Dear friend,
Do you respect yourself? Meaning– do you trust yourself? Do you consult your own conscience before consulting others? Can you look back into your own soul, and truly see and understand your own thinking and intentions? Do you have high regard, consideration, and do you trust in yourself?
Dear friend,
This is an attempt (an essay/assay) into making a comprehensive (yet simple) manual to street photography composition. It will be based on my personal experiences, turned into theory.
Let’s begin.
Treat your phone like a pencil; take fun, and quick visual sketches of whatever you see, constantly workout your visual muscles!
Dear friend,
A practical tip to speed up your photography workflow: use the ‘thumbnail test’. Look at your photos as small thumbnails (contact sheets) to more quickly and efficiently choose your best photos!
Dear friend,
I believe we should seek this duality in life– to be BOTH social AND solitary. Or in Kendrick Lamar’s words, an “anti-social extrovert.”
Dear friend,
Welcome to PHOTOLOSOPHY! The course is organized numerically. Feel free to skip around, and there is no real order you need to go.
Battleship Potemkin, an epic film from 1925– apparently Stanley Kubrick would watch the films of Sergei Eisenstein on loop. Watch it here.
Dear friend,
As a photographer you’re an artist. Never let anyone else tell you otherwise.
To me, powerlifting and deadlifting is my zen meditation. Not only that, but powerlifting and deadlifting has taught me — I have no limits.
A technique I like in street photography is the ‘decapitation technique’– literally cutting the head off your subjects (or just showing their limbs):
Dear friend,
A random thought I had this morning– what if we never blamed anyone else, but ourself? To me, this would be one of the most empowering sentiments. Why? It means that we have 100% control over our lives, and it is silly for us to blame anyone else!
Let’s say you have an “uninteresting” life. If so, is it still worth photographing? I say yes!
My favorite compositions of Henri Cartier-Bresson:
Claude Monet: I love his colors, and his personal writings. Here are some practical lessons I’ve learned from him:
Josef Koudelka: one of my photographic heros.
Have pride in your pictures! Don’t expect others to praise you for your photos. Praise yourself and your own images!
If you want the perfect strap for your daily photographic and street photography lifestyle, pick up a new Henri or ERIC KIM strap at the HAPTIC INDUSTRIES Amazon Shop >
To be honest, you cannot control whether you make a good photo or not. However you can control your ability to take risks, and be brazen!
Hey streettogs,
I want to congratulate everyone who contributed and participated in STREET CLUB: Summer School 2018— for your meaningful feedback, your pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and this empowering community we have built together!
Simple tips to take better monochrome pictures. All pictures shot on RICOH GR II, with ERIC KIM MONOCHROME preset:
Dear friend,
A philosophical question I was pondering while lying in bed this morning–
“What kind of photos will last, and what kind of photos will not?”
In ancient Greek times (according to Homer in the Iliad, and Nietzche confirms this), warriors only desired fame, glory, and to immortalize their name. They didn’t really care for riches or power, they essentially desired immortal fame.
Now the question I have is this:
Is fame a good thing, and if so, how can we achieve it?
Garry Winogrand: genius street photography composition master.
There’s all this doomsday talk lately how AI (artificial intelligence) is going to kill and destroy us, and steal our jobs. I think this is silly. To me, I see artificial intelligence as just another benefit to humanity; hopefully something that helps simplify our lives, and help us focus more on artistic creation!
The more I theorize about photography and art, the more I’m starting to realize — art and photography isn’t about depicting some visual “truthfulness†of reality. Instead, it’s painting and presenting our own version of reality with others!
One of my passions is composition — why? It’s a fun visual exercise and game!
Before we seek to make good photos, we must first seek to live a good life!
Dear friend,
Just wanted to give you a little life update– from the LA Suburbs (specifically, Little Saigon in Orange County):
Don’t seek to make “better†photos, seek to make more personally-significant photos!
Dear friend,
I just invested in some Bitcoin, and I’m super excited for this brave new digital economy!
What is candid photography? What does it mean? And what’s the significance of the word “candid�
Currently in the suburbs of LA, and of course it isn’t as “fun” or “interesting” as when I am traveling and living nomadically. But how can one stay inspired and keep shooting, regardless of where they live?
To make better compositions, block out distracting elements from your photos:
An idea: when someone else is driving, you can be in the passenger seat and shoot street photography, looking out! This is what Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander (America by car) did — perfect for us street photographers stuck in the suburbs.
Dear friend,
In seeking “happiness†I’ve discovered that happiness isn’t an emotion, owning a lot of stuff, or having wealth and honors. Instead, happiness is “eudaimoniaâ€â€” human flourishing!
Dear friend,
I am excited and proud to share our newest product with you: the HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO (also available on Amazon in CREMA BROWN or PHANTOM BLACK)
Lecture #1 for PHOTOLOSOPHY: what is photolosophy and why is it important?
One of the simplest and most effective compositions we can integrate into our photography are triangle compositions. Some basic ideas:
Practical Golden Triangle composition tips when shooting street photography:
Currently in the suburbs of LA, and been actually able to make interesting and fun photos here!
Dear friend,
A simple idea I wanted to share with you: focus on building your courage and bravery in photography and life; don’t worry too much about “skillâ€.
Dear friend,
If you want honest feedback on your photos, share them on ARSBETA.COM — if not, you can always critique your own photos!
Dear friend,
I’m currently experiencing blissful peace in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and meditating more on life. A thought: I believe that living a happy life is more than just peace and tranquility; we also need danger, excitement, adventure, and uncertainty (war!)
Shoot on my fellow streettog
Keep on clicking and rack up a backlog of unseen photos
Dear friend,
A curious question I’ve been having: is it possible to live a happy life in the suburbs?
