ERIC KIM ₿

Advice I wish I could have given myself, if I rebooted my entire street photography journey all over again:

The beauty of Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600 with yellow filter:

Photos you didn’t like in the past often get better with time.

To really get to know how you really feel about your photos, let them sit and marinate for a while.

For example some photos (film 35mm) from about 3-4+ years ago, which I didn’t initially like, but I really like now!

Long story short, iPhone Pro and noir is great. No third party apps— just the default iPhone Pro shooting in Noir filter mode, and later with some processing in the built-in Photos app:

Why I love monochrome:

To make more dynamic and interesting street photographs, shoot layers:

Before you travel to a new city for photography, how do you know whether to shoot color or black and white? My practical ideas:

What is your personal street photography philosophy?

I see myself more of a ‘sociologist with a camera’ than a ‘photographer’ or even a ‘street photographer’.

This is another angle in street photography: you’re a sociologist with a camera!

Photograph as if you were to live forever!

Practical ideas:

Yes.

What is the point of photography and art? My thought:

To make sublime (great) photos, which inspire and uplift the souls of future photographers.

Nietzsche was staunchly anti-vegatarian. And I’m sure if he were alive today, he would be (even more) staunchly anti-vegan. An interesting thing he said in one of his books were about philosophers having ignorance when it came to nutrition, history, and physiology.

How come there hasn’t been anyone to create a philosophy of nutrition, or essay the truths about nutrition? This is my attempt:

The word habit comes from the word custom, which comes from the notion of setting your own path or way (suesco in Latin).

Seek LEGEND
Legendary
Tarry your own way

LEGENDARY
You’re on the quest to become yourself
What path have you been dealt?
Which way will you go, when you don’t know which way is right?

The right way is through the fire and strife
The hard way is the better way
Where you can go hard and cray cray, and insane– direct brain.

No such thing as shame or guilt
Go hard in life
Full tilt

ERIC

To build upon FILM 101: I wanted to review Kodak Portra 400, my favorite 35mm color film:

We cannot deny:

Tokyo is one of the apex cities for street photography in the world.

Osaka as also a great place to travel, street photography, and living!

Compared to Kyoto, more “gritty”, more influence of hip hop culture, and the people are more ‘down to earth’ and warmer.

Kyoto is more ‘elegant’, Osaka is more street!

Kyoto — the ultimate city in terms of street photography, aesthetics, food, and living:

In a world where all cameras are good cameras, and we all have the tools of creation — what now?

My vision:

Photography has truly become an even playing field — it’s all about merit (effort+skill)— the perfect photographic meritocracy!

Do we believe in democratic photography — photography for all— photography for the masses? Photography that anyone, regardless of socio-economic class can access?

Fashion as in human clothing for humans as superior than sports cars, luxury cars, fancy homes, etc:

I make my living teaching street photography workshops how to conquer your fears in street photography and life. Why? Because fearlessness is one of the most important traits in life to get what you want.

I’m in a funny position:

I’m maximally happy, but it doesn’t really do anything for me.

I’m hyper healthy, hyper strong, and hyper happy. But it seems that to simply maximize my personal happiness isn’t the ultimate goal in life. For me the ultimate goal in life is to make great art, plumb the depths of truth and discover new knowledge, and to share and empower others and the rest of humanity.

Let me explain:

An inquiry:

Does photography CAUSE us to become happier, or do we shoot photos as a result of our happiness?

A working theory:

Perhaps it is better to focus on our personal happiness (physiological health and strength), THEN start shooting photos as a result of our gratitude for our happiness?

The purpose of photography composition isn’t an end in itself. Meaning, composition is a tool to glorify and honor what you consider beautiful.

For example, I’d prefer a photo with weak composition (and strong emotional content), than a photo with strong composition (and says nothing at all).

Photography composition as a “stim pack” to add more intensity and dynamism to your already meaningful photos. Not composition for the sake of composition!

As photographer-artists we signal what we love and admire by photographing it. Channel your love and admiration by photographing what you love, what you’re impressed by, or what puts a smile on your face!

Pain isn’t bad, it’s one of our wisest and most valuable instruments.

The basic notion; let pain guide you. Pain will help you adjust your form, approach, technique, philosophy, and way of living.

Is there an ideal body proportion? Obviously there are some body proportions which are superior than others, but there probably isn’t an “ultimate”apex of body proportions. Some examinations:

In life, willpower is everything:

Ain’t no upsides without downsides:

It seems this is the best way to live life and become successful in any domain of life:

Only do what you want to do, never do what you don’t want to do.

What triggers us to make a photograph?

My thoughts:

1. Faces
2. Gestures
3. Movement
4. Texture
5. Patterns
6. Action
7. Tones
8. Colors
9. Food
10. Shapes
11. Graphics

I am convinced:

There is no right or wrong way to shoot street photography.

It is ‘all good’!

The goal:

Shoot in accordance with your own personal aesthetics and ethics.

What makes street photography more interesting or challenging than other forms of photography or art?

I’m currently living the best life right now. I don’t recall a time I’ve been happier (I’m even happier and stronger now than I was in Vietnam, which my prior apex).

Some thoughts and meditations:

In life’s action-packed RPG, remember– you’re the hero!

Insomnia: one of the worst afflictions facing us in modern times.

My thought:

I believe that we digital moderns have MORE insomnia than we did in the past.

Why and what is the culprit? Some thoughts:

We glorify and generate athletes and sports players in modern (and ancient) society. Why not give the same due respect and power to artist-athletes?

MAX OUT
LAST OUT

Last inning and no runs on the plate
You’re the last one hitting, nobody else can take over your place

MAX OUT
ASS OUT
Always full effort, never half
Better to go big and fail than tweet that you got a whale

Maximal gains, snails pace
That’s how you beat Achilles in the Zeno tortoise race

Place first every single time
You’re only racing against your last best given time

New PR is the goal
Max out everyday and shake up the world.

ERIC

Simpler compositions are better because:

1. They are stronger
2. They are more adaptable (all good compositions work well on all screen sizes, even smaller screens like phones)

Thus our quest:

Never stop our endless quest to create the ultimate simple and powerful image.

Simplification is the means — to ultimate strength and power.

The best way to change the world:

Determine and identify your #1 greatest strength and skill, then apply maximum force and effort towards it!

Now the tricky thing— how can we identify our greatest strength? Some ideas:

How to effectively organize and compose your frame in photography composition:

Even if you spend your whole life, and thousands of dollars just for one great photo, it is justified.

Get free inspiration on ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

When I was 18 years old, and first picked up a camera, it was my personal ambition to travel the world. I had romantic notions of traveling the world like Henri Cartier-Bresson, taking beautiful photographs of everywhere I went.

Dear streettogs,

If you are hungry to empower yourself to go on more epic and daring photographic adventures, I present to you: TRAVEL NOTES Mobile Edition (optimized for all of your devices for your ‘on the go’ lifestyle):

Is perpetual productivity desirable, or even possible?

We often think that by owning MORE things, and fancier things, we will be “happier”. In fact, I find that my life is WORSENED when I have more things, more liabilities, and more responsibilities.

Envy which inspires, motivates and prompts you to action and greatness — not the petty envy/jealousy which weakens you and makes you small.

For example, I envy Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Kanye West, and all this great artist-entrepreneurs. My positive envy and admiration for them drives me.

When I see someone at the gym who can squat 4 plates (405+ pounds) with no belt, this positive envy inspires me to work harder to achieve the same!

Envy isn’t a vice. Pettiness is. Harness envy in a positive way, to elevate you to grand heights— where you can delight in the brisk and icy air!

ERIC

The joy of street photography as super simple: the joy of walking, being in public places, love of fresh air, love of being around other people, the joy of walking, the joy of thinking, and the joy of making photos (while you’re out and about!)

My ideal:

To become “power overwhelming” in the triad of physical, mental, and artistic power.

This is what I consider will bring us ultimate happiness, power, and joy in existence!

Success as anti-busyness.

A deeper, a richer, a darker, a more profound reality— this is what I find so beautiful about monochrome:

EXCEL
rise high, nose dive, into the depths and to higher planes

EXCEL
Through the Alice well, into the other side

Glide through life, flaneur it. Walk on the tips of your toes, ballerina and boxer it.

Stick to your path, then break it. You don’t need to fake it, just take it.

Elevate yourself to new heights. Fortune favors the bold, don’t worry — the cold don’t bite!

ERIC

Experiences are metaphysical. You can never have “too many experiences”or totally overwhelm your mental mind with experiences.

It’s possible to hoard physical things, but not experiences.

Lesson: accumulate more experiences in life, and shed more material things which weigh you down!

Why does photography matter?

Art is the great stimulus of life (Nietzsche). When I consume and create art, I create more life, I become more amazed and joyful of life (and being alive), and I want to continue to empower humanity to greater heights!

If you love life, you love photography (the ultimate glorification of life and reality!)

How is photography different than other art forms? We photographers are taking reality and glorifying the real embodied world. Other art forms make fictions from artificial shapes and forms.

How to achieve freedom in a capitalist system: entrepreneurship is the key.

ARSBETA.COM — a true innovation in photography feedback, and the first ‘constructive’ platform that can actually help us IMPROVE as photographers!

Renaissance means “rebirth”. Comes from the older phrase, “renascent”.

The general idea is great: everyday you’re born anew. You got “born again”Christians and the like — but what if we’re being born anew everyday?

Okay at this point this is ridiculous — the iPhone Pro is truly “insanely good”. It is the one device to rule them all. Let me share:

It seems sound (rhythm, tone, music) is the most primal, then perhaps comes the visual (we interpret hand gestures, body symbolism).

I wonder — why do we love images? Is “visual intelligence”real and something to be desired?

Once you’re retired, financially independent, “location independent”, a “digital nomad”, and have achieved all the external measures of success, how do you prevent or conquer existential dread? (Danger of nihilism — that there’s no “purpose”to life)

My simple suggestion and solution:

Become part beast (powerlifter), part philosopher, and part artist.

What works for me:

1. Strive to increase your “one rep max”in deadlifts and squats indefinitely. Constantly seek more physical strength.
2. Continue plumbing the depths of philosophy, poetry, and art. My heroes and inspirations include Kanye West, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Epicurus, Nietzsche, Goethe, Horace.
3. Never stop making art! Pursue entrepreneurship and take risks.
4. Never stop traveling, exploring and visiting new places, trying new foods, discovering new cultures, learning new languages, learning new dances, and listening to new music.
5. Share your own personal revelations and lessons in life on your own blog or YouTube Channel.
6. Get married, have kids. Genetic lineage. Know your life is short and small in the grand scheme of things. The goal is to instruct future generations!
7. Study the lives and actions of the great individuals and heros of the past, and strive to become great yourself!
8. Never stop reading philosophy and studying great art. Also, never stop writing and creating your own art.

Tested the Apple Watch (new Series 5), and I really don’t like it. Some of my candid thoughts:

Technology which adds complexity to your life, or technology which REMOVES complexity from your life?

The best technology REMOVES complexity from your life and simplifies it. For example, Uber instead of owning a car, or having to find parking when driving. iPhone Pro with simplifying and streamlining the shooting, selecting, processing, and sharing workflow.

Don’t get suckered by buying new technology, toys and gadgets which COMPLICATE your life even more, DISTRACT you even more, and requires for you to maintain more.

Don’t worry too much about the “purpose of your life”. Instead, simply strive to maximally exploit today!

Towards an eternal recurrence in photography: