After a month-long trip in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and London – finally had some time to sit down and think about my travels, my friends, family, and what I want out of life. Traveling has been tough on me mentally, physically, and emotionally – but it has been through the support of the community and those close to me who have helped me keep on going!
Also watch the video above to hear about my crazy story of leaving my luggage at home (and surviving a month on the road without it!). Thanks again so much for everything guys :)
I recently taught a street photography workshop in Kuala Lumpur at the Leica Store Malaysia and had a phenomenal time. Huge shout-outs to Shannel and rest of the Leica Store Malaysia crew for making it such a successful workshop! The above video include some snippets shot with my GoPro HD camera in the streets of Kuala Lumpur during the workshop. As you can see, nobody got punched in the face – and most people in the are are extremely friendly!
Also check out my upcoming street photography workshops below, and click more to see all 162 snapshots from the workshop!
Thanks to Martin-Neep who found this hour-long interview with street photography master Henri Cartier-Bresson. If you have time later today, grab a nice cup of hot cocoa- kick back- and enjoy!
Share some insights you find interesting by leaving a comment below!
In this Google+ Hangout video, Magnum Photographer Martin Parr talks to Aaron Schuman, photographer and curator about his own personal work, capturing the uniqueness of boring objects, how to take non-cliched photos, and his general insight about photography. You must check this video out, probably the best 18 minutes you will spend all day! :)
One of my favorite quotes from the video was when someone asked him what one phrase of advice he would give aspiring photographers (14:18 mins in):
“Find the extraordinary in the ordinary” – Martin Parr
See more interesting insights over at Martin Parr’s blog and check out his book, “Common Sense” (which is mentioned in the video).
Which quotes from Martin did you find most inspirational? Share them in the comments below!
While I was teaching my street photography workshop with Gary Tyson from F8 Photography in Hong Kong, I had the huge pleasure of being interviewed as well. In this video I talk a bit of my reflections on the workshop, as well as general questions about my approach and thoughts on street photography in general. Great production by Gary and the rest of his team!
F8 Photography runs workshops and training in Hong Kong and Cambodia for photography enthusiasts, more information can be seen at the website, f8photography.com.hk or on the blog at f8photography.com.hk/blog
Any other questions you got about shooting street photography in Hong Kong or anywhere else in the world? Leave me your questions in the comments below!Â
My good friend Mijonju from Tokyo recently got his hands on the new Fujifilm X-Pro 1 in Tokyo and made this little mini-review on it. Hope you find it entertaining and helpful!
Make sure to subscribe to him on YouTube and follow him on Twitter.
What do you think about the new X-Pro 1 for those of you guys who have shot with it? Worth the hype or not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!Â
Just had a chance to play around with the new Fujifilm X-Pro1 here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Looks like a very solid camera, with a few quirks (like every other camera out there). It might be a great option for those of you who have DSLR’s and want something more compact and discrete when shooting on the streets. Check out the video of a unit (without lens or battery) with some of my impressions above!
Hey streettogs- I am excited to share this GoPro Tour of the Leica Store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some of my photographs are on display, in preparation for my workshop here this weekend. If you are in town, stop by and check out the store and the street photography books, and say hi to Shannel Woo, the Leica Malaysia Retail Manager here. Will keep you updated with everything!
I stumbled upon a street photography POV video with a GoPro by Patrick Casey in Downtown Nashville. You can see that even though the streets aren’t very crowded, there are still lots of photo opportunities to be seen! He gets some solid shots in the video- and also shares them for everyone to see how he works in the street.
I use a Leica M4 with a Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2. I use portra 400 handprocessed in a unicolor press kit. I print every photo I take in a darkroom. Song in the background is Pretty Lights – Stay
For those of you interested in making your own street photography POV video, this is what you will need:
You can put the pieces together, and have your GoPro mount on top of your camera’s hotshoe mount.
Looking forward to seeing other people make more of these videos! Also let us know what you thought about Patrick’s video and shots in the comments below!Â
I had the huge pleasure of meeting up with Kaiman Wong from Digital Rev TV a few days ago- and filming this video! It was great to finally meet Kai in person (he’s really that hilarious!) as well as the video genius Lok and the lovely Alamby who helped coordinate everything. I was shooting with my Leica M6, and Kai with his Leica M2 and 15mm Voightlander lens (super wide!).
Some people on YouTube wrote some responses regarding arranging photographs for my shots. I thought it was a legitimate question and here is my answer:
Generally I don’t ask for permission when shooting, but typically after shooting my first photograph without permission – I enjoy chatting with my subjects and getting them to pose for me. Of course once they start posing and get directed by me, it is no longer candid and thus not proper “street photography”. However in the end – I like interacting with my subjects and I feel that it is able to help me build rapport and good will. I am not so interested in only taking all of my photos without permission- as I do ask for permission at times for my shots as well.
Hopefully the video will be good to those who are uncomfortable shooting street photography, and afraid of the reactions of others. I very rarely have any issues shooting in the street, and I try to show how I interact with my subjects in the video.
In the end I am not so interested in defining what street photography is or isn’t– but creating messages and meaning through my photographs– that make statements about society. I discuss this at length at a previous post titled, “What’s Important in Street Photography?”
Anyways hope you guys enjoyed the video and will keep you updated with more stuff from Hong Kong soon!
I have recently been working on a project in Beverly Hills that explores the following themes: wealth, disparity, happiness, image, and gloom. In my last POV video in Downtown LA many of you asked me to edit in the shots, and I did! Note that not every shot is fantastic- but wanted to include the shots as an educational tool to help you better understand how to approach, frame, and capture your subjects.
Just out shooting the streets of the fashion district in Downtown LA with my film Leica M6 and recorded with a  GoPro HD Hero 960 mounted on top of my hotshoe.
Today I turn 24, and by chance it also happens to be around the 6-month mark since I last got laid off my previous job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to thank you guys personally for all your support and faith, and take a moment to reflect. Please watch the video above where I talk a bit about my fortunes, misfortunes, and the amazing journey I have been blessed with.
People I would like to especially thank in no particular order (sorry if I forgot to include your name!):
Loryne Atoui
Thomas Leuthard
Charlie Kirk
Bellamy Hunt
Damien Rayuela
Jason Gritjas
Adam Marelli
Souvik De
Jason Martini
Todd Hatakeyama
My mom!
Cindy Nguyen
JJ Viau
Christian Erhardt
Adam Rahim
Jasime Aum
Tom Britcha
Jacob Patterson
Neil Ta
Kaushal Parikh
Ryan Ong
Alfie Goodrich
Danny Santos
Dav Cheng
Rinzi Ruiz
Ryan Cabal
ABC
Kevin WY Lee
Ivan Wong
Leonard Goh
Chris Gampat
Josh White
Dani Kim
David Kim
Mijonju
Angelo De Mesa
My sister (Anna Kim)
Olivia Lee
Jinhwan Roh
Luke Ding
Holly Pyon
Brian Reilly
Francoise Callier
And to all of you!
Wish me a happy birthday with film!
If you have gotten something meaningful out of this blog or I have helped you on your personal street photography journey, please wish me a happy birthday and consider getting me some film to work on my future projects! I would love some Portra and some Tri-X!
Kip Praslowicz, a very active street photographer in the community, recently got filmed by PBS on his street photography and portraiture work. Check out the video to find out more about Kip’s approach and thoughts behind street photography and portraiture (and his love for medium-format and large-format film).
When you are out traveling and shooting street photography, remember to connect with the local people and treat them as “equals”. Don’t see them as objects, but use humor to get more comfortable with them and see them as a “fellow human being”.
Stay tuned with these great One-Minute Masterclass series from Phaidon, as they keep rolling out on their site!
Have you ever used humor to connect with your subjects when shooting? If so, share your experiences below!
Whenever I am feeling in a street photography slump, looking for inspiration or knowledge, I have found these online street photography videos to be incredibly helpful and useful. These are just a few of my favorites. If you have the time, later tonight– kick back, relax, and watch some of these videos!
In-Public: In-Sight Street Photography Documentary
Read more to see the rest of the great street photography videos in this collection.
Liam McHenry, a street photographer from Australia (and one of my private online street photography students), put together this insightful video about an encounter he had with a teenage boy shooting in a suburb. To sum up the video, Liam shot a boy who got really upset about Liam taking the shot. The boy started cursing at Liam, and wouldn’t calm down. After chatting with the boy, the boy realized how special he was in being the subject of Liam’s viewfinder.
Words can’t explain how inspirational this video is– watch it now!
What are your experiences shooting kids in public? Share your thoughts below and any thoughts about this video by Liam as well!
Italian photographer Ruben Salvadori recently put together a documentary recording the behind-the-scenes of conflict photography. Although not all conflict journalism is like this, it is still a very eye-opening documentary about the pressures that many conflict photographers face, and the influence they have on the people they photograph.
Your thoughts? Share them below and please keep the conversation civil.
Nick Turpin recently put up the full 38 min version of in-public’s ‘in-sight’ documentary film which shows them shooting on the streets of New York, London, Melbourne and Rotterdam. Each street photographer had an HD camera mounted on their camera hotshoe to show them in action. Each photographer also discusses their motivation and approach to street photography.
You can pay a small fee to support the film through Paypal. I highly recommend everyone watch it. Save the money you would spend on having a Starbucks coffee and watch it!
I am pleased to announce that Adrian Storey (aka Uchujin) has just put up the documentary of two cute dogs. Having met him in Paris for the Leica Magnum Event, I would say it captures his eclectic personality quite well. He is quite the character and an awesome guy to hang around with. He takes street photography very seriously, and has created some amazing photos in the last year or two he has been shooting. In addition to his love for street photography, he was one of the major contributors to the Japan Earthquake Charity Print Auction.
Regardless of all the controversy online shooting flash, you can see in the documentary how he is able to interact with his subjects and get personal with them. He isn’t sneaky with his photography, but does it openly and honestly. I also consider him one of my good friends and also a mentor–who has really pushed me to take my photography (and blog) much more seriously. Although he may come off as brash at times, he has a huge heart and is one of the most generous people I know.
And why is his name “two cute dogs”? Well he has two cute dogs.
The day has finally come that I got my Leica M9 and 35mm 1.4 Summilux in the mail! I have always wanted one, and with the generous support of my loving mother paying for half of it, I am now a proud owner! I just wanted to thank everyone for my street photography journey and helping me live out my dreams. After all, if it weren’t you guys attending my workshops, writing comments, or spreading the word I couldn’t do street photography full-time. Also remember, the Leica is still just a tool. Don’t feel that you need to own a Leica to get good photos.
Also for those of you who are curious, I am using the Custom SLR strap and YN 560 Flash. You can also pick up some gaffers tape here.
I’m also planning on making a review for the Leica M9. Anything in particular you guys want me to go over? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Steve McCurry, Magnum Photographer, and one of the best photographers of the 21st century recently received the first Leica Hall of Fame Award which was recently announced on their blog. According to Leica, “The prize is awarded to photographers who have rendered outstanding service to the Leica brand and to the genre of photography.” The video itself contains some of his most renowned images that tell incredible stories. Sit back with your cup of coffee, relax, and make sure to watch all five minutes!
Which one of Steve’s photos are your favorite? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
First of all, I don’t like how this guy is deliberately trying to scare people to elicit a type of response. The fact that he hides behind a phonebooth and then jumps out doesn’t feel right to me. When you are shooting street photography you might scare/surprise people on accident, but that shouldn’t be your primary motive. Even with my street photography, I prefer when I capture images of people candidly without them noticing me. I found in many cases when I get really close to people with a wide-angle lens, they don’t even seem to notice me. And for those who say that I shoot flash to elicit a response– people don’t notice the flash until after you take the photo.
Secondly, his technique looks very sloppy. I am not sure if he shoots under his arms/sideways all-the-time, but it looks like he was doing that to be showy. Although I believe shooting from the hip without a viewfinder is a good way to get your feet wet in street photography, I believe that using the viewfinder is the best way to get solid compositions and framing. To say that he is “more of a perfectionist than Bruce Gilden” is absolute blasphemy as many of his images have poor composition.
In addition, his knowledge of street photography seems to very superficial. He mentions that he is out looking for characters, but simply defines “characters” as people who look different. He also mentions that there is no point in shooting “normal people” which I disagree with. Also, I think he should think more about the story he is trying to tell through the people that he captures.
Lastly, he doesn’t seem to have much respect for the people he shoots, especially the homeless. He has no problem scaring people to get his shot, and the aggressive motion he uses with his camera looks more like a punch than photo-taking. In addition, he mentions that he only deliberately shoots the homeless because they are “different”. To say something like that is unethical in my opinion, as the homeless shouldn’t be seen as easy subjects to capture because of their socio-economic differences from us. All-in-all, you must have the right reasons to shoot your subjects to showcase something beautiful about their character, dress, face, or attitude. You must look for unique and special people to shoot, rather than “different” people. Love the people you shoot.
Although the guy does come off as arrogant and cocky, what he is still doing is legal. Whether it is ethical is a completely different story. I don’t know many street photographers that try to elicit a response on purpose from their subjects, but if that is his cup of tea and artistic style I don’t feel right to judge him based on a video. Who knows, maybe the guy is just a bit confused or mislead. I feel that art always needs to push boundaries and although this guy is doing the extreme polar end of street photography, that is his style.
Let us know what your thoughts about the video are in the comments below. And please try to keep the conversation civil.
Update: One thing I want to emphasize is that let’s not all take out our pitchforks and crucify Fabio. Let’s disagree with his actions, rather than himself as a person. I’m sure he has been reading all the negative comments on the web and feels pretty crappy right now. I know how it feels to be criticized on a large-scale and trust me: it feels horrible. After all the negative press I received after my video, I was actually quite depressed and down-in-the-dumps for several weeks.
Looks like other street photographers (also named Eric) are shooting up-close and personal with a flash. Except the difference is that he is shooting with a medium-format Mamiya 7II and a large Metz flash. No idea how much it costs to develop all that film, but he makes fantastic photos and the process of him shooting in China is interesting as well. Make sure to watch these videos thoroughly to get a sense of his style which is very intimate, casual, and flows very well.
Eric Shooting in Hong Kong
Thanks to Jeff G. Rottman for the tip!
Also check out his book, “Good Luck China” on the Japan Exposures site.
A while back Thomas Leuthard (85mm) put up a blog post on 500px titled “The Best Excuses On the Street.” He came up with a hilarious list of mostly bad (some good) excuses to use when people ask what you are doing. I was inspired by the list and thought I’d take a stab at using a few of them on the streets. I called up my friend Alex Lea and he recorded some footage of me from behind (while I recorded with a GoPro on top of my Leica M9). Yeah I shot the video a while back but didn’t have the chance to edit it until a few days ago ;)
My favorite one that I didn’t mention in the video (but took a stab at Thomas): “You should see Eric Kim, he is a creepy Korean tourist with a Leica M9…”
Although I made this video for fun, I was quite surprised to see that most people reacted somewhat positively to these excuses. Perhaps one could use a lot of these excuses and get away with it. Hope you guys enjoy the video :)
Recently my colleague and fellow streettog Kevin WY Lee put together a 15-minute documentary for Japanese street photographer Junku Nishimura. The film shows Junku shooting the streets of Singapore with his Leica, and you can even see fun clips of him pop-locking (he is also a DJ and breakdancer). It is quite insightful and well produced–I encourage everyone to watch it.
Yesterday I put up a video of me shooting flash street photography in Hollywood as a tool to help people understand how I get close to people and shoot them with a flash. My original intention of the video was to help others build their courage, rather than offend people.
In the video above I talk about some of my thoughts about the video.
First of all, I am not Bruce Gilden and don’t claim to be. I am hugely inspired by the work of his and those of others such as Weegee, Charlie Kirk, Mark Cohen, Dirty Harry, and some others. My idea is not original, and I have been copying aspects of their technique I like. Through this experimentation, I have found out I enjoy this style and am curious to keep on trying it out. The experience is much more intimate and has been challenging me both as a street photographer and person.
Secondly, the images I took in the video were not great. I only put them in there to be instructive and helpful to give people a sense of how the images would look. I can shoot street photography for an entire day and get 1-2 decent shots if I am lucky. To get a good photo in 3 minutes flat is almost impossible.
Lastly thank you for the comments & critiques. I see my blog more as a hub for street photography discussion, learning, and debate. I purposely never censor any of the comments that people leave, and appreciate everybody’s thoughts. I don’t claim to be the master or have all the answers. Rather being a street photographer that struggled with getting over his fear of shooting street photography– I simply want to help others get over that as well.
Feel free to leave your thoughts, suggestions, or critiques below. Also thanks so much for the continued feedback and support. Shooting street photography, doing workshops, managing my social networks, and this blog is a ton of work–but it is my passion and I do it all out of love to help you and the community.
During my Los Angeles Street Photography Workshop, Rinzi Ruiz followed me around and recorded me shooting street photography with my Canon 5D, 24mm f/2.8, YN 560 Flash, and CSLR C-loop and Glidestrap.
I enjoyed the experience and this time aimed my flash aiming upwards from a low angle (while crouching down). As you can see through the video, a lot of people were very friendly (as long as I smiled and said “thank you” or that I liked something they were wearing). A few people objected and gave me weird looks (as you can see) but I am pleased with a few of the resulting images.
Tomorrow is the day I am teaching my street photography workshop in LA and I wanted to let everyone know thanks so much for the help, support, and love you have given me. If it weren’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to spread the news and made this workshop a success (at least in getting people to sign up!). I have been very fortunate that my entire family has been helping me, including my mom and sister who are making all the meals, and my girlfriend/manager Cindy who helped me with all the logistical details.
Today on the car ride to the 4th Floor Gallery to do some last-minute things, I had a very insightful conversation with my mom about being humble. She told me that regardless of what I do I should remember to stay humble and be truly grateful for the help I have been getting from everyone. It really struck me to the heart, and I thought about all that has happened within the last year. Within a year I was able to teach a street photography workshop in Lebanon, the UK, Switzerland and meet passionate street photographers like Thomas Leuthard, Charlie Kirk, Damien Rayuela, and many others. Not only that, but Leica has also flown me to Paris where I met Bruce Gilden, Elliott Erwitt, and many other influencers.
Therefore I wanted to re-iterate thank you again for everything you have given me. This quote that I got from my friend and street artist Jacob Patterson truly resonates with me:
“You don’t owe your audience your art; you owe your audience your life.†-Howard Bloom
Wish me luck for tomorrow and will keep you updated with how everything goes :)
Many of you guys loved watching my Leica M9 POV video as well as my Leica M9 Viewfinder video so I decided to make another one (this time editing in shots!) I also tried adding in a soundtrack (RJD2 Ghostwriter) to make the video more upbeat and fun. Sorry if my voice is a bit muffled in the video, as I’m still new to video editing and I’m getting the hang of it :)
Hope you enjoy the video! Read more to see the images I took.
It was 4 days ago when I announced that I got laid-off my previous job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. The last few days have been pretty hectic, with me working 15 hour days (from 8am-midnight) everyday. Some of the things that have kept me busy is writing blog posts, recording videos of me shooting street photography, writing interviews, and getting people to sign up for my street photography workshop in LA on July 30-31st (email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you want more details).
Although the process has been stressful, it is exhilarating to work for myself and being able to do what I truly love. Not everyone out there has the opportunity that I do– and I sincerely thank everyone in the community for their never-ending support, suggestions, and love. Whenever I doubt myself and think that things won’t work out, you pull me back up on my toes.
Also if you are interested in supporting me and the blog, please considering purchasing a shirt in my store! (yes I ship internationally!)
I had a question for you guys: What other features/interviews/blog posts would you like to see more on my site? I swear to try my hardest to give what you want! :)
Another fun video of me shooting with the Leica M9 and the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux in Santa Monica’s 3rd street promenade. To record this video, I put my HTC EVO 4G Smartphone’s camera through the viewfinder and walked around and shot. Didn’t include the photos I took during the video because most of them came out out-of-focus (holding this setup was hard). But I hope this video helps you get a better sense of what I see when shooting street photography :)
Currently the video that I shot with my Leica M9 and GoPro HD 960 has been getting quite popular on the web, and has been creating some interesting discussions on what street photography is/isn’t. In this video I discuss my definition of street photography and whether you should ask for permission when shooting street photography.
I welcome everyone to participate in the discussion and please leave a comment below! How would you define street photography, and do you think you should ask for permission or not–and why? Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts :)
With my Leica M9 set up with my Canon Speedlite 430EX, I experimented street photography with a flash for the first time in Los Angeles (3rd Street Promenade). Despite what people say, I didn’t get punched in the face or my camera broken (although I did get shoved once hard in the back). Overall, it was quite a fascinating experience, and I learned a ton about the process. Keep reading to watch the video of  my crazy stories, and also check out some of the photos as well.
Watch Thomas Leuthard (85mm) in action shooting his candid portraits in his first video! Also you can read more about his street photography portrait technique here.
Many of you have asked me to record videos of myself shooting street photography. After a trip to Best Buy and picking up a GoPro HD 960 Videocamera, I rigged up an interesting POV camera to my Leica M9. Check out the video and let me know what you think. Read more to see some of the photos as well!
For day 3 in Paris, I had another grand day shooting street photography with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux. Unfortunately I woke up super late (at 2:00PM in the afternoon) but still had a great day for shooting. The weather was a bit overcast and gloomy, but it was perfect in terms of lighting for street photography. Read more to see my video recap of the day (and hear the story of the old angry Parisian man who grabbed my arm) as well as see some of my best images.
I just had my first full day of shooting street photography with the Leica M9 and the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux in Paris. The streets here are truly amazing, and the Leica M9 was definitely a great partner to help me capture memorable moments. I am proud to say that I had a very great crop of photos today and had the chance to meet the famous Yanidel— make sure to read more and watch my video below and look at my images!
"Headlock" – Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux and Off-shoe Flash
I just arrived safely in Paris and spent an entire doing street photography with my Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux with Charlie Kirk and my host Damien Rayuela. We had a ton of fun, and Charlie even taught me how to shoot street photography with his off-shoe flash, and I got some pretty interesting results. Read more to watch all the videos I recorded and see all the images I shot!
I am excited to announce that I am heading to Paris tonight to attend Leica + Magnum’s “Past.Present.Future” event. I am busy packing up my things as we speak, and I made a quick video to describe what I’m bringing and my thoughts about the trip.
Please wish me a safe trip! I will try my best to blog when I am overseas, but not sure how my internet access will be. Stay tuned on my Facebook and Twitter as well! :)
You guys may have heard that Leica has generously sent me a Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux to test out and review. Here is a quick and dirty video I put together unboxing the work of art, and giving my first impressions. I have already taken a ton of great images, and have many exciting things to say about the camera. Stay tuned for more images and a full-review of the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux.
Got any questions about the M9 or the 35mm? Leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to hit all the questions you may have!
Kai and the guys over at DigitalRevTV put together a great video about shooting street photography when the streets aren’t so hectic– at 4:00AM in the morning. In the video Kai wakes him (and his camera crew up) at a ungodly time and hits the streets of  Hong Kong. Although I do not advise on doing street photography with a tripod, I love the message behind the video: getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. There is truly a beauty about shooting at different times of the day, as you see different characters, scenes, as well as light.
So what time do you typically like to shoot street photography? Leave a comment below and tell us about your experiences about shooting at different times during the day.
Recently I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Samsung and Jacob Patterson, an internationally renowned street artist living in Downtown Los Angeles. He has done some amazing We hit the streets with their new Samsung SH100 point and shoot, and got some pretty cool street shots. Jacob sat me down in their studio, and spent a few minutes interviewing me about street photography. Check out all the footage above!
Also check out some more footage on this video Samsung put together (I’m about 30 seconds in) here. Also make sure to follow Jacob on Twitter.
Do you guys like videos like this? Tell me what other types of videos you would like to see me host on my site!
Recently I was cruising around Petapixel and found this wonderful gem of a video– Henri Cartier-Bresson himself talking about street photography and “The Decisive Moment”. It is a bit of a long video (20 minutes) but worth every minute hearing the grandfather of street photography discuss his thoughts and share some of his most iconic images.
Who else has been inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson? Let us know what you think of the video and his work by leaving a comment below!
Recently my mother sent me a video released by the National Gallery of Art with paintings from Edward Hopper. His paintings truly show images of life from urban New York, raw and colorful. After watching the video, I saw many wonderful compositions which can inspire any street photographer. Spend the 8 minutes to watch the video–the images are truly exceptional.
Are there any other urban painters which inspire your street photography as well? If so, leave a comment below and leave us some links to check out!
My wonderful girlfriend/manager Cindy Nguyen is at it again–producing another interview video about myself and an introduction to street photography. I hope you all enjoy it and share it with your friends!
Today I was on Twitter and saw two tweets about this video, one from Jonathan Murray and one from RooshPhotog. It is a wonderful video which shows you Craig Semetko, a street photographer in action. He has been featured in countless exhibitions, and has even had his work side-by-side to street photography master Henri Cartier-Bresson. The music is great and gives you insight into Craig’s philosophies on street photography, which is quite inspirational.
A street shooter in the tradition of Cartier-Bresson, his Leicas capture classic images that reveal the moment
Perhaps this says all you need to know about Craig Semetko’s inspired Leica photography: In 2008 his work was featured along with images by legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Open Shutter Gallery in Durango, Colorado, in an exhibition entitled, “Street Photography: From Classic to Contemporary – Henri Cartier-Bresson and Craig Semetko.†In 2009/2010 he mounted one-man shows at the Leica Galleries in Frankfurt, Germany, Salzburg, Austria, and at the Leica headquarters in Solms, Germany. His work was also recently shown opposite renowned photojournalist Elliott Erwitt’s in the group exhibition “The Art of Photography Today†at the Camera Obscura gallery in Denver, Colorado. In June of last year he spoke on street photography at the International Center of Photography in New York City and he was the keynote speaker at the Leica Historical Society of America’s 2009 annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Semetko is inspired by the humor and irony that crosses cultural boundaries and he travels the world to find them. A graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a current masters candidate in Consciousness Studies at the University of Philosophical Research in Los Angeles, Semetko’s photographs have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and numerous other international publications. Twenty of his images were selected to be published in the exhibition book Family of Man 2. Also, his book “Unposed†came out in October from publisher teNeues.
He also has a an interview with the Leica Camera Blog where you can continue to read here.
Hope you guys all had a wonderful Labor-Day weekend! I just got back from the Bay Area (my hometown) after hanging out and visiting friends and family I haven’t seen for quite a while. Was planning on doing some street photography in San Francisco, but catching a cold over the weekend prevented me from doing so.
Anyways, before I left on Saturday to the Bay, I had enough time between Thursday and Friday to work on this slideshow of my street photography from Korea last summer. What the hell was I doing in Korea you ask? Well, IÂ decided to visit Seoul, Korea for about two months in order to meet up with some long-lost family and friends, tutor English to some kids (while making some $$$ along the way), Â and of course, photography.
After hours of editing, choosing photos, and syncing the music, I was finally able to put together a slideshow of my black and white street photography from Europe. With the help of my girlfriend Cindy I was able to visit Paris, Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, Prague, and London. After sorting through 40,000 photos of my entire trip, these are my favorite and most memorable images.
The soundtrack is from Amelie:
-La Valse D’Amelie
-L’Apres Midi
Also feel free to check out this gallery to see a (more complete) portfolio of my images from Europe.
Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
![Shooting Street Photography With a Leica M9 and Flash in Los Angeles at Night [First Impressions]](https://erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/m9-flashh.jpg)
