Human artist blog / Street photography / Philosophy
I always thought to myself: the day I had unlimited money, unlimited time, and unlimited cameras was the day I could truly be creative. Funny enough, I found out that wasn’t the case. Out …
One of the most exciting ways to live life is to avoid boredom. By following what makes us curious, passionate, and have fun create meaning in our life. I think one of the great …
A few days ago I wrote a letter to my 18-year old self, and gave myself some advice on if I started street photography all over again. I told myself things I learned in …
After being in Vietnam for about a month and a half, I am currently here in Seoul, Korea for a week. I’m primarily here on holiday, and wanted to have a chance to see …
This is the last installment of my “Saigon Diary” series. I plan to continue this “Diary” series moving forward in my travels. I’m currently in Seoul. Just left Vietnam a week or so ago, …
While in NYC, I visited the ICP bookstore and picked up “Ping Pong Conversations: Alec Soth with Francesco Zanot” a lovely photobook/series of interview questions. I found it to have lots of great wisdom …
I think one of the most difficult things as a photographer is to stay inspired. How do we stay inspired to shoot everyday– when the boredom and monotony of everyday life sets in?
I recently read some advice by author Ray Bradbury for aspiring writers: “Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.†I think the same …
If it weren’t for my blog I wouldn’t be anybody. I have my blog and the street photography community to thank for my “success†in life. I’m lucky to be born in a age …
One of the best pieces of advice I got on writing is the importance of writing without editing. Which means, turn off the inner-censor in your mind and write freely. What or who is …
I have learned a few things about shooting street photography on film from my own experiences (and the advice of others). If you want to read the full list of things I learned shooting …
Sorry guys, it has been a while since I last updated my “Saigon Diary” series. A lot has happened since the last time we talked. During that time, I taught a week-long Saigon street …
I recently came upon this superb publication by IdeasTap and Magnum. In this magazine, there are exclusive interviews with 12 Magnum photographers– spanning from advice for young photographers, difficulties in photography, and their …
Sharpness is over-rated in street photography. Even Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” I remember when I first saw one of HCB’s exhibitions in person in Paris, I was surprised by how …
At a recent workshop in Downtown LA, IÂ was shooting with one of the students (Luis) when we come across an interesting character with all these tattoos all over his body. He told us he …
I just finished reading a book titled: “Trying Not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneityâ€. It was a fascinating read on the paradox of “wu-weiâ€â€“ which is a concept in Taoism of …
(Editor’s note: All photos are the respected copyright of the members of SelvaSP) Take a look at this interview of  SelvaSP. They are a street photography collective hailing out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We …
I feel one of the most important traits to become a better street photographer is first identifying what makes great street photography. This means having good taste. A quote from Ira Glass from NPR …
Smile at and compliment a stranger. Surprise a friend with one of your favorite prints (for no reason). Give a constructive criticism to a street photographer with 0 comments online. Promote the work of …
Hey streettogs, thank you for waiting for this new episode of “Saigon Diary“. A lot has happened the last week, namely me and Cindy visiting Bien Hoa– a place about an hour outside of …
You can see all my composition lessons here. I have been quite fascinated with the square-format in street photography for a while. My fascination first came about from Jeroen Helmink, a photographer from the …
Visit an exhibition or a museum (on photography or any other art form). Try shooting film, and not processing your work for at least 3 months. Then do a final edit at the end. …
Don’t speak English (speak the local language) Don’t eat McDonalds or drink Starbucks (explore local food) Don’t travel with check-in luggage (keep everything to a small carry-on) Don’t keep to yourself (make new friends …
Hey streettogs, thanks for staying tuned in for the “Saigon Diary” series. For the sake of getting sleep and having higher quality posts, I’ve decided not to keep a daily diary– but to update …
Special thanks to Clifton Barker and Gary Gumanow for putting together this interview with David Lykes Keenan, who is currently fundraising a kickstarter for his “Fair Witness” street photography book. Clifton: Few have done …
Nowadays. we are all really busy. We have countless commitments at work, at home, with our friends, and with our families. It is really hard to find time to shoot street photography. Not all …
Don’t chimp (let your shots marinate) Don’t look at bad photos (study the masters) Don’t spend time on gear review sites when you’re bored (buy books, not gear) Don’t worry about your camera (the …
Today was another beautiful day in Saigon. However, I did wake up pretty exhausted. The light from the morning light was nice, getting me up at around 8am. I slept probably around 1:30am (staying …
Due to the positive feedback from the first “Saigon Diary #1” I will see if I can do daily diary entries. Thank you guys also for the feedback on the new blog design. I’ve …
Dear friend, As a present, here are some new ERIC KIM LIGHTROOM CLASSIC CC PRESETS 2018 for you!
You can download my free Lightroom 5 film street photo presets which I used to process these photos. I used the “XT-1 v2” preset on most of these. Hey what’s up streettogs– this is …
One of the best things about photography is it gives us a view of places we otherwise won’t be able to visit. Street Photography ups the ante by actually heading to side streets, roads …
I recently read something quite interesting about music. The concept was when you’re listening to music, you tend to listen to the treble (high notes) and tend to ignore the bass (low notes). Therefore …
Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t takeâ€. I find this such a beautiful quote not only in life but also street photography. Many of us are afraid of …
One of the most interesting concepts I’ve learned recently is the concept of “Systems” vs “Goals” from a book written by Scott Adams titled: “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.” …
This guest blog post is by JT White, a street photographer based in Seoul, Korea. JT: I get asked a lot about film versus digital. I use both film and digital cameras. Which, depend really …
I just finished a new book: “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. The book is a huge source of inspiration for overcoming challenges– and using them to your advantage. In-fact, Ryan uses …
We would all love to be more creative in our street photography. We want to create work that stands out from the crowd. We want to create images that connect emotionally to our viewers. …
When I started off in street photography, I believed in the “myth of the decisive momentâ€. What do I mean by that? Well, when I first heard of “The Decisive Moment†by Henri Cartier …
Recently I’ve been getting really into Dieter Rams and his zen and minimalist philosophies when it comes to design. He has a famous list of “10 Principles of Good Design.” They are the following: …
Photos in this article are part of my on-going “Somewhere in America” Urban Landscape series. I recently finished a book titled: “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Lessâ€, which made me think a lot about …
Brandon Stanton from Humans of New York shares some insightful tips on how to approach strangers on the street. If you’ve ever been nervous approaching strangers, this will be a great watch for you! …
Michael Meinhardt has been running a great series of street photography interview podcasts on “The Shooting Street Show.” He recently interviewed Rinzi Ruiz, make sure to check them out below: Episode #5: Rinzi Ruiz …
It doesn’t take too long to create a solid body of work. If you are diligent, you could do it in 2 years. Other bodies of work can take you 5-10 years. This sounds …
This post is by Dan K, a writer, camera collector, and photographer from Hong Kong. Dan: Today I have the pleasure of summarising Eric Kim’s contribution to street photography. At a loss for ideas, …
Thanks a ton to Michael Meinhardt for interviewing me for the “Shooting Street†podcast. We talked about shooting street photography with flash, finding your own style, overcoming boredom, shooting film, photo books, and ideas …
The photos in this article are from my new “Detroit” series. I’ve had the pleasure of being a judge for a handful of street photography competitions: including the International Street Photography Awards 2012, the …
All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos To continue my street photography book reviews, I wanted to write about “Gypsies” — one of my favorite street photography books …
Photos in this article are from my on-going “Colors” series. I recently read a book titled: “Die Empty: Unleash your Best Work Everyday” and found great inspiration in it. It is a great book …
I recently traveled to Seattle and taught a street photography workshop there. As a native Californian, I never ventured to the Pacific North-West, and man– I was impressed. I think Seattle is seriously one …
All photos in this article are copyrighted by Joel Meyerowitz. I am surprised I haven’t written an article about Joel Meyerowitz yet. He is one of the living legends and masters in street photography, …
All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Martin Parr / Magnum Photos. Warning: Some of the shots in the book are NSFW as they show child nudity. One of my favorite color photography …
Photos in this article are outtakes/shots I am considering from my on-going “Suits” project. One of the things I love most about street photography is how open and democratic it is. Anybody with any …
Photos in this article are from my time in Michigan in 2013. In life I have a certain strategy: I set very low (or no) expectations for myself and try my personal best. I …
Photos in this article are from my on-going “Suits” project. One of the things I notice a lot at my workshops and when I see work online is how there tends to be a …
Now that the new year is under way, I thought it would be a good idea that we could all choose a new year’s resolution in street photography. I know how difficult it is …
It is that time of the year again— to make resolutions for the new year. In 2014, I wrote a post, “40 Street Photography Resolutions Ideas for 2014†and I also wrote a post …
I have never been the type of person to reflect on life. I generally tend to always live in the present moment– and don’t spend too much time thinking about the past or the …
I think one of the most difficult compositional techniques in street photography is to incorporate multiple subjects in the frame — without it becoming too cluttered or overwhelming. Generally the problem is that most …
I recently attended Elliot Erwitt’s “100+1” exhibition at Fotografiska, which will be in Stockholm from December 6, 2013 to March 2, 2014. We were given a brochure with great practical advice for street photographers– which …
Photos in this article are from my road trip from Michigan to California. One thing I hate about the modern world is our addiction to speed. We want everything to be done faster, more …
Besides street photography, I have a great interest in sociology, psychology, and philosophy. What I love about all these side-fields is that they overlap and add unto one another. Not only that, but I …
For today’s compositional lesson– I want to talk about color theory— and how you can better utilize colors when it comes to your street photography. Personally around 2 years ago, I made the switch …
My good friend and talented street photographer Jack Simon (from Burn My Eye) has recently turned 70 years old (he looks about 2 decades younger than he is). In honor of his birthday, he recently …
When it comes to composition– one of the first things you should ask yourself is: “Who is the subject?” If you have a hard time identifying the main subject (or subjects) in the photo– …
For today’s lesson I want to talk about “urban landscapes.” Urban landscapes aren’t really compositions in the specific sense (compared to lines, curves, etc)– but I still feel they are relevant when creating our …
In the late 1960’s, photographer Tony Ray-Jones wrote a hand-written note on his “approach” when he took photographs. I think these tips are lessons all of us as street photographers can learn from him. …
“At first, my presence in my photos was fascinating and disturbing. But as time passed and I was more a part of other ideas in my photos, I was able to add a giggle to those …
All photos in this article are copyrighted by their respective photographers. For today’s compositional lesson– I want to talk about curves. To start off, why curves? Well– curves are some of the most dynamic …
All photographs in this article are copyrighted by their respective photographers. For today’s compositional lesson I want to talk about perspective. Google defines “perspective” as the following: The art of drawing solid objects on …