The Best Street Photography Blogs on the Web

Although street photography is still very much a niche online, here are the top street photography blogs I regularly follow online.

American Suburb X

http://www.americansuburbx.com/

Although American Suburb X brands themselves as more of a “photography and culture” magazine, they consistently have photo-essays and interviews with street photographers. If you look at any of their features, they are very well-written and long-format (something that a lot of sites no longer feature). Check out this great feature about Garry Winogrand here.

 

I recently came upon the great flash street photography work by Dirty Harry and also found out that he curates an awesome street photography blog. On a very consistent basis, he finds the street photographs that he finds the most inspirational to him and posts it on his blog. Stay tuned for an interview with him on my blog soon :)

Leica Blog

http://blog.leica-camera.com/

Where would street photography be without Leica and rangefinders? Regardless, they feature many great interviews with street photographers on their blog and also keep us in the loop with what the masterminds at Leica are up to. Definitely keep them bookmarked.

B – Blake Andrews

http://blakeandrews.blogspot.com/

Out of all the street photography blogs I listed, “B” from Blake Andrews has definitely got to be my favorite. Sarcastic, rugged, and raw– Blake Andrews never sugarcoats anything he has to say that is on his mind. Not only that, but the man has a fantastic eye (he is in In-Public after all) and has great photo-analyses and essays. Here is one of my favorite articles on him on editing.

Seven Seven Nine – Nick Turpin

http://www.sevensevennine.com/

Nick Turpin is one of the anchors in the street photography community and has been working extremely hard in pushing street photography as a serious art in the community. He is also the founder of In-Public and has a fantastic eye when it comes to street photography. Although his blog Seven Seven Nine isn’t updated nearly as often as I’d like–it is still a treasure chest full of great information and insights.

Yanidel Street Photography

http://www.yanidel.net/

Yanidel is a passionate and extremely consistent street photographer from Paris who recently quit his job to travel the world for 80 weeks (the man has balls). I had the great pleasure of meeting with him when I was in Paris, and the guy not only loves street photography but blogging as well. Live vicariously through him and check out his blog!

JT in Seoul – Josh White

http://jtinseoul.wordpress.com/

Josh White is a street photographer that I stumbled upon a couple months back and even had an interview with him on my blog. He describes himself as a “law student on extended vacation in Korea” and is obsessed with documenting the streets of Seoul. Not only does he take great photographs, he also has a plethora of street photography gear (Leica M9, Leica X1, Fujifilm FinePix X100, Ricoh GRDIII, Ricoh GXR, etc) and gives great “real world” reviews. Peep him now!

Severin Koller

http://severinkoller.at/blog/

Severin Koller is a damn good street photographer and has been featured on the Leica blog recently. He hails from Vienna and looks like he is out and about doing street photography workshops with Chris Weeks all around the world right now. Check out his blog for his inspirational images.

Invisible Photographer Asia

http://invisiblephotographer.asia/

If you want a series of wonderfully curated fine art and street photography from Asia, Invisible Photographer Asia is the place. They have been only around for a year through the founding of Kevin WY Lee, but they have exploded in popularity and been getting a ton of great buzz lately. Oh yeah, and I’m a contributor there too ;)

Burn Magazine

http://www.burnmagazine.org/

Curated by Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey, burn is is an evolving journal
for emerging photographers. All the images included are extremely well-curated, so you know every visit you make you will see some truly great images. Highly recommended for any serious street or journalist photographers out there.

Street Hunters

streethunters.net

street-hunters

The guys working at street hunters are one of the newest street photography blogs on the block, offering insightful tutorials, tips, and tricks. If you need some inspiration or tips, check them out!

In-Public Blog

http://in-public.com/blog/

in-public-blog

When I started street photography, I first came across the street photography collective in-public. They do regular interviews on their blog, and are always a great source of inspiration.

Shooter Files

http://shooterfiles.com

fd walker

I came across F.D. Walker’s blog on street photography — Shooter Files totally by chance. I love how he has bridged street photography and travel photography so well, as well as his enthusiasm and passion. He has great shots and insights, make sure to check him out.

New Beginnings Day 8: Street Photography With Wireless Flash at Santa Monica

Today I hit the streets of Santa Monica and the beach armed with my new YN-560 Speedlight Flash and wireless transmitter. It is a new setup that I have been trying out, which seems to be far better than using a chord for my street photography with flash. Not only is the kit extremely cheap (only $67 for the flash and $20 for the wireless transmitter) but it works well and gives me great images! Screw buying a Canon Speedlite 580EX II for around $500. Having shot with it in Santa Monica today, I have been extremely pleased. Read more to see all the pictures I took.

Anyways I also have 4 more spots open for my July 30-31st street photography workshop in Hollywood, Los Angeles! It is going to be a ton of fun meeting other street photographers, shooting together in the streets, while also getting helpful critique and learning new techniques. Please email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you want more details or would like to sign up!

Conquering the Streets of Mumbai by Kaushal Parikh

Kaushal Mumbai Street Photography
Simplelives - Kaushal Parikh

Street photography grabbed my attention only about 3 years ago when I stumbled upon images made by photographers like Cartier Bresson and Joel Meyerowitz on the streets of Paris and New York.

Those images were so real. So unposed. For the first time I felt emotionally connected to still photographs. I wondered about the people in the images and what their lives must have been like and where they might be today. I marveled at how the photographer captured such a fleeting moment to tell the perfect story. Sometimes I would lose myself in an image for several minutes.

Craig Semetko: Unposed at The Phil Stern Gallery

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with street photographer Craig Semetko in Los Angeles. I met up Craig at a quaint little Coffe Bean in Los Feliz and we had a great chat about street photography and his life story as well. It was fascinating for me to hear that Craig never touched a camera until he was around 40, and that he was a comedic actor and writer for 20 years prior. However one he picked up his Leica, he got obsessed with shooting street photography and has been shooting non-stop the last decade or so. Highly inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, craig recently released his new collection of his street photography titled: “Unposed” which is published by teNeues. Also if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area, he is having his opening exhibition at The Phil Stern Gallery Thursday, August 4 at 7pm-11pm.

Read more to see my favorite images from him as well as more information about his gallery!

New Beginnings Day 7: Todd, Lighting, and Thorsten Overgaard (+ lots of caffeine)

It has officially been 7 days since I got laid off my job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. Things have been hectic with me working 15-hour days on this blog, booking participants for my workshop, managing my social media networks, and going out and networking! Today I was fortunate enough to meet with Todd over at Lighting Leica and he was able to hook it up with an awesome flash (and wireless trigger) which I plan on using for my flash street photography. Stay posted for an in-depth review later.

Tonight I was also able to meet up with avant-garde Leica photographer Thorsten Overgaard and had a ton of fun chatting with him and shooting portraits of him with my flash. The guy is super-chill, down to the earth, and did I mention–well dressed? Watch the video above to hear more about my highlights and also read more to see the fun pictures I took as well!

I also still have 3 spots open for my Los Angeles street photography workshop July 30-31st, so please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you would like to hear more details! Hurry, spots are running out ;)

6 Photographers Assert Their Right to Take Photos in London (and how you can too)

This morning Fabrice Drevon told me about this video that has been getting quite a bit of buzz online about 6 photographers who stand their ground and take photos in London of private buildings from public property. Long story short, all 6 photographers get confronted by private security who assert that they have no right to do so (when in reality they can shoot from a public space). Not only that, but in 3 cases police were called as well (who fortunately were very reasonable and well-versed in the law).

The video is a bit long (16 minutes) but I advise everyone to watch it. The photographers all use common-sense and are reasonable when confronting these doubting private security officers (and have the balls to stand their ground). Here are some takeaway points I got from watching the video.

My First Photography Commission: Shooting Fixie Bike Culture in LA

I am excited to say that I got my first paid photography assignment from a digital culture magazine called Stark in covering an LA bike culture scene. Pretty much around 50 bicyclists with tricked out bikes meet up at this central location and drink, smoke, and go out and ride together for around a 20-mile circuit. I went there and captured the footage with my Canon 5D, Canon 24mm f/2.8, my Custom SLR Glidestrap, and my flash. I shot the entire thing in black and white while dragging my shutter (ISO 800, f/11, and 1/3rd of a second for most of my shots).

I had a ton fun shooting and also made some great connections and hope I have more assignments coming down the line. Every little bit will help me keep the #foodinthecupboards as Devin Palmer mentioned on Twitter. Keep reading to check out the images I shot!

Fast and Ambitious Street Photography: The Philadelphia Project by Michael Penn

Michael Penn Philly Project

The Philadelphia Project” was born out of a necessity for a street photography series that is both fast and ambitious. I have a kind of nervous energy and walking the streets with a camera for hours everyday gives me a way to channel that energy. The ambitious part of this project is a goal of 1000 photographs in a 3 year time period. With the first year of this project almost behind me I coming close to staying on track but sometimes Philadelphia doesn’t cooperate.

Another aspect of this project is a time period. Many street photographers have their work of over a couple of decades lumped into one portfolio and my purpose is to show a very short period in time. Fashion, trends and buildings all change so fast anymore it’s hard to keep up and that is why sometimes it’s important to show something like an advertisement or billboard as a reference. I’ve learned a lot about my city since I started this project and have actually made several acquaintances along the way.

Note: Several different cameras have been used for this project so far. From digital and film slrs to point and shoot cameras again that are both film and digital.

Read more to see the rest of Michael’s inspirational images!

Street Photography POV at Venice Beach with a GoPro HD

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.

The Reality of Being a Full-Time Street Photographer

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! :)

Sharpness is a Bourgeois Concept: 15 Great Examples of Street Photography with Blur

Street photography Blur
Daniel Schaefer

This week I announced on my Facebook fan page that the weekly street photography assignment was: “Blur”. I chose this theme because I was inspired by a quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson that “Sharpness is a bourgeoisie concept.” Many of you submitted your great images, and I chose the best images to be featured for this week! Make sure to read more to see the rest of the images, and stay tuned for next week’s assignment by liking me on Facebook!

50+ Inspirational Images of Street Photography in the Rain with Umbrellas

When it is out raining, I always make it a point to go out and shoot some street photography. The beauty of shooting street photography in the rain is that not only are you able to capture certain reflections and scenes you don’t typically see– but you can also create moody images of people with umbrellas. The folks over at Lava 360 put together a great collection of street photography in the rain of people with umbrellas (including one from Danny Santos (pictured above).

When it is raining outside, do you like to go out and shoot photos or stay in? Leave your comments below!

New Beginnings Day 1: Street Photography in Downtown LA with Flash and Art Walk

First of all, thank everybody so much for their love and support in lieu of my recent layoff at my job (and my new beginning as a full-time street photographer). I read all of your comments on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and my blog and was truly overwhelmed with gratitude. It is great that you guys have my back, which gives me a ton of confidence to live out this crazy dream!

Also I am still accepting participants for my introductory street photography workshop July 30-31st. If you are interested, please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com. Continue reading to see more images from my first day being a full-time street photographer!

Travelers Lost in Thought: “The Halted Traveler” by Damien Rayuela

Damien Rayuela

When I was in Paris for the Leica + Magnum event, I had the huge pleasure of shooting and staying with Damien Rayuela. Not only is Damien an incredibly talented and passionate street photographer, but he was also worked at Magnum as an intern (this may explain his great photographic vision).

Looking at his work, I was particularly fascinated with his “The Halted Traveler” project in which Damien captures people staring out into a landscape, deep in thought. Keep reading to see the images from the project, and also a multi-media video he put together as well.

A New Chapter for Eric Kim Street Photography

Long story short, I recently got laid off my job and now I am doing what I have always wanted to do–pursue my street photography full-time! I just wanted to personally thank everyone out there for giving me all this love and support through the last year. I couldn’t have made it so far without you guys. <3 Some of you may be curious how I plan on doing street photography full-time. Hopefully I will be able to make a living by selling shirts, through advertisements and sponsorships, and also by doing street photography workshops in LA and all around the world.

(I am teaching an introductory street photography workshop in LA July 30-31st, so please email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you’re interested).

Considering I also will do street photography full-time, stay updated for this blog. I really plan on ramping up the content I produce, including more interviews, videos, how-to-guides, and other goodies. Thank you guys again so much for the love and support– you guys rock :)

Any words of encouragement or advice you can give me in being a full-time street photographer? Please leave a comment below :)

Street Photography With a DSLR and Flash in Hollywood


Tonight I had the fun of shooting flash street photography in Hollywood with Daniel Schaeffer. At first I was a bit worried about shooting street photography in Hollywood (because of all the characters), but I had a very pleasant time. Few people objected to me using flash, and I got some pretty interesting images as well.

Also I am pleased to announce that on July 30-31st, I am teaching an introductory street photography workshop at the 4th Street Gallery in Hollywood. Shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com for more details, and read more to see my flash images!

Interview with Dairou Koga about the Tokyo-Ga Charity Book

Dairou Koga
Sean Wood

For this article, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dairou Koga, who is a photographer and a bookmaker who recently put together the Tokyo-Ga Charity Book. The Tokyo-Ga Charity book is a collection of some of the finest Japanese street photography which is currently being sold help the victims of Japan in the March disaster. Keep reading to hear about this noble cause from Koga-san’s own mouth, and also see the inspirational images included in this book.

6 Tips How to Master Shooting Street Photography with a DSLR

Seoul, 2009
Seoul, 2009

When it comes to street photography, I am a huge proponent that it doesn’t matter what camera you use. Each camera has its own strengths and weaknesses, and as long as it takes photos it works for street photography.

When I asked a while back on my Facebook fan page, I found out that the majority of the community shoots street photography with a DSLR, so I thought it would be a great idea to write an article on how to most effectively use your DSLR for street photography. Keep reading to read some more tips.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 First Impressions Review with Jon Savage

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting with Jon Savage, an active street photographer in my Facebook community. He let me play around his Fujifilm FinePix X100 for a few hours and I gotta say– I am impressed. Not only does the camera feel good in the hands, but the optical viewfinder paired with the responsive controls make this camera a win. Check out the video above to see more about what Jon had to say about the camera, and how I felt about it as well.

Got any questions about the Fujifilm FinePix X100? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Support Darshan: A Photographic Series on Indian Deities by Manjari Sharma

I recently got an email from my good friend Adam Marelli about a young woman photographer from New York named Manjari Sharma who is currently fundraising money on Kickstarter to complete a photography project titled: “Darshan.” Darshan is a sanskrit word which means sight, vision, or view and what Manajri is trying to accomplish is to prove that a carefully constructed photograph can evoke a similar response to the religious paintings and sculptures.

I believe fervently in the idea of “paying it forward.” Last September, many of you helped donate generous sums of money to fundraise a plane ticket for me to teach a street photography workshop in Beirut, Lebanon. Therefore I decided to help donate $101 dollars to Manjari’s project and help her achieve her dream. If you watch her video on Kickstarter, you can truly see her passion for the project– and I think it is our goal as photographers to support and help one another.

Make sure to watch the video that Manjari Sharma put together about the project below, and head over to her Kickstarter page and donate! Adam Marelli also wrote a great feature on his blog as well, make sure to check it out here.



Make sure to help spread the word by donating, posting this to your blog, Facebook, and Twitter!

16 Great Examples of Street Photography Without People by the Community

Street Photography Without People
Johnny Barrios

Hey streettogs, thanks to everyone who read this week’s post on how to shoot street photography without people and submitted their best images to my Facebook fan page! Congratulations to everyone who made the final cut next week. Tell us which photos you liked best, and stay tuned for our next assignment! Keep reading to see the rest of the best images of the week!

Leica M9 POV Through the Viewfinder with a 35mm Summilux

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 :)

Losing my Leica Virgnity in Paris

"Wrap Around" - Eric Kim

"Wrap Around" - Eric Kim
"Wrap Around" - Eric Kim

When I first got my feet wet in street photography and heard of Leica cameras, I couldn’t quite understand the hype surrounding it. Sure it looked like a cool and retro old-school camera, but why the heavy pricetag? After doing my homework, it seemed like everyone who owned one would rave and praise it. In Chris Week’s street photography documentary, “Documenting the Human Condition” he highly encourages everyone to try shooting with a rangefinder and noticed that the “haters” have never shot with Leica’s themselves. This piqued my interest, however I never even dreamed that I would have the chance to shoot with a Leica.

5 Tips How to Shoot Street Photography Without People

Matt Stuart
Matt Stuart
Matt Stuart

A question I often get asked is whether or not street photography needs to include people. It was a topic that fascinated me, so I even posted it to my Facebook fan page for the community to discuss. I have talked to many street photographers about this, and the vast majority of the consensus is that street photography doesn’t necessarily have to include people. However if street photography doesn’t have to include people, how can we differentiate those types of images from any other genre of photography?

Simply put, I feel that effective street photographs without people show the uncanny of everyday life, while showing remnants of humanity. Keep reading to see how you can effectively shoot street photographs without people in it.

Leica X1 First Impressions Review

Although I am very sad to say goodbye to my Leica M9, I just received a Leica X1 in the mail to test and review for about a week. Check out my first impressions in the video above, and please leave me any questions you may have about the camera by leaving a comment below!

*Edit: The body is made out of magnesium, although the outside casing appears to be made out of plastic (thanks to tribalknowledge for the clarification).

Should You Ask For Permission 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.

Also make sure to check out the articles How to Shoot Street Photography with Permission with Danny Santos and The Street Portraiture Project of Fulton Street by Chris Sorensen.

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 :)

BREAKING: Olympus Announces PEN EP-3 and Zuiko 12mm f2.0 lens (24mm equivalent)

Olympus PEN EP-3
Olympus PEN EP-3
Olympus PEN EP-3

Recently I reviewed the Olympus PEN EP-2 on The Phoblographer, and was quite impressed with this micro 4/3rd camera for street photography. Little do I know that about a week later, Olympus announces their new PEN EP-3 along with their new Zuiko 12mm f/2.0 Lens (24mm equivalent). From the looks of it, the camera looks great with an all-metal redesigned body, a reengineered autofocus system, a 1080p video mode, with a nice OLED touchscreen in the back. Sources show it will cost around $900 and will be available for purchase in August. Make sure to check out their full press-release here.

Review:

The New 12mm f/2 lens by Olympups (via The Phoblographer)
The New 12mm f/2 lens by Olympus (via The Phoblographer)

Make sure to check out the hands-on review of the Olympups PEN EP-3 and 24mm f/2.0 lens on The Phoblographer.

Live Q&A:

Olympus will also be holding a special three-hour Olympus Tech Thursday on their Facebook page from 12-3p.m. PST (3-6 p.m. ET)  www.facebook.com/getolympus where Olympus spokespersons be answering a variety of PEN questions from fans and will be sharing additional new PEN content.

Shooting Street Photography With a Leica M9 and Flash in Los Angeles at Night [First Impressions]

Leica M9, Canon 430ex Flash, GoPro HD 960
Eric Kim Flash Street Photography Leica M9
Leica M9 and Off-shoe Flash

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.

The Lessons of Shooting Street Photography in a Small City

"Take it inside..." - Keith Chastain

"Take it inside..." - Keith Chastain
"Take it inside..." - Keith Chastain. Berkeley

Eric: For this guest post I am pleased to feature Keith Chastain, an incredibly passionate street photographer who currently lives in a small city. Many of you in the past have asked me advice about shooting street photography in a small city and franking speaking– I wasn’t quite sure what to say. However Keith is able to balance his life in the small city, while scratching his itch for street photography while hitting up big cities like San Francisco. Read more to see his images and read his insight about the subject.

Keith: I’m thinking of an unoriginal analogy for street photography…Bear with me here…Street photography is a lot like fishing right? We have our favorite spots that usually guarantee us a few bites. Sometimes we come home with a few catches that are small and should have been thrown back, while other times we might return with the big one….A capture worthy of hanging over the fireplace like a fat marlin an old angler dreams of. The fundamental aspect of fishing is fish, just as people are the ones we street photographers set out to catch on any given day.

You Thought Street Photography Was Scary: War Photographers on the Shots That Nearly Killed Them

Alvaro Ybarra Zavala, Congo, November 2008

War Photos

War photographers have a crucial job to society that is not only important but extremely dangerous. Without war photographers, we would not see the true realities of war and the countless number of lives that it affects. History has even proven that a single photo has the power to even end a war.

Read more about these war photographers’ stories that are incredibly real and chilling: The shot that nearly killed me: War photographers – a special report

via PetaPixel

85mm and the City: Street Photography in the Big Apple

"Maturity..." by Thomas Leuthard
"Maturity..." by Thomas Leuthard

This guest blog post is from Thomas Leuthard (85mm) who is one of my dear fellow street photographers from Switzerland. Not only are we good friends, but we have taught two street photography workshops together–one in Beirut, Lebanon and the other recently in Switzerland.

In this blog post Thomas talks about his recent trip to New York City and about his experience shooting there. If you are curious to read what he has to say, read more and also see his great shots!

5 Tips How to Capture Compelling Shadows in Street Photography

"Walk with Me" - Eric Kim
"Father and Daughter" - Eric Kim
"Father and Daughter" - Eric Kim

Often times as street photographers, we are too focused on capturing what is right before our eyes, rather than looking up and especially down. Capturing shadows is a wonderful way to open up your eyes to things which are around you, and give the viewer a sense of the surreal. If you are interested in understanding how you can better capture compelling shadows in your street photography, read on!

Bruce Gilden: Asshole or Genius?

Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden

On the day of the Leica Magnum Paris event, I had the huge pleasure of meeting Bruce Gilden. After the official product announcements of the Leica M9-P and the 21mm f/3.5 Elmarit lens, I headed upstairs for some small appetizers and some wine. After chatting it up with some fellow photographers and bloggers from the event, I spotted Bruce from the corner of my eye. My hands got clammy, and I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my body. It was my hero—Bruce Gilden in person! I knew that I had to talk to him.

The second he was about to pass my left shoulder, I politely leaned in and asked, “Excuse me, are you Bruce Gilden?” He then said with a grin in his scruffy Brooklyn accent, “Yeah I’m Bruce Gilden—who are you?” I then introduced myself that I was a street photographer and blogger from Los Angeles and that I was a huge fan of his work. He then told me, “Oh—I think I know who you are.” My blood froze. How could someone like Bruce Gilden know who I was? I then asked him how he knew me and he told me, “Yeah a guy named Charlie in my workshop told me about you. He said to keep my eyes open for this overly enthusiastic Asian guy.” I then grinned and started to chat with him.

Paris Day 5: Interview with Alex Majoli from Magnum and Love For My Friends (last day in Paris)

"Grimace" - Metro, Paris
"Grimace" - Metro, Paris
“Grimace” – Metro, Paris

Today is the last day that I am in Paris, and I wanted to give you a few last updates. I was able to interview Alex Majoli from Magnum, an incredibly passionate and down-to earth photographer. Once I get back home, I will post the interview for you to read. Also I had the chance to walk around with JJ from Leica and take photographs, and also have a great meal of crepes with him and William Yan. Lastly in the night, I met up with Damien Rayuela, Charlie Kirk, and Alexandra Uhart with William. We had a ton of fun (and drinks) — make sure to read more to see the video and the images from today ;)

Paris Day 4: Leica Magnum Paris Convention and New Leica M9-P and 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M lens Announcement

Leica Magnum Paris Leica M9-P 21mm f/3.5 Announcement
Myself and Bruce Gilden at the Leica Magnum Paris Event. My hero!

Today was one hell of a day. It was the official Leica Magnum Paris event, and I was able to attend as a VIP attendee. I was able to meet Naseem (Political blogger), Magnus Froderberg (Photography magazine chief editor on Sweden), Cristina Garcia Rodero (Magnum Photographer), William Yan (Street Style Photographer), Thorsten (Overgaard.dk), Brett (Leica Workshop Photographer), Peter McCollough (SF Street Photographer), Jean-Jacques Viau (Leica Internet Head), Oliver Bachmann (Leica Camera Switzerland Head), and my beloved Bruce Gilden (Magnum Photographer). Did I also mention I met and took a photo with Elliott Erwitt? Watch the video below to read more about my day, and also make sure to check out the photos I took during the event as well!

Paris Day 3: Street Photography with the Leica M9 and Tough Parisians

Paris Street Photography Leica M9 35mm f/1.4 Summilux by Eric Kim
"Wraparound" - Luxemborg, Paris

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.

Paris Day 2: Street Photography with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux with Yaniel

Paris Street Photography Leica M9 35mm f/1.4 Summilux by Eric Kim
"Left Out" - Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux

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!

Paris Day 1: Street Photography with a Leica M9 and Flash with Charlie Kirk and Damien Rayuela

Paris Street Photography Eric Kim
"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!

Paris Day 1 Overview:

Heading to Paris for the Leica + Magnum “Past.Present.Future” Event

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.

Packing List:

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! :)

Why Inspiration is for Amateurs

"Days Gone Past" - Eric Kim

When it comes to street photography, it can often be very difficult to stay motivated and keep shooting on the streets. I told my problem to my younger sister, who recently got me a wonderful book titled “Spark: How Creativity Works” which illustrates the creative lives of influential artists ranging from novelists to musicians. One of the quotes that the author decided to include of Chuck Close inspired me in which he says that inspiration is for amateurs, and true greatness comes from the ability to stay consistent and be tenacious.

Micro 4/3rd Street Photographers Rejoice: New LEICA DG Summilux 25mm / F1.4 ASPH Announced

I am a huge fan of micro 4/3rds cameras, as I think they are a wonderful compromise between DSLR’s and point and shoots for street photography. Therefore it is great news to see that Leica has just announced a new 25mm f/1.4 lens (which equates to 50mm on a 2x crop factor). This can be a great lens for anybody shooting with any of the Olympus EP-series or the Panasonic GF-series. Also if you didn’t know, Henri Cartier-Bresson shot mostly with a 50mm focal length ;)

You can see some shots from it here (in Chinese).

Press release:

The New LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. Lens Compatible With Panasonic LUMIX G Series of Compact System Cameras, Including LUMIX GF3

SECAUCUS, N.J., June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Panasonic today announced a new interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lens, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. (H-X025), compatible with the company’s LUMIX G Series of compact system cameras (CSC), including the LUMIX GF3, which was also announced today. The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens features outstanding brightness of F1.4, and despite the high-performance, it also remains incredibly compact and lightweight. The lens’ brightness allows for a beautiful soft focus when shooting both photos and videos – without having to rely on a flash.

The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens adopts Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating technology on the surface of the lens, which helps dramatically minimize reflection at the entire visual light range (380nm-780nm). The technology encompasses an extra-low refractive index coating with nano-sized structure and results in the super-clear photo with dramatic reduction of ghost and flare.

The new lens system comprises of nine elements in seven groups using two aspherical lenses and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive) index lens. The newly developed UHR index lens and glass mold aspherical lenses achieve uniformed description from the center to the edges.

The lens’ versatile 25mm focal distance (Equivalent to 50mm on a 35mm camera) is suitable for wide variety of occasions, giving users the flexibility in composition, perspective and aperture control.  The lens is capable to take daily snapshots including scenic sunsets to dimly-lit indoor shots to the deliberately-creative shots using soft focus.

When mounted on the Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. lens can take maximum advantage of Contrast AF system, which boasts both high accuracy and high speed for optimal photos. Furthermore, seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. The lens also features a metal mount, making it extremely durable – even when repeatedly changed.

The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens will be available in August 2011 and pricing will be announced approximately 30 days prior to shipping. For more information about Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras and Micro Four Third lenses, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.

-Via Leicarumors

Micro 4/3rds users–is this a lens you would want to add to your camera bag?

First Test Shots of the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux Shot Wide Open

Hey guys, I have been able to do a few test shots of the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux wide-open at f/1.4 and the shots truly blow me away. The images are tack-sharp, and the bokeh is so deliciously creamy. All of the shots are taken in RAW, and unedited straight out of the camera. Check out some of the shots below and make sure to click the images for the full-resolution images!

Test Shot #1:
Leica M9, 35mm f/1.4 Summilux @ 1.4

Test Shot #2:

Test Shot #3:

Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux Unboxing and First Impressions

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!

15 Inspirational Images of Shoe Street Photography by the Community

Shoes Street Photography
Thomas Leuthard

On Monday, I wrote an article about how to shoot street photography of shoes which got tons of great feedback. To play off of the theme, I suggested that this week’s street photography assignment was to be of shoes. I announced the weekly assignment on Facebook, and many of you submitted some amazing images. Here are the best 15 that you uploaded–congrats to everyone who made the final cut! :)

The Ricoh GRIII: The Ultimate Compact Camera for Street Photography Review

The Ricoh GRIII Digital Compact
The Ricoh GRIII Digital Compact

Hey guys, you might have heard me doing all my raves for the Ricoh GRIII for street photography. I put together my thoughts and review over on The Phoblographer, and have put in some of my best images as well. Long story short, I highly recommend everyone to purchase one, as it can be a great primary street photography camera or back-up. Make sure to check out the review, and leave me any questions you may have below in the comments!

The Street Portraiture Project of Fulton Street, Brooklyn by Chris Sorensen

Street Portraiture of Fulton Street by Chris Sorensen

Eric: While surfing the web, I came upon the work of Chris Sorensen, who had an amazing portfolio of black and white street portraits. I was captivated by the depth and humanity of his images, and I feel that every face he captured had a unique story to tell. If you look at each of these images, they show the true character and soul of the person that Chris captures. I extend a warm introduction to Chris, and I hope you enjoy this feature.

Chris: The studio where I live and work is on the edge of Bed-Stuy, a historically African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn probably best known outside of New York as the setting for Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. It is to Brooklyn what Harlem is to Manhattan. Over the years it’s also become home to large numbers of immigrants; originally from the American South, Latin America and the West Indies, and more recently from Africa and Haiti. It’s a very culturally diverse neighborhood where, unlike my previous apartment in Manhattan, I am the minority.

Black and White or Color in Street Photography: How Do You Make the Decision?

"Green Umbrella" - James Maher
"Green Umbrella" - James Maher
"Green Umbrella" - James Maher

Eric: Quite often I am asked by the community when it is appropriate to have a street photograph in black and white or color. It is a question I grapple with myself daily as well, and I enlisted the help of James Maher, a talented New York street photographer to help write an article on it. I hope you enjoy it!

James: Street Photography has been around for a long, long time. And for all but the last 10 years, the photographer has had to make a choice before walking out the door: should I use color or black and white film today?

6 Tips How to Shoot Street Photographs of People’s Shoes (that don’t stink)

Street Photography Shoes by Eric Kim
Street Photography Shoes by Eric Kim
Eric Kim

Thomas Leuthard, who is one of my close friends and fellow street photography workshop teachers, suggested a theme to me a while back that revolved around shooting street photography of people’s feet. At first I was a bit skeptical, but after looking at his images I was quite impressed. As street photographers, we can often get too preoccupied by looking forward that we don’t take the time to look up or down. Although shooting street photographs of people’s feet may sound weird (and a bit stinky), it can make for some fascinating results. Keep reading to find out how you can shoot street photography of people’s feet.

The 9 Best Street Photographs of Bags by the Community

Chun Tong Chung
Chun Tong Chung

This week I announced on my Facebook fan page that the street photography assignment for the week would be “bags.” The theme was inspired by Thomas Leuthard, who has a great ability in creating strong themes. Below are some of the best images that you submitted–please stay tuned for the next week’s assignment! Congrats to everyone who made the final cut :)

Name that Street Photograph, No. 1

It is always important to know photographs by great street photographers to improve your eye and your technique. So let’s see if you know the image above. Leave your guess by leaving a comment below and tell us who the photographer is, and the story behind the image. Let’s see what you guys got!

Featured Street Photographer: Paolo Patrizi, on the Streets of Ginza with a Toy Camera and Cosmopolitan Japanese Women

Paolo Patrizi Street Photography
Paolo Patrizi Street Photography
Allure- Paolo Patrizi

Eric: For this week, I am honored to announce this street photography feature by Wayne Ford, an internationally renowned media neutral and art designer. His work has received international acclaim and has been featured in books, exhibitions, and magazines including D&AD, Type Directors Club, Art Directors Club, Society of Publications Designers, Print, Graphis and Creative Review. You can read more of his thoughts on the photography he is looking at on his website or follow him on Twitter.

Wayne: A self-taught photographer, Paolo Patrizi was born and raised in Italy, before moving to London in the mid-1980s where he began his professional career working as a
photographic assistant, and undertaking freelance commissions for various design groups, and numerous magazines. From the very earliest stages of his career, Patrizi has pursued and develop his own personal projects alongside these various commercial assignments, and it is these personally assigned projects that have become a signature of his oeuvre.

What Makes a Great Composition? Adam Marelli Analyzes Famous Street Photographs by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Great Compositions by Alfred EisenstaedtGreat Compositions by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Adam Marelli, who recently did a wonderful guest blog post on his experiences on shooting with a Leica M9, has recently written a great article on dissecting and analyzing famous street photographs by WWII photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. In the article, he is able to skillfully dissect images from a geometric standpoint, something that great artists and painters have been using for centuries. The post is a bit technical, but definitely worth the read if you want to understand more about composition and street photography.

Check out the article here.

So what do you think? Do you think that understanding a good composition is artistic talent, or something that can be taught and analyzed? Leave your two cents by writing a comment below!

“Beauty in the Mundane” Street Photography Exhibition by Eric Kim this Saturday at 5:00PM in Tustin, CA

RSVP on Facebook
Click here to RSVP on Facebook

I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting a street photography exhibition this Saturday, June 4th, 2011 from 5:00-7:00pm at the Long Hai Restaurant in Tustin, CA. Join me as I share some of my finest black and white street photography from all around the world including Paris, Seoul, London, as well as Los Angeles  Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Admission is free, and complimentary drinks and appetizers from Long Hai Restaurant will be served.

Also, I will be raffling off all of of my images to help fund-raise for the Sukhee Chung Photography foundation. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Phoenix High photography class I am teaching to underprivileged high school students in Los Angeles. Tickets are $5 a piece, and there is no limit how many you can buy. You can watch a video I did about the class here.

I would love it if you could make it (if you are in the Los Angeles region!)

How to Shoot Street Photography With a Flash

"Lace" - Santa Monica
"Lace" - Santa Monica
"Lace" - Santa Monica. Shot with my Ricoh GRIII and flash.

When it comes to street photography, I am always open to new ideas and styles. One technique I have been particularly interested in is shooting street photography with a flash. I have been very inspired by the work of Bruce Gilden and Charlie Kirk. Although this style is quite controversial, I think that shooting with a flash does add an extra dimension to an image, and isn’t quite as unethical as most people claim it to be. After all, it was Bruce Gilden who said, “…the people I shoot in the streets are my friends” and Charlie Kirk who says he shoots “…openly and honestly.” Therefore the last three or so weeks I have been shooting street photography with a flash, and with great success. I will discuss my technique of shooting street photography in the streets with a flash, with special emphasis on mindset as well as technical settings. Read more if you are curious.

How Would You Change the Fujifilm FinePix X100?

The Fujifilm FinePix X100 has definitely got to be one of the most hyped-up cameras for street photography? What could we complain on? It has an optical viewfinder, has the looks of a retro rangefinder, and is pretty solid on price. From recent reviews there has been disappointments in terms of the auto-focusing speed, the manual focusing, as well as some small quirks here and there.

If you guys were able to design the second version, how would you change the Fujifilm FinePix X100? Leave a comment below and tell us what you would do!

Also below are some of our Fujifilm FinePix X100 Reviews:

1923 Leica 0-series Sells For a Mind-Boggling $1.89 Million at Auction

If you thought a Leica M9 was expensive, wait until you put your eyes on this baby. It is an 1923 Leica 0-series which just sold for €1,320,000, or about $1.89 million in US dollars at an auction in Vienna. This old-school gem was sold to a private collector from Asia who wishes to be anonymous to the public. The camera was one of 25 prototypes manufactured in 1923, before Leica started producing these cameras commercially. You can see the winning bid and auction at this video below.

So do you think the guy who purchased this Leica is crazy or just has too much money to spend? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

via Engadget and Leica Rumors.

Need Some Inspiration? Try Early Morning Street Photography

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.

-Thanks to Reacher Rau for emailing me this over!

Eric Kim Talks about Street Photography Tips with Jacob Patterson

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!

Henri Cartier-Bresson Talks About “The Decisive Moment”

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!

5 Things I Learned After Teaching My UK and Switzerland Street Photography Workshop

"Purple" - Shot in Brighton, UK with my Olympus EP-2
"Purple" - Shot in Brighton, UK with my Olympus EP-2

I am pleased to say after 4 jam-packed days of traveling and teaching a street photography workshop in Brighton, UK and Zurich, Switzerland I am back in Los Angeles. I had the trip of a lifetime and met some amazing people, ate some delicious food, and got some great street photographs as well. I also learned a great deal after doing this workshop and about Brighton and Zurich. Read more to see what I learned after teaching my UK and Switzerland street photography workshop!

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