Your cart is currently empty!
-
My pursuit!
-
For example, I have zero faith in data migration. Resist the urge to migrate data, even if it may seem better, more ”optimal”, or more “efficient“.
-
-
Looks just like me!
-
-
Conquer LA.
-
-
It’s all connected!
To improve your photography, improve your fitness?
-
-
-
My new desired thing.
-
Towards a new concept.
-
-
What is the purpose of a camera, lens? As an artistic tool.
-
Obvious decisions are obvious.
-
In praise of shooting photos really really close, macro mode.
An unintentional upside of me recently breaking my lens; it no longer focuses to infinity. Only about 1.5 m and closer.
-
Arguing is for the weak!
-
Make a statement!
-
It ain’t our duty to improve the mood of people with a bad attitude!
-
To produce beautiful photos!
PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Dear friend,
If you’re new to photography, start here:
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography
- Free Photography Bootcamp
- 100 Photography Tips for Beginners
Photography is Everything!
- In Praise of Shadows
- Photography Leisure
- FOCUS ON PHOTO
- Closer is Better
- POWER PHOTOGRAPHY
- Film Noir Compositions in Photography
- RAW PHOTOS.
- The Photographer as Story Teller
- Photograph Your Own History
- THE INTRINSIC JOY OF PHOTOGRAPHING
- My Desire to Become the Uber-Photographer
- How to Become a More Creative Photographer
- IMPACTFUL PHOTOGRAPHY
- My Higher Mission
- Photograph Human Affairs
- Why is Photography So Pleasurable?
- How to Shoot More Photos
- Why Do You Shoot Photos?
- Photo Zen Sublime
- Photo Wisdom
- How to Make a Digital Portfolio
- How to Master Photography
- Digital Photography 101
- My Photos
- Natural Photography
- Fit Your Photography Style to Your Personality Style, Not the Other Way Around
- 13 New Photography Assignment Ideas for You
- Photography Ideas
- Camera is God
- Put Your Hand In It!
- Even a Single Hair Casts Its Own Shadow
- PHOTOS RULE EVERYTHING AROUND ME
- Shoot More, Think Less.
- Why JPEG is Superior to RAW
- How to Have Inspiration and Motivation to Make New Photos
- Shoot the Sky
- The Art of Choosing Your Best Photos: How to Cull and Edit Down Your Portfolio
- The Art of Photography
- Never Stop Photographing
- Visual Kinesthesia
- Photography is Writing with Light
- In Praise of Shooting Intelligent Auto JPEG
- How I Mastered Photography
- PHOTOGRAPHY GAME
- Photography as Discovering Beauty in Unlikely Places
- What is the Secret of Making Great Photographs?
- Why Do You Do Photography?
- You’re an Artist.
- How to Edit Your Photos
Photography Tips
- PHOTOGRAPH FOR FUN!
- 15 Tips How to Make More Interesting Photos
- 10 Tips How to Shoot More Photos Everyday
- 7 Tips How to Shoot Surreal Photos
- 10 Tips How to Fill the Frame in Photography
- Look Up! 16 Photography Composition Perspective Tips
- 10 Simple Black and White Photography Tips
- 10 Simple Black and White Photography Tips
- 5 Simple Street Photography Composition Tips
- 5 Simple Street Photography Composition Tips
Photography Articles
- How to Elevate Your Photography to the Next Level
- You’re (Already) a Photographer!
- 7 Tips How to Shoot More Photos
- Everything is Permitted in Photography!
- 20 Dark Tips How to Shoot Shadow Photos
- How to Give a Constructive Critique in Photography
- 15 Tips How to Shoot Better Selfies
- Photography is All a Matter of Perspective
- Photography Warmup Assignments
- 5 Simple Tips How to Take Better Pictures
- 10 Tips How to Shoot Better Architecture Photography
- 7 Reasons Why I Love Digital Medium-Format Photography
- My Experience Shooting Digital Medium Format in Street Photography
- My Experience Shooting my Friend Wedding on Digital Medium Format
Photography Techniques
- Photo Technique: Look Up
- Street Photography Technique: Overlap
- The Fishing Technique in Street Photography
- The “Bookend” Technique in Street Photography
Everyday Photography
RICOH GR II selfie in mirror, double eye surreal. Prague, 2017 - How to Shoot Better Night Photography
- How to Shoot Better Macro Photography
- Everyday Photography
- 10 Tips How to Take Better Photos of Everyday Life
- 15 Tips How to Shoot Better Selfies
- 10 Tips How to Take Better Photos of Everyday Life
Color Photography 101
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Color Photography
- Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
- Color Theory For Photographers
Photography Philosophy
Photography Inspiration
- How to Become a Self-Confident Photographer
- The Spirit of Becoming a Photographer
- How to Make Better Pictures
- 10 Tips How to Take Better Photos of People
- How to Avoid Boredom in Photography
- How to Master Photography
- A Photographer’s Guide to Seeing
- PRETENTIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
- Photography Energy Management
- How to Unlock Your Potential in Photography
- There Are No Good or Bad Photos
- The 5 Minute Photographer
- A-Z: PHOTOGRAPHY DICTIONARY by ERIC KIM
- Why I Want to Be a Photography Newbie Forever
- PHOTOGRAPHY FLUX.
- 10 Creative Photography Assignments to Re-Inspire You
- 50 Photography Tips by ERIC KIM
The Fundamentals of Photography
- Make Simple Pictures
- The Art of Reading a Picture
- How to Choose Your Best Photos
- GET CLOSER.
- Keep or Ditch?
- What Makes a Good Photo?
- Why Photography?
- Everyone is a Photographer
- How to take better pictures
- How to take better selfies
- How to Paint With Light
- Why Bokeh is Overrated
Photography Equipment »
- What is the Perfect Camera For You?
- What to Consider When Buying a Camera
- More Megapixels, More Problems
How to Take Better Photos »
- How to Take Better Photos
- How to Capture Emotion in Your Photos
- How to Create a “Curiosity Gap” in Your Photos
Composition Lessons »
- Composition Lesson #1: Triangles
- Composition Lesson #2: Figure-to-ground
- Composition Lesson #3: Diagonals
Photography Assignments »
- 40 Practical Photography Assignments
- 15 Street Photography Assignments
- 25 Photography New Year’s Resolutions
Contact Sheets »
- Street Photography Contact Sheets
- Street Photography Contact Sheets Volume II
- Debunking the “Myth of the Decisive Moment”
Editing (Image Selection) »
Creativity »
Motivation »
- Each Photo You Take is an “Attempt”
- How to Overcome Photographer’s Block
- Why Do You Need “Inspiration” to Shoot?
Post-Processing
- How to Edit Your Photos
- Grain is Beautiful
- Are Filters “Cheating” in Photography?
- Video: Introduction to Editing, Processing, and Workflow in Lightroom
How to Create a Body of Work
Technical Photography Settings
Learn From the Masters of Photography
“He without a past has no future.”
Start here:
- Why Study the Masters of Photography?
- Great Female Master Photographers
- Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
- Download All Articles >
The Masters of Photography
Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos Classics never die:
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Alec Soth
- Alex Webb
- Alexey Brodovitch
- Anders Petersen
- Andre Kertesz
- Ansel Adams
- Araki
- Blake Andrews
- Bruce Davidson
- Bruce Gilden
- Constantine Manos
- Daido Moriyama
- Dan Winters
- David Alan Harvey
- David Hurn
- Diane Arbus
- Dorothea Lange
- Elliott Erwitt
- Eugene Atget
- Eugene Smith
- Fan Ho
- Garry Winogrand
- Gordon Parks
- Helen Levitt
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Irving Penn
- Jacob Aue Sobol
- Jeff Mermelstein
- Joel Meyerowitz
- Joel Sternfeld
- Josef Koudelka / Part 2
- Josh White
- Lee Friedlander
- Lisette Model
- Magnum Contact Sheets
- Magnum Photographers
- Mark Cohen
- Martin Parr
- Martine Franck
- Mary Ellen Mark
- Rene Burri
- Richard Avedon
- Richard Kalvar
- Robert Capa
- Robert Frank
- Saul Leiter
- Sergio Larrain
- Sebastião Salgado
- Shomei Tomatsu
- Stephen Shore
- The History of Street Photography
- Todd Hido
- Tony Ray-Jones
- Trent Parke
- Vivian Maier
- Walker Evans
- Weegee
- William Eggleston
- William Klein
- Zoe Strauss
-
When I was a kid growing up, to be a “overachiever“ was seen as a double edged sword; on one hand, it was greatly respected admired, a desired thing. Yet at the same time, a lot of kids would tease and make fun of kids who were “tryhard“. That in fact, trying “too” hard, and aiming to achieve was seen as a negatively bad thing.
It is my personal thought that to overachieve is a positively good thing. For example, can one imagine an Elon Musk who wasn’t an overachiever? Or a Kanye West who wasn’t was an overachiever? Or a Jay Z who wasn’t an overachiever?
What does it mean to achieve?
Achieve — head? Same as chief?
To (ad) caput?
What does it mean to achieve, and what are the logical consequences of it?
*kap- head. Same word as capital.
Achever— to finish, to complete.
I think in modern day English, or modern day times, to achieve is to seen as succeed, to be number one, to advance, and a lot of achievement notions typically comes from academics and academia. For example, to achieve or scholastic achievement has to deal with getting straight A’s, getting a 4.0 GPA or a beyond a 4.0 GPA, getting into high-ranking universities, scoring high on standardized testing etc.
A generalize way we could think about achievement it’s a simply set a personal goal on something, and obtain it. To seize it.
*kap- to seize, to hold.
Holding?
HODL — hold on for dear life, a notion that we get from the cryptocurrency world.
To hold. What does it mean to hold? To grip onto something, to grasp. It has to do with grip strength, and wrist strength.
In the world of finance and economics, holding onto assets, or in Texas “hold-‘em”— you have the option to hold.
Perhaps true hold is a really really good idea. To hold is a good idea in so far much as holding seems like a passive action, but in actuality, it is one of the most virtuous things that you could do. It takes courage and skill to hold, rather than to quickly buy or to sell, in which people over act.
For example one of my friends used to own 50 bitcoin, a while back, but this is when it was valued very low, and after a huge spike, he freaked out, and sold it all. Perhaps the better strategy was for him to just hold, hold it for a decade or two, and if that were the case, he would be able to quit his job and retire.
The courage to hold?
Seneca is currently two years, eight months old. A new trick you could do is when at the park with me, she can grab the chin up rings, grab it, and hold his body up off the floor! The other day at Barnes & Noble, when washing our hands, she was actually able to Hold and grasp the edge of the sink table, and successfully hold and suspend himself on it!
Holding strength?
Maybe this is a new thing we could innovate; to see how strong and how much you could hold?
Even my 1000 pound infamous atlas lift, part of it is a lifting motion, in which I lift the weight off of the rack with my shoulder and legs, but then I hold it up for a second or two before putting it down.
Even when I think about the strongman competitions, there is this Hercules pillar hold competition in which there are two columns, each about 1000 pounds, attached with chain and hand grip. The contestant simply sees how long he can hold the weights together, before his strength gives out.
Tenacity
Maybe also the most virtuous path to entrepreneurship is towards tenacity? How long can you hold and be tenacious?
Mimesis?
A concept I am trying to currently think through is about mimesis and mimetic theory. The general gist is this; which desires are implanted in us by society, and which are truly inherent and natural?
Why does it matter? In terms of achievement, what you want to achieve… we need to set some sort of goal. But, is the goal you are setting inherently interesting to you, or is it a goal which is seen as desirable by society?
-
The Philosophy of Durable, Durability
Durable. Durability. Even Nietzsche once said, “Durability is the first rate good amongst human beings!”
The importance of durable, durability?
An interesting epiphany that I had is that it seems that with modern day consumerism, durability is actually not what we seek. For example, nobody truly seeks a 100% durable iPhone that will last forever. Why? We need some sort of excuse to upgrade. I think the same thing is with cars; cars are fashion. The second our car has any issues, or needs an “upgrade“, we are very very happy to jump ship, and then to seek some sort of new solution.
Why does this matter?
Durabilis: Durable, lasting.
I think this matters for many different reasons. First and foremost, with everything in life, we need to posit some sort of desired ends and outcomes. Therefore, if we know what we seek, and what we desire, then we can better straight shot attain, obtain, and pursue that which we desire.
Becoming harder
Duro— harden, make hard.
Studying some etymology for the word durable, it seems that comes from the Latin, duro, which means harden, make hard.
Durus: looking further into the Proto Indo European, it seems that it means far, long. Deros— Sanskrit dura which means “far”. Long, extended.
I suppose there are several interesting interventions with this line of thought. First and foremost, then it seems that the desired end outcome is for us to go long. An extended range, and also, to last into the future. Long, extended can be seen as distance, or time and years.
Extended range as good!
Modular solutions
Durability doesn’t just mean to be hard, to be robust. The philosophy of durability is to last for a long time, or for us to use the framework an ecosystem for a long time.
For example, cameras. I am a huge fan of the Ricoh GR series cameras, as it is so small compact and powerful. Yet the durability is poor insofar much as the duration you could use it only seems to be about a year. After hard-core use, all of my Ricohs have broken.
Surprisingly, the Lumix G9 that I bought in 2019 while in Japan, has lasted. Something about how it was engineered, and also the fact that it is an interchangeable lens system means that if the lens breaks (mine did), I can simply swap out the lens, and I could still keep using the system.
Whereas with non-interchangeable, non-modular systems, if one component breaks, it is all broken.
The same thing goes with computers. Laptops are bad in so far much as at least with MacBook laptop, you can honestly swap out the parts. This means, if one component breaks, you’re screwed.
Durable investments?
Durable body?
-
A new approach. A new line of thinking.
Not rugged enough, not durable enough?
Supreme durability
Critique of iPad; very fragile.
Also iPhone, iPhone Pro; it is all too fragile? Or any sort of smart phone, it is also fragile because there’s glass. The best phone would have no glass?
Shield & Spear?
Beauty, Bellum?
War as beautiful?
-
Maybe one of those best ways to use money is to experiment with different types of living?
-
Delete the old!
-
For example with cars, white is better, because white is more simple. Simpler to keep clean.
With clothing, black is better because it is also simpler, less of an eyesore, attracts less attention, and also easier to keep clean. White is a nightmare to keep clean.
-
Godlike Simplicity
The true gods are simple? They think simple, their lifestyle is simple, their concerns are simple, how they conduct their affairs is simple?