Human artist blog / Street photography / Philosophy
This article is written by Neil Ta, originally posted here. The views posted here are his and his alone and may or may not be shared by Eric or any other contributors to the website. …
(Words and Photos by Pierre Belhassen) I’m Pierre Belhassen. I started photography 10 years ago. After studying cinema, I was given a camera. I wanted to discover New York City. It became a revelation in …
Read as a Google Doc or download as PDF. — Hey Josh, I just wanted to write you this letter wishing you a happy (belated) birthday, and the lessons in life you’ve taught me, …
Cheers to another assignment wrapped and here’s a new one to keep everyone in Streettogs Academy moving, shooting, and perhaps for this assignment, following the beat!
Read this as a Google Doc or download a PDF. — I have a problem. I often get too attached to my photos, especially my bad photos. I look at all of my photos …
(Cover Photo by Community’s Choice, Jomel Bartolome) In order for a photograph to exist, it has to have light but for this assignment, we are going to focus on the other side of the …
I am currently working on a new book: “Learn From the Masters of Street Photography”, which is a distillation of all of the lessons that I’ve learned from the masters of street photography. You …
Jack Simon, a good friend and a street photographer I greatly admire shares what he thinks makes great street photography in the 2 minute video above. Check out my video where I shoot with …
“One should not spoil what is present by desiring what is absent. Rather, realize that what we have were among the things we might have prayed for.” – Epicurus (via the “Epicurus reader“) I’m …
Dear friend, I want to share with you something that has been on my mind for a while: whether a photographer should take a photograph everyday, or only when he/she feels like it. I …
My friend Josh White made a great point to me about cameras in photography: why is it that we as photographers always talk about the camera we want (that will apparently make us more “creative”) …
This article is written by Josh White, originally posted here. The views posted here are his and his alone and may or may not be shared by the website as a whole ;) Disclaimer: …
“Rather than catching people unaware, they show the face they want to show. Unposed, caught unaware, they might reveal ambiguous expressions, brows creased in vague internal contemplation, illegible, perhaps meaningless. Why not allow the …
“Sometimes photographers mistake emotion for what makes a great street photograph.†– Garry Winogrand Imagine this situation: it is a cold and rainy day. You are out shooting on the streets, and you are …
Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest …
This article is written by Josh White, originally posted here. The views posted here are his and his alone and may or may not be shared by the website as a whole ;) Hi. …
Let’s just jump to the next assignment. I think this one is going to be fun because there are two ways to approach this one:
(Cover photo by Assignment No. 12 Community’s choice Forrest Walker) All the things we do are best done when you love what you are doing. This is an emotion natural to all of us …
Hey streettogs, I’m starting a new book on a distillation of all the “Learn from the Masters” articles I’ve written. I hope these daily lessons can inspire you, I know they inspired me! — …
Bercy Park / Paris, 2015 A photo posted by Eric Kim (@erickimphoto) on Jun 25, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT Getting my laptop stolen recently has been the best thing that happened to me recently. …
Restricting to open up. How less can be more when going out to shoot. I am strongly convinced that creating restrictions leads to more freedom and development when it comes to creativity. This may …
I’ve been shooting a lot of photos on my smartphone lately (Samsung Galaxy s6). It has been so much fun and I’ve enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to write an article about …
Sorry for missing an entire. It has been a fiery and explosive month for me here. (I even lagged behind my Streettogs Academy duties) but all is well right now. Here’s another round of links, …
Dear streettogs, you might have read it in my last update post from Paris, but I am excited to release my newest free (and “open source“) e-book: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.” The book …
(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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 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 …
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, …
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 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? …
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 …
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 …
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
(A.g.’s note: Photography Quick Links is a new initiative I want to do here on the blog. These are links I have personally read and sifted through. This is by no means a definitive …
Here we go with another assignment over at streettogs academy. Cheers to Harry Fodor for bagging the editor’s choice for Assignment no. 8. In his email to me, he gave a pretty nice explanation/rationale …
I want to write this article on a photographer, blogger, and overall cool guy — Blake Andrews. I first saw Blake’s work on the In-Public website, and was amazed by his surrealistic street photography— …