If you want a sharp and compact camera, get the RICOH GR II (no anti aliasing filter, which means super sharp photos!):

The LEICA M-D; the ultimate zen minimalist digital camera.

Great job streettogs on the park assignment. Make sure to enroll for ELDERLY ASSIGNMENT (#3). Jump to ERIC KIM FORUM for more fun!

My buddy (the ancient Greek, pre-socratic) philosopher Anaxagoras has some pretty fantastic atomic theories in philosophy. A basic concept is that everything is comprised of dark and light, and other opposites. The reason this was fascinating to me was this: the word “composition” literally means “what something is comprised of, or made of”. Therefore a photographic composition isn’t just lines, shapes, and forms (as Henri Cartier-Bresson believed it to be), but actually something deeper; the contents of a photograph, and why a photograph has power, dynamic emotions, and soul!

I believe it is self evident and obvious that all of us as photographers seek “happiness” in our photography. But what does that even mean? How can one achieve happiness in photography? Is happiness everlasting in photography? What role does money, fame, and external measures of success play into photography? Let’s examine. #photolosophy

Lumix LX100 and 24mm focal length Street Photography in Singapore:

A simple entrepreneurial idea: to thrive in today’s modern society, create your own niche, create your own ideal lifestyle, and figure out how you can improve your life!

Never stop singing
And dancing to the melody of life
Life is more than pain and strife
Its full of hope and smiles
Never forget– you’ll probably live long, and be around for a while

Ain’t nobody stopping you!
You got two shoes and ambition
Follow your own gut and volition!

Make better photos by integrating S.A.P. (shape, arrangement, position) as well as C.I.A. (Contour, Inter-Contact, Position) to your photography!

Why wait on making photos?

You have a camera, yet you don’t take it with you everywhere you go. You don’t have the motivation/inspiration to take photos. You are patiently awaiting the day you can travel, and go on vacation before you feel inspired to make photos.

Interesting philosophical idea I came across from the old-school (pre-socratic//aka, before socrates) philosopher Anaximander: that the soul is something that has the capacity to set our movement in motion! #MOVEMEAN

Why I am anti-moderation:

Why we must control ourselves, and self govern our own actions, behavior, and attitude in life:

Getting my #heraclitus on; based on his saying, “No man steps into the same river twice” [because neither the river is the same, nor is the man the same].

I can’t speak for you, but photography has brought me so much happiness, joy, and meaning in my life.

Democritus– one of the best (OG — ‘original gangster’) pre-socratic philosophers:

It is evident that the new Leica M10 is the best digital rangefinder for street photography. The camera is fantastic. Let me share more of my experiences shooting with the Leica M10 and the Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit lens in ‘real life’:

I see this sucker mistake being made all the time in modern society; we mistake activity (answering emails, swiping and typing on our phones) for achievement. What we must focus on is effective, meaningful, and purposeful activity — in order to achieve what is substantial to us!

I borrowed my friend Dav’s new Digital Leica CL for the weekend in Singapore– and man, I was blown away.

I’ve shot with all the cameras in the world, and I can easily say that the RICOH GR II is the best camera for street photography. Why? Let me explain:

Dear friend,

A recognition: to seek true happiness, wisdom, and self actualization; focus on unlearning in life, not “learning”.

I’ve achieved my dream of living nomadically and pursuing my passion of photography. I want to share a little bit of how this lifestyle is, and why I enjoy this lifestyle.

If you’re traveling, shoot street photography at the airport!

New upcoming products from HAPTIC INDUSTRIES:

Dear friend,

Simple question: why share photos?

Saigon is my favorite city in the world. Why? Let me share:

Compositions sketches with iPad and screenshot tool:

Here’s some practical life hacks and travel hacks for you:

My favorite Hanoi photos from 2016. Shot in RAW with RICOH GR II x ERIC KIM PRESET:

Sounds like a basic question: but what’s better for photography or street photography: black and white or color?

MY FIRST PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK (Print Edition): Pick one up for your child or yourself! Only in a limited print run of 20 copies:

STREET CLUB ASSIGNMENT #3: photograph the elderly!

VSCO phone street photography:

A photography composition lesson: take photos from very far (or very close) to show a sense of scale.

Don’t miss out your opportunity to pick up a signed first edition copy of SUITS > (only 19 copies available!)

I’m currently studying the photos of Robert Capa, and this is what amazes me about his work: he documented history, with beautiful artistry and composition.

A fun idea: start a photography project based on your passions or side hobbies!

The rolling stone gathers no moss, you’re the boss

Dear friend,

To philosophize a bit on life — let’s ask ourselves the question, “What moves us?” “What is the primary driver, or motivation behind our actions?” “Why live and wake up in the morning?” — or in simple words, “What moves us?” #philosophy

Dear friend,

I wanted to philosophize a bit with you on failure. Namely, the upside of failure — and why pushing your limits until you fail is a good thing. #zenoferic

A photolosophy idea: by photographing at a close proximity to your subjects, you’re more likely to feel the emotions of your subjects. And the closer you are to your subjects and the closer you frame them (with a wide angle lens), the more emotional connection your viewer can feel from your photos!

Philosophy means love of wisdom (philos=love) Sophia (wisdom).

I then thought as photographers we are also philosographers (lovers of making photos, or loving painting with light)! #photolosophy

Currently reading the Aeneid, super inspired:

Photography is fun because it is random, chaotic, and unpredictable. Photography would be boring if everything were totally optimized and predictable #inpraiseofrandomness

RICOH GR II in JPEG positive film preset, with Lightroom iPad additional contrast processing:

Why do I keep all my photos open source, and free for you to download and “steal”?

Ethics is a tricky business. There are no ultimate ethics which apply to everyone, nor should there.

A good rule of ethics is the silver rule: don’t do unto others as you don’t want others to do unto you. #zenoferic

Dear friend,

I’m quite convinced: one of the keys to “true” happiness in joy in life is to be self-employed; to NOT have a boss– to work for yourself, according to your own schedule; to essentially create your own business and job for yourself. #entrepreneurship

An essay means (in French), an “attempt”. A photo essay is attempting to tell a story or show a certain perspective of something through photographs!

You got your personal power
To give you the strength to Hustle hard, hour after hour

RICOH GR II jpeg in high contrast positive film JPEG setting, and some work the LUMIX Lx100:

Dear friends,

A life update from Saigon:

Insofar much as I know, true “happiness” in life is eliciting more joy, meaning, and purpose in our lives. I don’t have the answer for others, but I know (some) of the answers for myself:

In today’s crazy technological world, we are always trying to “optimize” our lives. But what does “optimize” really even mean, and is it actually something desirable, to have the most optimized life?

Dear friend,

I think what we’re trying to do in street photography is capturing the souls of others, as well as reflecting our own soul in the photos we make.

Some practical #photolosophy thoughts— don’t seek to add in your photography, seek to SUBTRACT from your photography, in order to make better photos, be less distracted, and to distill more purpose and meaning into your photography and life!

Dear friend,

The cool thing about life: our future is not pre-determined. We have the power to change our own future, by creating our own culture, or even importing parts of culture from other places on earth (or cultures from past history), for you to become the most epic you possible!

New HAPTIC Notebooks available. Contact Cindy at hapticindustries@gmail.com and tell us which cover you like!

A philosophical inquiry: what were you designed to do in your life? Or in more precise words, what do you wish to designate yourself to do in life? #zenoferic

I’m often criticized for being to aggressive in real life; but for myself, I see myself as “friendly-aggressive”.

Dear friends,

I am super excited to share that PHOTO JOURNAL: Mobile Edition is now live!

New batch of photos from Saigon, shot on Lumix G9 RAW (processed with VSCO a6 preset), and some LX100 photos:

If you’re shooting street photography while on the road, here are some practical tips I’ll give you (advice I wish I could have given myself:

Will power: the power of our will to enact change which we desire to see in reality / the power to create things we desire to create! #entrepeneurship

To promote my first print photo book, SUITS, I wanted to share some personal lessons and tips on working on your own photography project.

Dear friend,

I was philosophizing about life, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking with my sister ANNETTE KIM, and I asked her– what keeps potential artists from continuing what they do? Annette told me — perhaps because people lose encouragement? Or they become discouraged?

But what does it really mean to be discouraged? What does it mean to be ‘encouraged’? And what does the root word, ‘courage’ even mean anyways? #zenoferic

Preorder SUITS, available for preorder now.

I shoot photos because for me, it is applied visual sociology; I can use the camera as my research tool to analyze, critique, and hopefully change society.