Human artist blog / Street photography / Philosophy
When I started street photography, my biggest barrier was myself. Specifically— my barrier was my fear of shooting street photography. It was all in my head.
We all know the feeling— having to do something without wanting to do it. The feeling of going to the gym and meeting a gym trainer against your own will. The feeling of having …
I recently read an eye-opening book: “So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love†— in which the author argues against the “passion†hypothesis (the …
(A.g.’s note: Today’s interview is probably an interesting one. John Milton is a citizen of the world. His travels has brought him to some of the most uncommon places for travel. He answers Eric’s …
Thank you so much for your patience and support as Cindy and I worked to prepare the last batch of Henri neck straps. We received a lot of great feedback, and have made the …
Dear streettogs, I am super pumped to announce that I am hosting my first free live-streaming street photography workshop on July 19-20th (12-3pm Pacific time) on the Adobe Twitch Channel >> The workshop is a …
The “snapshot†is a word looked down with disdain and hatred. No photographer wants to hear that his/her photos look like “snapshots.†We want our photos to be respected, appreciated, and seen as “art.†…
SA 19 Editor’s Choice Evandro Nunes de Oliveira wants us to explore faces and places! (Details of joining and more info after the jump!)
I’ve pretty much shot RAW all my life. There are so many benefits of shooting RAW– in terms of how much flexibility you have with the files, as well as the raw data in …
I remembered when I was sitting in my cubicle, dreaming and lusting after a digital Leica M9. I imagined after buying it, all of my life’s problems would be solved. I imagined the camera …
What is a photographer? A photographer is an individual who sees beauty in the mundane. A photographer is an individual who walks at a slow pace, experiences life fully and vividly, and can capture …
I don’t know about you— but there is nothing I hate more than being a tourist. When you’re a tourist; you feel trapped. You do what everyone else tells you what you should do— …
Dear friend, I recently got back from my honeymoon with Cindy from Mexico city (amazing city, highly recommended) and finally we have some time to decompress, reflect on our wedding, and look through all …
In today’s modern world, procrastination is seen as a negative thing. It is seen as a “disease†that needs to be eliminated. Thousands of self-help books, blog posts, and podcasts encourage and teach us …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on how to liberate yourself in photography— by photographing what interests you rather than what you think other people will be interested. It means to …
(A.g.’s Note: Today’s guest post on the blog is by Vincent Tam. He’s an inquisitive and persistent photographer. He’s sharing with us his insights and research on how to produce quality work and how …
Hey streettogs, for those of you who like videos– I just put together a new one sharing my personal experiences photographing my own wedding. You can read the original blog post here: What I …
We can not control the winds but we can always adjust our sails. Lets see who made the best out of our 19th Assignment!
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter about some thoughts I have on “doing nothing”; not feeling like we always need to be “productive”, that we don’t always need to be producing, …
6 months ago, right around the time of my birthday, I actually got a very interesting message from Eric: “You should write something about yourself so that our readers can know the real you.†…
Dear friends, family, and loved ones: on June 11, 2016 I just married the love of my life, Cindy. It was (one of) my favorite days with her, and also one of the most …
Editor’s Note:  Mehran Khalili is a British-Iranian photographer that works in political communications by day and shoots photos by night (and sometimes the other way around). He recently published a photo project on Greece, ‘Standstill’, which looks …
Hit the streets with my buddy Josh White (@jt_inseoul) in this film about the 24 Hour Project with photographers (Pierre Ricadat (@ghostdogpr), and Michael Fincham (@thelastfin). It is beautifully directed by Dong Kim of AFTER STORY FILM, shows what it …
One of the most toxic feelings that a photographer (or human being) is to feel envy. Apparently envy is a trait that is deeply embedded in us, even as babies. But why is it …
Dear streettogs, I know I already advertised some past workshops as my “last workshops” in the states before leaving to Vietnam, but this time is “for real.” If you’re looking to invest in an …
A nomad mindset means that you are mentally and physically light. You don’t hold onto past possessions. You live in the moment, and you are flexible.
A few weeks ago, I taught a SF Street Portrait workshop in the downtown financial district. It was an intensive 1-day workshop, where the students hustled hard to (quickly) conquer their fears of shooting …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter on patience– how to be patient in our photography, our personal lives, and how we approach growth and self-compassion.
Dear friend, One thought that struck me recently: we all have an impulse to document and photograph things in our world. But what is this impulse exactly? Can we explain it psychologically? Is it …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter about the benefit of randomness, unpredictability, and chaos in our life.
The other day I did something really stupid. I accidentally deleted a ton of photos on my camera before uploading them to my laptop.
In this video I give some of my thoughts about life, travel, minimalism, blogging, and hopefully some tips that can empower you! You can also read more about my future plans in-depth.
In Silicon Valley, one of the main obsessions a lot of entrepreneurs are having is to eliminate “friction†in user-experiences; whether that be apps, websites, or businesses.
If you want to learn from the top thinkers and influencers in the field of street photography, don’t miss out on The London Street Photography Symposium (August 20-21, 2016). Tickets are now available to …
I feel in today’s world in order to be successful, you need to be a “generalist†— someone who isn’t uber-specialized in one thing, but you can do many things very well.
Dear friend, I just read a book on Japanese Aesthetics titled: “In Praise of Shadows.†It was a beautiful book that helped me reflect on the beauty of darkness and shadows (Japanese aesthetics) while …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on gratitude— and thanking you for everything, and some life updates (moving out of Berkeley, moving to Vietnam for 2 years, and some other random …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter (to hopefully empower you). My suggestion: realize that everything in your life is up to you; nobody else.
Is your photography your lifestyle? Or is your lifestyle photography?
If you don’t desire or “want†anything superfluous in life, you are truly wealthy. When you have all your needs (food, water, shelter, love); what else do you need in life?
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter regarding your calling— the reason you were put on the earth.
Sergio Larrain is a figure in photographic history who isn’t well-known, and is a bit of a mystery. He barely shot for more than a decade, and then decided to pursue a more “mystical†…
We are all born into different situations in life. Some of us are born rich, some of us are born poor. Some of us are born with parents who taught us photography; others of …
I first met Kaushal Parikh around 6 years ago— when he first invited me to Mumbai, to teach some street photography workshops there. He was one of the first street photographers I got to …
One of the things that plagues me as a photographer is that I think too much and don’t shoot enough. I think about what camera I should use, whether I should shoot film or …
A.g.: In the spirit of Open Source here on Eric’s Blog, this is a German translation of 10 Things Garry Winogrand Can Teach You About Street Photography. There’s also a German translation of 10 Things Henri …
Dear friend, I only got two weeks left in Berkeley. Here are some reflections I have in life and my time here, before I head off to Vietnam for around 2 years.
If you haven’t heard about the SF StreetFoto International Street Photography Festival 2016, don’t miss out. June 6-12 will be jam-packed with exciting workshops, exhibitions, and pub-crawls. If you’ve wanted to meet other passionate …
I teach a lot of street photography workshops for a living. I’m always wondering, “How can I best empower my students, help them build their confidence, and ultimately make better images?”
As photographers, we make photos to share them with others. I don’t trust any photographer who says that they only shoot for themselves.
I just finished reading Karl Marx’s “Capital” and “The Communist Manifesto” — and I was so amazed to see how modern a lot of his ideas are.
Learning is growth. The more you learn, the more inspired you become. The more ideas you culminate in your mind, and the more your view of the world expands.
Carpe diem. Seize the day. Today is the only day that exists, tomorrow might not come.
The other night I met one of my good friends Geoffrey for dinner, and he’s been having a tough time with his photography. He’s busy with work, traveling, and barely has any time to …
To me, creativity is all about cross-pollination of ideas in novel ways.
Just finished an action-packed weekend with my great students from my SF “Discover Your Unique Voice” workshop. I’m proud of how hard they worked to push themselves out of their comfort zones, as well …
Dear friend, After 10 years of shooting street photography, one thing I’m starting to realize is that I’m becoming a bit complacent with my work. I have a few projects behind me which I …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter on the amazing power of photography– how it can be used to empower ourselves. I want to make the point that the camera is a …
Dear friend, Let me share some thoughts on the importance of self-discovery in photography with you.
Dear friend, I wanted to share a thought with you: that rather than focusing on photography, we should focus on having a fulfilling, passionate, and fully-engaging life.
I met Peter Zhang at one of my SF street photography workshops, and was blown away by his up-close street photos (shot at 28mm with a Ricoh GR) of the changing neighborhood of SoMa …
The last day for submission to the contests is on April 20 (Today) at 23:59pm US Pacific Time. Streetfoto San Francisco 2016 Â extended their due date to all of their competitions to accommodate more …
In Silicon Valley we have a saying: “Fail forward.” I think it is a beautiful saying– because it isn’t telling us that failure is okay for failure’s sake, but that we should learn from …
I just finished a fantastic “Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography” workshop in SF this past weekend. Super-proud of all the student photos, check them out all below:
Dear friend, I just did an interview with my buddy Michael and one of the things he asked me was, “How has your approach in photography changed the last 2 years?” Fantastic question– this …
Many of us started photography quite innocently— with small compact point-and-shoots, a smartphone, or a disposable film camera. The main advantage was that we didn’t need to think about all the technical settings when …
Dear friend, I’ve been on a bit of a “minimalist†binge. Part of me is that I’m frustrated with all this crap I have in my life— material crap, emotional crap, and negativity I …
Dear friend, I want to write you this letter about how being generous is one of the best “investment strategies†and how the more you give, the more you will receive in return.
Youngjae wants us to photograph the invisible. For this month’s assignment, it’s going to be wind! (Details of joining and more info after the jump!)
Dear friend, I’ve been really fascinated in this Japanese concept of “wabi-sabi” for quite a while. Simply put: “wabi-sabi” is the Japanese/Zen aesthetic of beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and the natural. If you have …