Human artist blog / Street photography / Philosophy
Inspired by Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” I interviewed bigheadtaco, a local Vancouver-based street photographer driving around. Take (his real name) gives great practical advice on Instagram, branding, street photography, life, and following your …
Leica has just released one of their most ambitious cameras yet, the new Leica Q. Long story short: full-frame sensor, 28mm f/1.7 uninterchangeable lens, macro functionality, compact body (slightly smaller than Leica M), electronic …
I am very proud of my students at my recent Seattle Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography Workshop. They all pushed themselves out of their comfort zone, approached strangers, got rejected, but also …
(Cover Photo by Bruno Cunha) Complementary Colors is a tricky thing to pull off since you need to have that mental color wheel in your head and at the same time, making sure you …
Dear streettogs, I hope you enjoy a new free ebook: “Zen in the Art of Street Photography.” This is a compilation of all of my favorite articles on Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, gratitude, and other …
Hey streettogs, pretty cool stuff: Magnum is selling signed 6×6” prints for only $100 at the Magnum Store! You can browse all of the photos here. Over 50 Magnum photographers have submitted images that …
I am excited to share this new presentation I just put together on the theory of composition in street photography, drawing from the wisdom of Henri Cartier-Bresson. You can see the entire presentation below: …
Dear streettogs, I am excited to share that I just touched down here in Seattle! Absolutely beautiful weather (all of the other times I’ve visited were in January), and have already had some amazing …
Dear streettogs, I am excited to announce my new free book: “The Street Portrait Manual.” If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build your confidence approaching strangers, how to direct your subjects, and …
I’m very excited to share this recent interview I did with Daniel Arnold. You might have heard about Daniel and his work through the controversy of him getting kicked off Instagram for showing nudity on …
Inspired by the recent free e-book I wrote: “How to Overcome Photographer’s Block,” I also made a video (for those of you who prefer audio as well). For audio, you can listen below: Podcast …
I just had a recent chat with my manager and good friend Neil Ta. Neil is a professional photographer based in Toronto (shoots wedding and commercial work), and his passion is photography. He has …
In this video I talk to Karl Edwards from StreetShootr on why I plan on switching back to black and white film (Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600) and we just geek out about black …
I just did a fun interview with my good friend Karl Edwards (he runs StreetShootr) and has a blast chatting about his start in street photography, his tension between shooting film and digital, practical …
Dear streettogs, if you want to learn more of how to shoot street portraits, I just put together a 47-minute video lecture for you! In this lecture I cover what “street portraits” are (and …
I am excited to announce that I just finished writing a new book titled: “How to Overcome Photographer’s Block.” If you have ever felt lack of motivation, inspiration, or direction– this is the book …
Dear streettogs, Life is good in Berkeley! Just finished a fun 1-day intensive street photography portrait crash course workshop in SF, and after meeting all the great students, I’m more pumped up to write articles, …
11th assignment of the Streettogs Academy! We are nearing our 12th assignment that might be just in times for the anniversary as well. Congratulations to Monika Jaskowska Bablok for getting the editor’s choice for the …
In “The Artist’s Way†by Julia Cameron, I came across this interesting idea: that creativity is like a shark. If sharks stop swimming, even for a minute, they will sink to the bottom of …
If you are in Toronto (or closeby) and want to take your photography to the next level, check out the upcoming Magnum Photos Editing Masterclass in Toronto as part of the Contact Photography Festival …
A monthly compilation of interesting reads, videos, books/zines, or portfolios to follow about street photography or other related genres. Check out the April 2015 edition.
I just finished reading an excellent book on art, creativity, and following your passion titled: “The Crossroads of Should and Must†by Elle Luna. The original idea was written on Medium here, and then …
I recently met up with Ryan Lum, one of the awesome guys at Narrative, a wearable camera startup. I joined them in their office last week, and talked about my beginnings in street photography …
I am currently reading “The Artist’s Way†by Julia Cameron— an interesting book that links creativity, spirituality, and overcoming your artistic self-censor. I know a lot of photographers who are perfectionists or have a …
Many milestones have been hit for the tenth assignment! We just crossed 3,000 members, implemented new rules for the group, and have the ninth assignment translated in russian and german! The community is growing …
I love attention. I hate criticism and negativity. I want everybody to love me, to love my photography, and my writing. Contrary to popular belief, I actually have very thin skin when it comes …
I often have a hard time going out and making “street photosâ€â€” and I have a lot of other friends who face a similar difficulty. A lot of street photographers disdain their busy lives, …
Eric’s Note: I am excited to feature the work of Ximena Echagüe, a street photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. I’ve been doing online 1:1 lessons with her the last year, and have been amazed with …
Dear streettogs, I am excited to share that I have a new free e-book to share with you guys: “On Being an Artist and Photographer“. The chapters include: Chapter 1: How to Succeed and Survive …
I think as artists and photographers we often put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We always put pressure on ourselves to improve our photography, to take our work to the next level, and …
I think one of the most exciting things about being an artist is following your curiosity, passion, and to pursue a life-long path of learning. Continuing from my “Akademie x Lessons in Art and …
Continuing my series on “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Lifeâ€, I thoroughly enjoyed an essay titled: “Me and Marcuse†by Michelle Grabner. She exposed me to a lot of new ideas that I …
Continuing the lessons I’ve learned from “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, I want to share some thoughts I’ve learned from Carol Bove, one and the artists and “tutors†from the book. Carol …
(Editor’s Note: Words and Photographs by Ryan Tacay) In a world of instant-gratification and disposable media, it’s hard to take something like instagram as a serious way to share something artistic and long-lasting. Going past …
Continuing my education with “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, I wanted to share some thoughts I have gleaned from Piero Golia, one of the artists and “tutors†in the book. Here are …
I just gave a free street photography webinar, and here are some of the slides that I shared on practical tips, assignments, and “traits of great street photographers”. The video recording of the event …
I am currently reading: “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, which is probably one of the most inspirational art/life books I’ve picked up as of late. It is a beautifully printed and bound …
Hey streetogs, after my 3-week trip in Chicago, Toronto, NYC, I am excited to finally be back home in Berkeley. It is wonderful to enjoy sleeping in my own bed, being back at home with …
(Editor’s Note: Words and Photographs by Jared Krause) I started shooting in June of 2009. I had causally been thinking about photography and decided to buy a camera. I started posting to a photo …
I just finished reading a new book titled: “Becoming Steve Jobsâ€, which is a new biography on the life of Steve Jobs. I also read the other (more famous) Walter Isaacson biography: “Steve Jobsâ€, …
I love music. I love listening to music when I’m writing (like I am doing now), I love listening to music when I’m driving, and I love having music play in the background when …
(Editor’s Note: Interview by Eric Kim. Photographs by Nick Gervin.) Eric: Hey Nick great to have you. Can you start off by telling us a (brief) life story and how you first picked up a camera? …
It is inevitable. Sooner or later, someone will give you shit for taking their photograph. No matter how good your intentions are, there will always be someone who will be offended. You can smile, …
In my street photography workshops, I often give the students a “5 yes/5 no†assignment. The concept is simple: you approach a bunch of strangers and ask permission to take their portrait. You intentionally …
One thing to remind myself: street photography is supposed to be fun. If you’re not having fun, why are you doing it? We all have the stresses of everyday life that we have to …
One of the most interesting ideas that I’ve got from Nassim Taleb’s book “Antifragile†is his concept of “via negativaâ€. The concept is this: when describing something, negative descriptions often work best. What is …
From here on out, Photography Quick Links will now be known as Street Photography Quick Links. Just like from last month, a compilation of interesting news, write-ups, videos, and other things about street photography …
Hey streettogs, I just uploaded some slides for a free talk I did for Chase Toronto the other day on tips, techniques, and tricks to conquer your fear of shooting street photography. You can …
So after a long trip in Stockholm, Dubai, and London I wanted to share some of my experiences shooting medium-format (Hasselblad 501c + 80mm lens and Mamiya 7 + 80mm lens) for street photography …
OBSERVE is holding their first group exhibit in opening on June 12, 2015 in the Städtische Galerie in Iserlohn, Germany, and will run through July 26, 2015. The exhibit will feature the works of …
I just re-read an excellent book titled: “The Art of Learning†by Josh Waitzkin. If you’ve ever watched the film “Searching for Bobby Fischer†(the movie about the kid chess prodigy)— that movie was …
I’ve always believed that good work will stand out on its own and it will spread. That is pretty much what happened in our assignment No. 9. given by Harry Fodor. Everyone gave out …
The other night here in Chicago, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was tossing and turning (put on the heater too hot at night). In a state of being half-asleep, …
This is a guest post by Josh White, a street photographer based in Seoul, Korea. Josh: Yesterday (and sort of the day before) I took part in the 24 Hour Project. For those of …
I have been re-reading a lot of stoic philosophy recently, especially “Letters from a Stoic†and “On the Shortness of Life†by Seneca, and “The Meditations†by Marcus Aurelius. One of the biggest things …
I recently stopped into the Costco in Mountain View, California with 164 rolls of Kodak Portra 400. You should’ve seen the look of the staff— it was a look of confusion, awe, and amazement. …
And so the cycle continues for Streettogs Academy! Our assignment this time round is deceptively simple. This assignment would actually go down as the assignment with the most interaction (so far). Many comments were …
Hey streettogs, I am excited to share that my friend Walter Margerison and IÂ are curating a group street photography show at ArtÃs Coffee in Berkeley, comprised of 24 Bay-Area based street photographers. The exhibition …
I recently finished “Being Mortal†by Atul Gawande. It is one of the most touching books I have ever read this past year. Atul talks about the tension between living long (versus living a …
On October, 2014 Rene Burri passed away, at age 81. He had an incredible career of photography behind him, and produced many iconic images, which include those of Che, Picasso, and many other street photographs which …
Dear streettogs, This weekend is the last opportunity for you to qualify for the early-bird discount for my Toronto Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop. I am also excited to announce I have added an Amsterdam Intermediate/Advanced Street …
I ultimately want to be happy. But unfortunately there are a lot of sources of dissatisfaction in my life. There are a lot of things I want to change about my life, and my …
In this presentation, I share how to come up with and shoot a street photography project, and also cover what makes a great street photography project. Some of the projects we cover are: “The …
I was stunned to hear that photographer Caio Proença recently translated my free e-book: “Street Photography 101: An Introduction to Street Photography” into Portuguese (free download here)! Caio writes a bit about why he decided to translate …
I recently got a new book in the mail: “Dorothea Lange: Aperture Masters of Photography†(courtesy of Aperture) and was deeply inspired and moved by her work, life, and philosophy. I have always known …
One thing I notice when I’m teaching street photography workshops is that a lot of photographers don’t like having their own photograph taken. This is a huge problem. If you want to build up …
Julius Motal (passionate street photographer) from The Phoblographer recently did a podcast interview with me on their new podcast series, ISO 400. We talked about how I joined my interests in sociology and photography (to …
I just finished a week-long intensive street photography workshop in SF, and man– was it one great experience. The students all did an incredible job stepping outside of their comfort zones, improved their street …
“I am content with few, content with one, content with none at all.†– Seneca, Letters from a Stoic I have a problem. I have really high expectations for myself. I want to become …
Hey streettogs, I just put together a video introduction to using Lightroom 5 for editing, post-processing, and workflow. In the video I share some fundamental hotkeys, tips, and suggestions. I hope you enjoy the …