashlight of truth. Find out that there is nothing to fear in the dark.

Part of Photography Entrepreneurship 101

Dear friend,

I wanna write you an essay, or an attempt, at understanding this concept of “value”– how you can create value, how you can value yourself, and why value is important in today’s capitalist society.

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Dear friend, ignore your haters.
Rather stay focused on your life goals: focused laser.

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POSITIVITY: subtract the negative energy.

POSITIVITY: who holds you back?
POSITIVITY: is your life on track?

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Why is Cindy DOPE?
Well to start off, she made a digital edition of STREET NOTES.

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Dear friend,

This is gonna be a chance to explain why ERIC KIM is the way he is.

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Dear friend, don’t be meek– you might not know it, but you’re on a winning streak.

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Dear friend,

I think street photography is 80% confidence, and 20% skills. Of course, confidence is also a skill– a skill you can build, develop, and mature.

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To advertise the new STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION, here are some empowering street photography tactics you can add to your street photography toolbelt:

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By popular demand, we dedicated many hours and cups of coffee to present to you STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION.

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‘The envious moment is flying now, while we’re speaking’ – Horace

Carpe Diem.

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STREET NOTES:
Your street photos are dope.

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Do you value yourself as a photographer? Do you value your photos? Do you value yourself?

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I don’t know if anyone has written a post on photography lifestyle– in terms of food, exercise, and energy-management.

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Dear friend,

You’re like kinetic energy– infinite untapped energy. Why do you hold yourself back?

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Photography stacks on stacks on stacks
Your shutter goes: clack clack clack clack clack

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The hardest thing as a photographer or artist: how to fight the friction or “resistance” of reality.

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A fun thought from Nietzsche: what if we didn’t simply want to be a human– but something super-human in our lives?

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Dear friend,

A pretty radical idea I have: I don’t think there are any objectively “good” or “bad” photos– it is all interpretation.

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I don’t know the secret to becoming rich, successful, or happy– but I do know that for myself, giving more than I take has helped me tremendously.

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Eric: This essay is by my partner and life, Cindy Nguyen. I reposted this from HAPTICPRESS because I feel that this advice can help all of us — as artists, photographers, and human beings. Enter Cindy:

Cindy Nguyen: As a female immigrant and refugee, I was taught that my labor was cheap.

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You are a visual sociologist with a camera.

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“Tomorrow we’ll sail the wide seas again.” – Horace

I see life as a journey.

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In photography, Apple devices, and more– we all want to be “Pro.” But what if it wasn’t desirable to be a “Pro” and it was better to be an “Amateur” instead?

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There ain’t nothing dirty with money. Money is good, in today’s capitalist world. Money is a tool. Having money isn’t a sin.

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We’re often told as photographers not to work for free. I disagree. I think when we’re starting off, it is a good idea to work for free. Then as you build your skills, start to charge a lot of money.

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Dear friend,

I’m all about empowerment in photography and art. One strategy to become more empowered: focus on subtracting what “disempowers” you in life.

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Dear friend,

A lot of us have little time. What if we were able to be more creative, and be more fulfilled in our photography, in just 5 minutes a day?

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Dear friend,

Practical advice: don’t go into debt for your photography.

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Dear friend,

If you’re not growing in your photography, you’re dying.

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Dear friend,

Practical advice: to be happy and have creative freedom, don’t go into debt for your photography.

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