#NOFILTER is a pretty popular hashtag. It generally means you upload a photo that you shot on your photo, without applying any filters. Photos uploaded without a filter are often perceived as more “authentic”.

To me, the concept is fascinating. What if you lived a real life without a filter?

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KYOTO, my photo muse.

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We’re riding on a photography ultralight beam,
We’re shooting together, all together on the same team.

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Dear friend,

Without tooting my horn too much, I’m pretty sure I’m one of the top 10 most influential photography bloggers on planet Earth. How did I get so famous, is being famous desirable and how can you become “internet famous” in the realm of photography?

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STREET NOTES
Your coat of armor
In photography.

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Your life is high stakes; make earthquakes!

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In life, I see everything in black and white.

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In the past, I doubted myself a lot. I always asked others for their opinions, and never asked myself of my own opinion.

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First of all, why share?

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Dear friend,

Let me share some ideas on this brave new world of the “Photography Experience Economy.”

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Dear friend,

Okay, so I talk a lot about “barbelling” your photography prices: either free, or very expensive. But how do you actually charge more, and get people to pay?

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I see the human soul as a diamond in the rough.

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Dear friend,

I’m very afraid for the future of photography and humanity.

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Dear friend,

I’m gonna give you some hard truth on the sad sad reality about photography– on the grimness of pursuing photography as a living your career, or passion.

Download PDF >

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SUITS: Print Hardcover Book

Invest in SUITS, Hardcover Print Edition I on Amazon >

Edited by CINDY NGUYEN x HAPTIC PRESS:

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Dear friend,

To advertise my upcoming workshops, I wanna share some thoughts on walking meditation in the context of street photography:

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Dear friend,

What is the secret to great street photography? It is to never hesitate.

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ERIC KIM KYOTO PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE 2017: Discover Your Inner-ZEN (Sept 9-10).

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Gut photography,
Shoot from your gut– not your brain.

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Make luscious photos– make delicious photos that you can lick with your lips.

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Inspired by Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary– here is Eric Kim’s Photography Dictionary.

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• A: All day, everyday: make photos.
• B: Black on black on black, keep stacking your monochromatic photos. Crush the blacks. Seek to subtract from the frame.
• C: Cruise and peruse the streets with no plan in mind.
• D: Driven: be driven by your passion in photography. You control the steering wheel.
• E: Eric Kim is your friend and guide in this journey of photography life.
• F: Fun: photography should be FUN. Treat yourself like a big kid with a camera. If photography ain’t fun for you, you’re doing something wrong.
• G: Gay: your photography should bring you joy. Shoot everyday, full of joy, and be gay and pray that today will be a good photo day.
• H: “Hello”– the best thing you can tell a stranger, if you want to shoot a street portrait of then.
• I: Intuition– shoot with your gut and intuition. Follow your own nose in photography. Don’t let nobody tell you how to shoot, what to shoot, when to shoot, and follow your own style.
• J: Jealousy– have none. Stick to your own vision and your own guns. Be jealous of no other photographer, because the photography pie is unlimited, and growing bigger every single day.
• K: Kind– photograph others kindly and with openness and soul. The golden rule: photograph others how you would like to be photographed.
• L: Lion– you’re a beast in the streets. Shoot when you’re hungry, like a wild lion. A caged lion gets fed 3 square meals a day. Would you rather be tame, or wild?
• M: Monotony– fight it fiercely. Avoid boredom in your photograph. Only photograph what interests and excites you. If you’re bored in photography, switch things up. Try shooting film, medium-format, or maybe just shoot with only your phone
• N: Never complain about your gear or equipment. Know that creativity comes from constraints. Revel in your shitty gear, and make the best photos with the camera you already own.
• O: You’re the Only one who can make the photos that you do. So shoot what is true to yourself. Shoot personal photos of your partner, kids, family, and friends. Do it today and tomorrow, again and again.
• P: Painting with light. That is what photography means. If you don’t got light, you cannot make a photo. Photograph your subjects against soft window lighting or use a flash. Shoot more photos during “golden hour”– sunrise or sunset. Or shoot in harsh sunlight with -2 exposure compensation.
• Q: Question “why” you make photos. Buy PHOTO JOURNAL to reflect on the purpose of your photography.
• R: Reality is made by you– by what you decide to include or exclude. Know that photography is more about subtracting the superfluous– rather than adding distractions or subjects.
• S: Strength– shoot through your personal roadblocks, and stay strong. Street photography is fucking hard, but remember– what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
• T: Touch the textures of what you photograph. It will give you a “Haptic” response, and help you remember what you photograph. Touch your subjects, and touch the hearts of your viewer with your photos.
• U: yoU are a great photographer. Don’t doubt yourself. Never. Just shoot it.
• V: Vampires– beware of them. Vampires suck your creative energy away. Vampires: negative folks, toxic parents, fake friends, and people who love to complain. Kill all vampires in your life with a clove of garlic and with silver bullets.
• W: Wherever and whenever you can make good photos. Just put away your phone and look around. Take off your headphones, and listen to the ambient sounds. You’re surrounded with great photo opportunities, so trust in you, not in me.
• X: X– cross out superfluous or bad photos. Refuse to upload bad photos that don’t excite you. For every 1,000 photos you X, choose one.
• Y: You got this.
• Z: Zero fucks given, what others think of you or your art. Just join the global photo community, and do your part.

BE STRONG,
ERIC

RICOH, RICOH, RICOH
you’re so simple and so pure.

RICOH, RICOH, RICOH,
Photographer’s block: you are my cure.

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MONOCHROM,
shoot photos from your gut, and off the dome.

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Why wake up in the morning, and live our lives?

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LEICA, LEICA, LEICA
your design is sublime, I like you a lot.

Creativity isn’t inside me, it is something that can be bought
I disregard what’s given to me, and my own lot
I wanna hustle, and make bundles of money to buy my Leica honey.

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Grit and grain,
Shoot photos to wipe away the sweat and pain.

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I love photography newbies. To a newbie (beginner), there are no rules. Only opportunities and excitement.

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Dear friend,

I want to encourage you to experience more happiness and joy in life, using your camera as your tool.

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What do jazz musicians, improv artists, freestyle rappers, and street photographers have in common? We are all improvisers.

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AS TOLD BY ERIC KIM:

1. Thou shalt define street photography for thyself.
2. Thou shalt never leave thy camera at home.
3. Thou shalt photograph street photography anywhere and everywhere.
4. Thou shalt photograph with all thou heart and soul.
5. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s camera.
6. Thou shalt make photos, not excuses.
7. Thou shalt photograph others like photographing thyself.
8. Thou shalt treat thy subjects as human beings.
9. Thou shalt make photos, not take photos.
10. Thou shalt honor thy selfie.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101 >

Or your photos?

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I’m a photography slave.

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Your photography is always in a state of flux, and so are you.

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Dear friend,

I have a very simple theory on how to be a better photographer: move more, plan less, and allow more randomness and serendipity to enter your life.

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Dear friend,

I’m very interested in aesthetics, and what makes a “good” photo– or an aesthetically pleasing image, which causes our soul to quiver.

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Dear friend,

First of all, realize the phone is a “real” camera. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise.

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Part of Photography Entrepreneurship 101: you wanna make a blog, but you have no ideas. This is advice I’d give you:

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The Bay Area is my home. Here are my favorite joints in SF for coffee, photography, and food.

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My favorite joints in DOWNTOWN LA for coffee, photography, and food.

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My favorite joints in Hanoi, Vietnam for coffee, food, and photography.

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Why shoot street photography?

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Why I’m happy: I create my own reality.

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Photography inspiration,
Shoot photos which excites your soul’s elation.

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Dear friend,

I want to share with you why I am a fearless photographer, and perhaps give you some tips, insights, and advice on how to become more fearless yourself.

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Dear friends, here is my current portfolio as of 2017– feel free to share, re-distribute, and re-mix these photos as you’d like:

Download Portfolio 2017

• Eric Kim Photography Portfolio 2017

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The secret to becoming a great artist: never compromise.

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Dear friend,

You only live once. Why live it according to the rules of others and society?

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Dear friend,

If I started photography all over again this is advice I would give myself.

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YOU ARE A STREET GOD
high roller, you don’t need no trip abroad.

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ERIC KIM STRAP: all BLACK.
Photography inspiration and courage
Untapped.

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LOVE: two gloves, flying to the heavens like doves.
Why love?
because
you create and make one another
You are two world wonders, clashing in spirit
But you hold each other strong; bronze rivets.

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CINDY NGUYEN,
All she does is win.

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Life is fleeting,
Hands kneading dough
The bread of life.

With you
Me, together– husband and wife.

In street photography, there is a sub-genre of street photos called “STREET PORTRAITS”.

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Dear friend,

If you want to make better street photos, here are some tips:

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Dear friend,

I’m very passionate about photography and helping you– why, and does it really matter to be a “passionate” photographer?

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Dear friend,

If you wanna start your own photography business, here are some practical tips I’d give you:

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ERIC KIM x HENRI NECK STRAP: creativity overflowing to the brim like tonic and gin. Why do I always say my name? Where should I begin?

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HAPTIC: creative tools, you don’t lack it. Images, keep stacking it. Lighten your backpack for your creative output, you can’t make art without you.

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Announcing ZEN OF ERIC // WHY APP?

Try out ZEN OF ERIC on Facebook Messenger.

• Facebook messenger link
• Facebook page link
• https://www.messenger.com/t/ZenOfEric

Dear friend,

If you’re a photographer, start your own photo blog. Much better than any social media.

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Dear friend,

Here are some fun photography assignments you can try out to re-inspire you:

1. Listen to your favorite music album, and make a set of images: 1 photograph per song. For example, I’ll listen to “DAMN.” by Kendrick Lamar, and each of his songs inspires a blog post, or a single photo. So make a visual music, photography album of your favorite 12 photos to your favorite 12 songs.
2. Buy an old film medium-format camera, FILM NOTES, and buy 5 rolls of Kodak Portra 400, and 5 rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400. Shoot all the rolls, and edit down a set of images of your 5 favorite color photos, and your favorite 5 black and white photos. Of course, you can use whatever film you want.
3. On a Saturday morning, go to your favorite coffee shop, and bring your favorite 1 photography book. Order a double espresso, and start inspiring yourself with images. Then, when the caffeine hits your blood stream, and you feel the inspiration flowing in your veins, go out and shoot for 2 hours. Choose your 1 favorite photo from the session, and upload it.
4. Only shoot selfies for a week, and at the end of the week, choose your 7 favorite photos. Print them as small 4×6 images, and put them in your own photography journal for yourself. Don’t share them with anybody.
5. Imitate one photographer whose personality you hate for a week.
6. Try to make 1 perfect replica of a photograph you’ve seen that you like. Aka, recreate Henri Cartier-Bresson‘s famous puddle jumping photo.
7. Only shoot JPEG for a month (no RAW).
8. Only shoot with an iPad for a day.
9. On a Saturday, leave your phone at home, and shoot for an entire day without listening to music, sending emails, or checking social media.
10. Delete all your photos from Instagram, and re-upload your 10 favorite photos. Then don’t upload anything new for a week. Or to be more ballsy, delete your Instagram and make a photo blog.

For more inspiration, buy PHOTO JOURNAL by HAPTIC.

BE STRONG,
ERIC

Photography 101 >

Dear friend,

Never forget: photography is hard.

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There are a lot of people I admire and follow.

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Dear friend,

I’m currently reading Einstein’s biography by Walter Isaacson and was inspired: the best way to be innovative and a “genius” is just to be curious.

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Live life with no fear,
You control the steering wheel: know you can steer.

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Dear friend,

We always talk on how to make better photos– but never why make photos.

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Street photography: the best way to fight the monotony of everyday life.
To fight the strife, of putting in 40-hour weeks
At a job that makes us bored and meek.

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In photography, I love to crush the blacks.

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