Human artist blog / Street photography / Philosophy
Dear streettogs, Due to popular demand, I’m excited to announce a new special 1-day Street Portrait Crash Course workshop in San Francisco (Saturday, April 30). If you have a busy schedule, and want to conquer …
We’ve all experienced it. It is around 9pm, and you’re about to go out. You check your smartphone and you have a mini heart attack. Your battery is only at 10%. You get “charge …
Kausal Parikh is one of the names the pops up when talking about contemporary street photography in India. Being the founder of the Indian Street Photography collective That’s life  and balancing that with the responsibilities of …
Dear friend, If you’ve ever wanted to find more meaning, purpose, and direction in your photography— I recommend you to pursue “personal photography.†What exactly is “personal photographyâ€? To me, it is a genre …
I’m sure you’ve had this experience: you are sitting on the couch with your loved one, and you think to yourself, “This is a wonderful moment.” You then jump off the couch (ask your …
Often we feel like we need reasons why we take photos. We need a purpose; a sense of direction. But my tip for today is this: photograph for photography’s sake.
Dear friends, My new edition of “Street Photography 101” (Version II, 91MB Direct Download) is available for download as a PDF. I wrote the book last year, but finally updated it with better design, …
Dear friend, I think in today’s world, we are always trying to make things more complicated than they need to be. We get more gadgets to “optimize†our lives, but it only adds more …
Dear friends, I just recorded a new YouTube video titled: “How to Master Monochrome” — which is a 45-minute presentation based on my recent book: “Monochrome Manual.” If you are more of an audio-visual …
“Technology is the best when it is invisible.†– Nassim Taleb I have these utopic dreams of a “perfect†camera. I want a camera that makes photos that are ultra-sharp, yet soft, affordable, yet …
One interesting distinction I find in speaking “American English†and with “European English†is how we differentiate the difference between “taking†and “making†photos.
Dear friend, I want to write you a letter about motivation, “inspirationâ€, and the drive that compels you to make photos.
Dear friends, If you’ve wanted to take your street photography to the next level, I am excited to introduce my new e-book: “Street Photography 102” (102.MB Direct Download) This book will introduce new intermediate/advanced …
Dear friend, I want to share an experience I had today morning; stumbling upon an old box full of documents, old photographs, and nostalgic memories.
Since I’m super late for this one, let’s just head straight to the Results and Analysis!
Evolve. Don’t stand still. Keep advancing, pushing forward, and creating yourself anew.
 Dear friends, I am excited to announce my new free book: “Monochrome Manual.” It is a brief 34-page handbook on the basics of black-and-white photography, full of practical tips, and some of my favorite …
In this video, I talk about some practical tips when traveling in a minimalist style and shooting street photography, my love of the Ricoh GR II when on the road, as well as a …
The “Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography” workshop is one of my personal favorites– it is a combination of street portraiture, candid shooting, and building your confidence. I’ve done the workshop many times– …
We all make photos because it makes us feel something. When we see something, there is something in our gut, or in our heart, that compels us to take a photograph.
Time— it is the ultimate resource that we all have in life. It is the most valuable thing that we own, yet we squander it like it costs nothing.
Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter about the beauty in imperfection– that nothing in life will be 100% perfect; and that’s the charm.
Do you remember when you took multiple choice tests in school, and you weren’t 100% sure what the answer was? You might have had a gut feeling that one of the answers of the …
When is the last time you sat on the subway or the bus, waited in line, and just listened?
Dear friend, The other day I was in a hotel lobby, reading some art books (found a fantastic book on Keith Haring, one of my favorite artists, as well as a book on American …
One of the big things that inspires me in photography, life, and technology is the ability to “democratizeâ€, to add “accessâ€, and to make things “affordable†to the masses.
I grew up with hip-hop, R&B, and “street culture.†Most of me and my buddies were kids up to no good— constantly roaming the roads, riding our bikes, listening to hip hop, burning and …
I’m a nosy person. Whenever I go to new places I love talking to the staff, locals, and to just look around.
I am not easily satisfied. I always want the “best”; “good enough” never satisfies me.
You are unique. You are special. Nobody sees the world the way you do.
I just had a fantastic time teaching my NYC Introduction to Composition Street Photography Workshop this past weekend with my lovely group of students.
Dear streettogs, I just finished teaching my “Introduction to Street Photography Composition” workshop here in NYC, and I put together a brand new set of slides from scratch: Street Photography Composition 101. Study composition …
The other day Instagram announced that they will change the way photos appear on the home stream: instead of showing most recent uploads, Instagram will use an algorithm which shows the “most relevant” photos …
As photographers, I think we all want to make more interesting photos. We want to make photos that aren’t boring, aren’t cliche, and somehow show our unique viewpoint of the world.
I always make excuses for myself in my photography. I always think my equipment and camera is the limiting factor. I feel that I have a creative genius inside— wishing to come out. But …
I like the idea of not being a slave to your past. Not to be a slave of your past history, and to burn the ashes of your past self— and to leave no …
Dear aspiring filmtogs, I want to share my newest creation with you: “Film Street Photography Manual.” Print it out on standard printer paper, fold it in half, and make it your new companion. Also …
Words and Photos by Maarten Rots. Maarten: I thrive under restriction; I like it when things are closed off. By (temporarily) taking away many of the variables of everyday life I create room to focus …
Today Flickr just announced that they are taking away one of the key “free†functions today; the ability to auto upload photos from your computer directly to Flickr. Now you need to signup for …
I recently taught an Introduction to Shooting Street Photography on Film workshop in Dubai, and I know some friends who are getting into film (which inspired me to make this recording). I talk about …
Dear streettogs, I am excited to announce that I (finally) published my first paper-back book: “Street Photography: 50 Ways to Capture Better Shots of Ordinary Life” in collaboration with DEXT; my Swedish publisher.
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on some of my thoughts on “humanistic photography†— how this might be a better definition and way to visualize and understand “street photography.â€
Dear friend, I think one of the things that makes us miserable in photography is that we often compare ourselves with others— but rarely do we look behind ourselves, and look how far we’ve …
Mark Alor Powell chats with Eric and talk about Mark’s book Open at Noon. They explore making meaning, photobook making, and going through that process of making a photobook. (Photos by Mark Alor Powell, …
no·tice: attention, observation, awareness, to know. Dear friend, I want to share some thoughts with you about the importance of “noticing†in today’s age of distraction, audio-visual stimulation, and the inability to sit in …
That quiet voice inside your head that says: “That might be interesting— why don’t you take a photo?†Then your rational mind goes: “No, that will be a boring cliche— don’t take a photograph.â€
I had a thought the other day: what if smartphones had the same image quality as full-frame DSLR’s? How would this change photography, and how we shoot?
My homie Karl Edwards (runs StreetShootr.com) just put together this fun review of the Fujifilm X100T (considered the “poor man’s Leica” by many– but I think it is one of the best value cameras …
Dear friend, Do you ever have that feeling that you are stuck in your photography that you don’t know what direction your work is going, whether you should give up, or whether your work …
Sometimes I feel a bit frustrated— I feel that all the great discoveries in photography have already been made; and there is no new roads to pave. But in reality, there is still so …
Dear streettogs, I am very excited to announce my new free PDF e-book: “Street Photography Contact Sheets.” This book was born out of my desire to share my process of shooting street photography; in …
(Photos used in this interview is used with permission from Streetfoto and the respected copyright of the owners. Streetfoto Poster image by Jack Simon) San Francisco is probably one of the most under rated …
“Blessings on blessings on blessings. Look at my life man, that’s lessons on lessons on lessons.†– Big Sean (Blessings) Man, we are so blessed. We have so many blessings in our life. We have blessings on …
You never know when a good photo opportunity will present itself to you. Always be prepared.
(Cover Photo by Oguz Ozkan) We’ve always love the hard work that Observe Collective puts out. They understand that photography is not just shooting but also showing your work. Presenting your observations if you …
They often call the business world the “rat race.†The concept is that we are all like rats on a spinning wheel— trying to earn more money, trying to earn more advancements, trying to …
I think one of the most difficult things in the modern world is to ignore what everyone else is doing, and focus on what you are truly interested and passionate about.
Dear friend, It seems that we as photographers have this overly-obsessive fascination and obsession with “image quality†— through how sharp our images are, how well “bokeh†renders, the depth-of-field or “3d-ness†of images, …
I don’t know about you, but I love to look.
“The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.†– Franklin D. Roosevelt I genuinely feel that one of the worst diseases in the modern world is having a sense of “irrational fear.†We …
in·spi·ra·tion: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation Dear friend, One of the things I am always hunting for is “inspiration†…
pas·sion: A strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor. From the Latin word “patiâ€, which means to ‘suffer.’ We are often told in society “follow your passion†— and I do believe that concept …
Dear friend, I’ve written a lot of articles on how to shoot street photography— but I realized I have written very little on why shoot street photography. In this article I will outline some …
Okay, I just got off a 16-hour direct flight from Dubai to San Francisco. Yeah, I am pretty jetlagged (slept last night at 7:30pm, woke up today at 1:30am). Anyways, I am starting to …
Just finished the coolest workshop here in Dubai– the 2-day Experience the Magic of Film Workshop at Gulf Photo Plus 2016. The students all hit the streets with their cool film cameras (some 35mm …
Interview by A.g. De Mesa. All photos by Dayv Matt. Last time we talked with Dayv, he just finished his first book, High Street Low Street: Seoul and was in the process of making his follow …
I’m currently here in Dubai, and had a chance to check out the Fujifilm X70. TLDR; the X70 is a compact digital camera with the same sensor as the Fujifilm X100T, and a 28mm …
As a part of GPP 2016 in Dubai, I just finished a “Conquer Your Fear in Street Photography” workshop with my epic students. I was so impressed to see how much progress the students …
For this month’s assignment, the editor’s choice, Kim Allen, chose “Adapting to the elements!” (Details of joining and more info after the jump!)
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on traveling; my experiences globe-trotting around the world, my motivations, and things I have learned along the way: