Orange: relaxing, the color of food, the color of skin, fresh, energizing:

(more…)

Dear friend,

A revelation: to find more joy and happiness in life, produce more!

(more…)

Dear friend,

A practical life philosophy: Do You.

(more…)

Practical tips to make better black and white photos:

(more…)

Dear friend,

Currently in Saigon, and pondering– how can you live the best possible life, and what does that even mean?

(more…)

Dear friend,

Don’t miss your chance to take your street photography to the next level at my upcoming Singapore Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography Workshop (July 21-22, 2018):

(more…)

Dear friend,

I just finished re-watching the MATRIX; and oh man, this movie is so epic– not only in terms of the concept behind the film, but the ‘pop philosophy’ sayings are pretty good as well. And the cinematography is pretty solid as well.

(more…)

Hustle hustle hustle
Keep shaking your creative tree; make the leaves rustle

(more…)

I think as photographers we want real and honest feedback on our photos, thus I created ARSBETA.COM with my friend Kevin (CTO) and Cindy (COO):

(more…)

Here are my favorite street photography quotes from the masters of photography:

(more…)

Inspired by CINDYPROJECT, I want to meditate on the concept of ‘The Photographic Moment’.

(more…)

Lumix G9 + 12mm f/1.4 Leica Lens x ERIC KIM PRESETS:

(more…)

Dear friend,

The best advice I can give you to thrive as a photographer in today’s digital age: OWN YOUR OWN PLATFORM, which means: make your own photography website/blog, and make sure you own the FTP, the backend, and the open-source platform!

(more…)

Just flew via EVA air for 20 hours, and arrived in Saigon, and made a what’s in my bag Youtube Video.

(more…)

I met a guy named Tank and we had a super deep talk about philosophy and life. I asked him what his personal philosophy in life was, and he told me simply: “To best effectively utilize my human metabolism [for humanity].” It was probably the most elegant explanation I’ve heard so far, something I also believe in.

---

What is metabolism?

To my understanding, metabolism is the process of biological organisms to consume energy, and to expend energy. For example as humans, we must eat food and water to survive. Our bodies then metabolize that food and water to keep our human body functioning. Ideally we would want our human body to have the maximum amount of energy, the maximum amount of strength, with the least amount of waste, fat, and superfluous excess.

Then of course for our human metabolism to work, we must also excrete waste material (human excrement), and we also need other things like sunlight, sleep, temperature/warmth, etc. There’s probably a billion other things that the human body needs to have an “optimal” metabolism that we don’t yet know, of and might never know of.

Anyways, my current interest is this:

How can I best “hack” my body, in order to have the maximum of energy, focus, and creative output?

---

Let me explain my reasoning:

1. Biological metabolism mandates that the organism must eventually die. The biological function of metabolism wouldn’t work, if we would never die. Metabolism is a steady process that ends in the death of the biological organism. Therefore, death is nothing we can ever cheat.
2. So far, the maximum lifespan of a human being has been around 120 years. Assuming we can extend the human metabolism (like we can live to be 200 years old), I’m not sure whether that would be desirable assuming your strength/bodily health was in the condition of a 120 year old. I think people would only want to live to be 200+ years old, assuming their body was at most the condition of a healthy 75-year-old.
3. Therefore our goal isn’t to live forever, or to live for a very long time. What we desire is to live as long as we can, in a “healthy” state. What that means is that ultimately we want our bodies to be strong, full of energy, optimism, and agile/supple. We want to have strong muscles, flexible joints, absence of chronic back pain, and we want to have enthusiasm to live everyday to the fullest!
4. Assuming this is the case, while we are (still) alive, it makes sense to me to have a lifestyle which gives us the maximum amount of strength and energy.
5. To me, the best way to have the maximum amount of strength and creative energy is a combination of nutrition (what you eat), what you drink (no sugar), your physical activity (lifting heavy stuff, and walking long distances for fun), creative activity (art stuff you make), social connections (social interactions), and your own mental state (philosophy). Therefore I’m still on a quest to understand how How to maximize all of these things, because it is my self-dictated purpose in life is to discover truths about art, philosophy, and life.

---

So, what have I learned so far?

1. Ketogenic diet seems to be “optimal” so far. This means no starches, no sugar, no fructose (no sweet fruit), carbohydrates (“simple and complex carbs”), no dairy, no bread, no rice, no tubers (potatoes, root vegetables), no cruciferous vegetables, and no foods which are generally white. All the food I eat is fatty meat (pork belly, ground beef), fish, coconut oil, leafy greens, eggs, organ meats (liver, heart), or anything that once had a heartbeat. With eating non-starchy and no sugar foods, I get less “food coma” after meals, thus I have more energy throughout the day to write more, read more, make more videos, photograph and video more, and to produce more.
2. I also practice “intermittent fasting” (only 1 big meal a day). I generally fast from breakfast and lunch, and usually will eat a massive dinner after 4pm, then pass out and go to sleep. Or sometimes take a long nap after eating, wake up, do some more work, eat a little more, then go back to sleep. This has worked for me because when I’m hungry, I’m actually more focused. And I have a motivation to work hard, because I know after 4pm I have a delicious meal waiting for me. Random benefits: food tastes 100x more delicious after fasting! So if you’re a “foodie” who loves the taste of food, this actually seems to be an optimal strategy.

Generally this combination of ketogenic eating and intermittent fasting has made me insanely productive, strong, full of energy, and I’ve also built muscle mass, and cut down my body fat. At the age of 30, I’m the most “ripped/cut” I’ve ever been, and the most productive and self-confident as well.

---

Isn’t this dangerous?

No it isn’t. Consider Muslims fast regularly during Ramadan (no food and water during the day, in the insane heat of the middle east), and they’re fine.

Also if we look at animals like lions, when we feed them 3 square meals a day, they become lazy, lethargic and get fat. Even trained Hawks do well when they’re constantly in a fasted state (it heightens their taste for blood).

Also, to be honest, I think it’s probably 50x more dangerous to have a Red Bull and Vodka at the club, Ecstacy, Smoking Cigarettes, and drinking soda and twinkies for your health than fasting, and sticking to a Ketogenic diet.

But isn’t high fat bad for you?

No. Read the book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes, or his more accessible “Why we get fat” book.

Fun fact: when wolves kill an animal, they immediately eat the fatty organ meats (most nutritious), and they leave the lean meat for scavengers.

---

Metabolic disease

If you see someone who is 300 pounds and full of excess bodily adipose tissue (fat), they’re probably suffering from “metabolic disease” or “metabolic syndrome”. Essentially the reason why they’re fat is because their metabolism is out of whack.

What causes metabolic damage? Essentially when we eat a lot of sugar or starchy vegetables/carbohydrates, our body ejects excess insulin into our blood stream, to stabilize our blood sugar levels. But these extreme peaks of excess insulin production from our body damages our body.

This is why when you eat a huge bowl of pasta (with a sweet Coca Cola with high fructose corn syrup, which is actually worse than white sugar/sucrose), you get “food coma” and feel super tired afterwards, and want to sleep.

---

Essentially, you can eat whatever you want and life however you want. But for myself, I want to live limitless, and to keep climbing higher like Icarus (but with better wings). I want to fly towards the sun, and achieve my personal maximum in life, before I die in my 90s, or at worst, today in a plane or car crash.

MEMENTO MORI,
ERIC

Become the best version of you

1. Diet, Health, and Fitness for Photographers
2. My Experience Eating Only One Meal a Day
3. How to Get Cut.

Dear friend,

A thought I had that reminded me of Socrates famous saying, “Others live to eat; I eat to live!.”

(more…)

Red: The most bold color, the color of blood, lust, death, anger:

(more…)

Dear friend,

I was thinking at the gym, and I had the realization: my number 1 skill in life isn’t photography, art, philosophy, sociology or whatever; it is the “art of people”, or the art of interacting with strangers, and people I know/love.

(more…)

Did you ever see a great street photograph, and wonder– “How did that street photographer make that photo?” If you’re curious like me — study CONTACT SHEETS (the behind-the-scenes of how a photographer made an image):

(more…)

Learn more in STREET PORTRAIT MANUAL.

(more…)

SAIGON SATCHEL: only 11 left in stock. Don’t miss your opportunity to stand out from the crowd, and always be ready before the decisive moment in street photography.

(more…)

Dear friend,

You got all the creative DNA you need to make you fly to the next level!

(more…)

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

(more…)

Inspiration
Pull up to your creative gas station
It’s premium
No self hate or poison, it’s unleaded

(more…)

Continuing our Space Odyssey 2001 series:

(more…)

Blue: calm, relaxing, the ocean.

(more…)

Photographing your loved ones is the most meaningful thing you can do, which is why I made CINDYPROJECT.

(more…)

ARTIST STATEMENT

CINDY PROJECT is an art concept—a musical album of photographic statements on the fleeting and evolving nature of life and love.

(more…)

Prototype of HENRI Pouch. Email Cindy at hapticindustries@gmail.com if you would like to be put on the waiting list, or fill out this Google Form.

(more…)

If you want more personal meaning in your photography, I recommend starting your own personal photography project.

---

(more…)

PHANTOM BLACK: Henri Shoulder Strap on Amazon 🔥🔥🔥.

---

Limited-Edition PHANTOM BLACK Henri Shoulder Strap. Always have your camera strapped on your neck or shoulder, and make some new epic visual boulders.

Make hot photos, make it smolder.

Make photos everyday, regardless of the day, or whether it’s black and grey. Keep prowling the streets with the PHANTOM.

---

Never miss another decisive moment again.

Never stop shooting. Win win win!

PHANTOM BLACK on AMAZON >

PHANTOM BLACK in Haptic Shop (For international shipping) >

Make sure to also check out all HENRI/ERIC KIM STRAPS by HAPTIC >

I’m in this interesting genre of photography called “street photography”. It’s a funny, fulfilling, and epic genre of photography in which we have this passion and curiosity of photographing strangers.

But before I talk about specifics on how to photograph strangers, let’s tackle a bigger question: Why photograph strangers?

So for myself, I photograph strangers because it opens up my world, perspective, and fulfills my inner-curiosity in other people. I studied sociology (the “science” of people) in school, and have always found human beings to be the most fascinating things. Why? Because it’s practical; as humans we all have to live in society with other humans. So sociology tackles questions like, “How can I best live with other people? How can I “succeed” in a world with other people?” And the deepest question,

What does it mean to be human?

---

Xenophobia

In modern society, we have “xenophobia” (xeno: foreign / phobia: fright). We are afraid of the foreign. We’re afraid of foreign people; we even all them “illegal aliens” (dehumanizing them, seeing them like green aliens from UFOS).

I think street photography is the opposite reaction. We have “xenophilia” (love of foreigners). We are curious in other human beings (just like children), and we aren’t clouded with judgements, biases, racism, or stereotyping.

For example, when I was a kid, I didn’t see color. My best friends when I was 11 years in Bayside, Queens (New York) was my buddies Spencer (Spanish), Aditya (Indian), Jonathan (Jewish), Christian (Brazilian), Steven Chen and Pai (both Chinese), David (Korean). We were the ultimate rainbow crew, and we never hated on one another, besides when my friends said my house smelled like kimchi, and my friend Adityas house smelled like curry.

Anyways, I also believe that photographing strangers builds empathy. We feel their pain, we feel their emotions, we see the world from their perspective. We can also feel their joy, excitement, and warmth!

Sociology was a great major, but limited. We weren’t allowed to take photos of people and communities we were studying, because of “ethical” concerns. But now, I feel like I’m onto something interesting; bringing the gap between Sociology and Photography, which is street photography or Visual Sociology.

We use visual images (photos, videos etc) to better understand people, humanity, and society!

---

How to Photograph Strangers

We can photograph strangers in many different ways. For example,

1. Ask for permission to take their photo

2. Shoot their photograph without permission (candidly, without talking or interacting with them)

3. First start talking to your subject, then take photos of them while they’re talking (without permission).

4. Start talking to the stranger then about 5 minutes in, ask for permission to photograph them.

---

I’ve also found these tips to help:

1. Tell your subject you’re nervous to photograph them. This will make your subjects more empathetic, and more willing to be photographing them.

2. Give your subject “tactful flattery“, compliment them on why you find them interesting or beautiful.

3. Try to get rejected. Approach a bunch of strangers and ask for permission to photograph them, and keep asking until you get 10 rejections/”no’s”. More assignments in STREET HUNT.

---

Prepare to get rejected

Practical tip: take a Stoic approach. Expect to get rejected before asking for permission. This means if you get rejected, you won’t be sad or offended.

Shooting without permission

My simple suggestion, when photographing strangers without permission: If you take photos of a stranger, and they notice you making their photo, don’t just turn around and run away. Instead, make eye contact and smile! Smiling is the ultimate “life hack” in life and photography.

Predict the worst case scenario

Another Stoic Street Photography approach: Prepare for your subject getting angry. Then how will you respond?

I generally just apologize, and move on. I’ll look at the photo on my lcd screen, and if the photo isn’t good, I’ll delete it. If the photo is good, I will just say “Sorry for offending you, but I don’t delete photos.”

To be honest, you might get into trouble photographing kids. But I do it all the time, with no problems. I just make sure TO NOT be candid. I talk with the kids, I interact with them. I crouch down and play with them. I open up my own inner child with them, and then the parents are cool. Often, I’ll offer to email the photo to the parents.

You’re doing a good thing for society!

Never forget, you’re not just a creep or a weirdo for shooting street photography. You’re a visual historian, you’re a visual-social anthropologist. You’re doing a “net positive” to society by making photos of others, even if you might “minorly annoy” them.

Photography has to do with the impermenance of life, the fleeting moment, and documenting beauty around us. As photographers, we aren’t just photographers. We are artist-philosophers whom are seeking to understand both ourselves and others through the act of making photos.

---

Questions to reflect on:

1. What kind of mood or emotion are you trying to convey through your photos?

2. Are your photos more about yourself, or others?

3. If you didn’t own Facebook or Instagram or any other form of social media, would you still make photos? Where else would you share your photos? Who would you share your photos with?

4. How does it feel while you’re in the zone of making photos? How do you feel once you get home? How do you feel when you’re looking through your photos?

5. Ultimately, are you a positive/optimistic person and photographer, or are you a pessimist?

For myself, whenever I make a photo of anything or of a stranger, I’m blessing them. I see a person or a moment and I think,

Wow this is a beautiful moment. I want to capture this moment and share it with others, to inspire and empower others as much as this moment empowered me!

---

Seeing through the eyes of someone else

Photography is phenomenal. Consider, you can show others what you saw! You have the control to frame your scene in a way which you want to present your own version of reality. Isn’t that amazing???

Ultimately, I always see photography as self therapy. When I’m making photos, I’m happier. I’m more optimistic. I find more beauty and joy in the world!

Don’t just take photos of strangers. Photograph your loved ones, just like how I photograph Cindy.

Ultimately the fate we all share is death. So never let fear hold you back from making any type of photos.

---

Be bold, and fly higher. Make more photos and rack up those frequent fliers.

Make photos which make your heart sing. Keep on winning everyday, win that 6th ring.

Don’t worry about the gear or equipment. Make photos with whatever camera or phone you have, just make sure to shoot photos which you think are authentic and real to you. Stay glued to your own creative vision, just like super glue.

With photography, we have a lot to chew with our eyes. Much of the world is shrouded in shadows and disguised. Before you die, before your own personal demise, be the nice guy, and smile. You’re going to be alive for a while, so why not use that opportunity to make photos that make your heart sing?

Make photos, dance and love. Be the black swan, Michael Jackson with the thrilling white glove.

Your photos might scare, confuse, or provoke, but don’t choke! Never doubt yourself, and stay true, even though you’re beaten pink and blue.

The world is a fun visual zoo; your own personal visual playground. So don’t quiet or mute yourself; play your photos loud!

ERIC

Hey brother, I understand your relationship to the gram
Every morning we wake up and turn to the left and pick up our phone
How many new likes did I get? How many new followers did I get?

What’s your plan for getting more followers? What’s the new hashtag I should hop on?

Oh shit, it’s not noon yet, I can’t upload for my fans. I wonder how many more likes I can get?

Stuck in traffic with the phone, no don’t pick up your phone; leave it alone.

---

With the gram I had no more focus, no more ZEN zone. My mind constantly distracted and defracted. How do I do one thing at a time? Nah, no focus, no tactics for getting real work done.

As kids we’re always told to think outside the box, to innovate, and make new stuff. But now we’re all stuck in boxes. Boxes on the gram, our box cars, our box cubicles, our boxed meals, and our boxed minds.

I say don’t be a slave to the gram; make your own master plan for making new epic shit. Shred your old melody, make it ring. Make your creative heart sing, and shine hard like bling.

Everyday make a new thing, and upload it to your own website or blog. Beat it up like eggnog, share it when though it isn’t perfect. If it’s 80% good enough, hit publish.

Own your own platform, be in your own zone. Today is a new day; build your own Rome.

HUSTLE HARD,
ERIC

Why I Deleted My Instagram

If you want to make more meaningful photos of your life, photograph your partner, your best friend; perhaps your wife.

(more…)

What does it feel like to be “famous”, what are the benefits of fame? Is it desirable to be famous, or actually harmful/negative? Let me share some of my perspectives being an “internet famous” photographer.

---

Okay so upfront, it’s “net positive” for me to be internet famous. Why? It has opened up a lot of doors for me, which have led to interesting experiences (traveling, teaching workshops internationally, giving talks all around the globe), meeting cool people (so many interesting people I’ve met through photography, through random business connections or through my own workshops), and of course I have much more leverage (social proof, being an “influencer” I think is more important than being rich, in terms of your “social power”).

Fame/influence is one of those funny things that you cannot buy; so in a sense fame is better than money. A philosophical question (assuming you can only have one): would you rather be rich and unknown, or famous and poor?

For example, Gandhi was “famous” but vowed a life of poverty. Obama isn’t poor (upper middle class in terms of his finances), but is one of the world’s most famous faces.

A lot of people on the internet (myself included) are famous, but don’t make that much money. For example currently I’m in the $100-200k yearly salary income bracket (combined income wirh Cindy) which is rich for 99.9% of the world, but I’m certainly not rich in comparison to my hedge fund manager friends, my surgeon friends, or venture capitalist friends.

But of course there are downsides to fame. Honestly, 99% of the downsides are mental (in yourself). For myself, the higher I flew, the more afraid I was of falling. When you accrue a certain number of followers, regardless of how many followers you have (whether 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10k, 20k, 50k, 100k, 200k, 1m, 2m, etc) seeing any negative dip is painful. 2,000 years ago there was a wise stoic saying (learned it from Seneca I think):

Pulling out a hair from a bald man (poor person) is as painful as pulling out a hair from a man with much hair (rich person).

It’s kind of how it would be more painful for someone worth 1 billion dollars to drop owning “only” 10 million dollars, compared to someone who is worth 1 million dollars dropping to being worth 500,000 dollars. What causes more psychological pain is the percentage drop, not the “absolute sum”. Kind of reminds me of the stock broker person worth 100 million dollars who committed suicide after losing 90 million dollars, leaving himself with “only” 10 million dollars to live on (oh, the shame, the shame!!!)

Anyways, this is what happens to you psychologically once you become “famous”: you end up becoming more risk-averse, which means, you stick to the “tried and true” formulas, and you stop innovating. You just end up repeating yourself, and end up boring yourself to death/feeling frustrated and lost.

For example let’s say you become famous for your black and white photography, or your street photography. If you suddenly stop shooting that way, and you start to share color family portraits, you’re going to start losing followers. And that is psychologically painful to everybody, no matter how famous, rich, or powerful you are.

I think in order to live the happiest and most epic and fulfilling life, we must seek to constantly innovate, to break new frontiers, and to discover new processes, tools, and technologies to drive ourselves and the human race forward! Ultimately I think innovation for the sake of innovation is worth it; especially if our innovations end up helping ourselves and others.

So once again, the danger of becoming famous is that you stop innovating. Steve Jobs was greatly inspired by the book, “The innovators dilemma” which tackles the similar problem: successful and big companies stop innovating, and end up fasting into obsolescence.

Personal heroes of mine

Some stories and people whom inspire me to constantly innovate, even in the face of opposition and self-doubt:

1. Bob Dylan who went electric after making a name for himself signing protest songs on an acoustic guitar.
2. Kanye West who started to autotune his voice and sing/rap when all rappers were doing “Gangsta” rap (808s and heartbreak album). Or when Kanye West made his “Yeezus” album, bridging the gap between rap and rock music (donning black leather jackets, and making beats with heavy metal guitar riffs).
3. Steve Jobs who pushed for the iPhone even though he knew it would “cannibalize” their already popular iPod sales.

---

Anyways, I think the benefits of being famous are the following:

1. You can build a popular platform to share positive messages, ideas, in order to empower others and society. The more famous you are, the more people you can influence, or have a higher likelihood of influencing another influential person.

2.

I think it was Weegee who first said, “F8 and be there!” in terms of his advice for aspiring photographers (thanks to my friend Kevin for the idea).

(more…)

Continuation of 2001: Space Odyssey Composition.

(more…)

Dear friends,

Fresh off the HAPTIC PRESS: 10 Ways to Boost Your Creativity: PDF Visualization by ANNETTE KIM!

(more…)

Dear friend,

I want to take it back to basics to your photography: to respark your passion and enthusiasm for photography. Let’s take it back to “first principles” by asking ourselves, “What is photography, and why shoot photos?”

(more…)

5 practical street photography compositions you can integrate into your photography today!

(more…)

Continuation of Part 1: Cinematography and Composition Lessons from All the Money in the World (2017) film by Ridley Scott.

(more…)

Dear friend,

I think all of us seek to be “happy” in life. But to me, the concept of “happiness” is too vague and imprecise. What I think we are really chasing is the “creative spirit of ecstasy” (inspired by the Rolls Royce emblem).

(more…)

You’re on a new level
You’ve sharpened your bezels
Putting your self-doubt in the dirt
You deserve a gold medal!

Yesterday you took an L, but today you’re ready to fight back
You’re back in beast mode, black eyes, ready to go fast

You’re on a totally new spiritual plane
Ain’t nobody else in your atmosphere, your mind and vision is clear

Cheer, dance, smile, giggle, and grin
Remember, you got this shit, all you do is win.

Humans by default aren’t lazy!

A lot of psychologists and pseudo-intellectuals spout that humans are naturally lazy and unmotivated, and this is the cause of our obesity, our lethargy, and laziness. I disagree. I think by nature, humans are adventurous, explorers, and curious individuals who are rather made passive by video games, media, news, social media, celebrity gossip, junk food, drugs, alcohol, etc.

---

In diet and exercise circles, some “experts” say that by default, humans seek to conserve energy, and therefore are naturally “lazy” and won’t expend unnecessary energy.

I disagree with this line of thinking. Of course I cannot speak for everyone, but I’ll speak for myself.

For myself, I get antsy when I stay indoors all day, or if I go long periods of time without exercising, lifting weights, or walking/moving. My body craves movement and physical exertion; without it I get depressed, anxious, frustrated, and my brain doesn’t work as well.

This is my theory why the winter months can be so brutal: not because of the cold, but because the cold prohibits us from going outside and walking around as much. When it’s cold and miserable outside, it is more difficult to be physically active. I know in places where it snows, the snow and ice can even prevent you from driving to to the gym, or prevent you from even leaving your home.

---

If you’re interested in photography or street photography, you are a natural explorer. You desire to discover new things, new places, you desire to meet and encounter new peoples, and you desire to make new photos! Therefore the spirit of hustle, movement, and axtivs energy is what comprises your DNA!

---

So what are the practical takeaways from this line of thinking or philosophy?

1. If you belive that humans are naturally NOT lazy, you begin to have a much more optimistic view of humankind, and even yourself! Remember this narrative of humans being “naturally lazy” isn’t truth; it’s just some opinion or line of thinking which is propagated in our society by “scientists” and other authority-figures/”experts”. Therefore realize that you are allowed to have your own personal philosophical outlook on human beings and human behavior. I don’t think we will ever understand the human being, or biology 100%, which makes studying humanity so interesting! (sociology).
2. Don’t worry so much about the motivations of other humans; you’ll never know what the true intentions of other human beings are, and even they might not know their own motivations. Instead, seek to fully understand your own motivations in life, but also realize that no matter how smart or wise we become, there will always be limits to our own human understanding of ourselves.
3. I am optimistic that we can discover more about ourselves, and the more we discover about ourselves the more purposefully and effectively we can live our own lives, to achieve the goals we truly desire to achieve!

---

Thus the ultimate takeaway is this:

Seek to know thyself (better).

ERIC

Something I’ve been pondering for a a long time: what makes something “beautiful” vs “ugly?” What makes a beautiful photograph, and what makes a “bad”/ugly photograph?

Applied wider: what makes certain designs appealing (car design, bag design, watch design, home design)? Are aesthetics 100% subjective or is there any objectivity in it? Is beauty based on things we’ve been socialized into believing, or is there some biological/evolutionary preference to certain aesthetics?

And taken further; how would you define “aesthetics”, and why even bother studying aesthetics, or what is the societal significance/impact of aesthetics?

---

Why I believe that aesthetics are both subjective and objective

So let me just stream some thoughts:

First of all, I believe that aesthetics are partly subjective and partly objective. Subjective because a lot of beauty is socialized. For example, in the 1800s in France, it was considered more beautiful for women to be plump, and men to be thin. Now in America (2010s) it is considered more beautiful for women to be thin, and men to be bigger and more muscular.

However, I don’t think that all aesthetics are purely subjective. I think there is some objectivity to aesthetics.

For example, if a human being had the physique of Jabba the Hut from Star Wars; I don’t think anyone would find that beautiful. I also believe if you saw a 500 pound person, almost everyone would find that physique as being “ugly”.

---

Where does the objectivity of aesthetics come from?

My theory is that a lot of our innate conceptions of beauty comes from nature and from human survival/thrivival instincts.

For example many aesthetic principles come from nature. For example the “fiboacci spiral” (or the “golden ratio”) is derived from nature. Look at the self-replicating pattern of a

conch shell, the proportions of inside a flower or even note the “fractal” pattern in which trees grow.

Smooth doesn’t (really) exist in nature

The problem with aesthetics is that a lot of modern aesthetics (like smooth surfaces, smooth and flat roads, and buildings/home design) is contrary to nature.

For example, take a walk inside a park, or preferably inside a wild forest. Do you see any flat surfaces or smooth surfaces? No. There is an infinite variety of textures, curves, shapes, forms, which is visually enriching and pleasing to the human eye. It is therefore of my belief that true beauty isn’t 100% symmetrical, isn’t totally smooth, and youth isn’t always the most beautiful thing.

For example, the most beautiful trees we are are knotted, twisted, and grow in all these assymetric patterns. Also of course, the older a tree is, the more we praise it. An older tree is a beautiful tree. Shouldn’t we apply the same philosophy to humans? (the older the human, with the more wrinkles, crevices and texture in their skin, the better and more beautiful?)

---

Anti-symmetry

The bad trend I see in photography is that everyone tries to make their photos perfectly symmetrical. But to me, this is boring.

I think assymetric compositions are far more elegant, interesting, dynamic, and epic than static, symmetrical compositions.

For example study a beautiful bonsai tree. Note how it curves to one direction, yet is still balanced. Assymetry doesn’t mean unbalanced. Trees are assymetric, yet they are still balanced (they don’t topple over).

Taking this into a philosophical direction; perhaps humans can apply an “assymetric” lifestyle, yet still be balanced and strong!

For example, Nassim Taleb talks about the “barbell” (bimodal) strategy to life, where we embrace and thrive off extremes. But the secret is this: you can embrace the extremes in life, yet still be balanced!

---

Practical ideas on embracing the extremes

Things which I do which work for me:

1. Extremes in eating: Either fast during the day (don’t eat nothing, only black coffee and water), until the evening (unlimited feasting of fatty red meats until I get full).
2. Extremes in work/productivity: Either be insanely focused and extreme working, or do absolutely nothing at all (sleeping, resting, or taking a nap). Better than the silly “multitasking” style of working that most modern people do with getting distracted with email, and other forms of pseudo-work.
3. Extremes in personality: 99% of the time I’m a very nice guy. But when I get really angry, I really fucking light off and explode. Better way of signaling when I’m being serious or not, and when I’m upset or not.

---

Modern art

Do you ever look at modern art and youbdonr “Get it?” Happens to me all the time.

Marcel Duchamp revolutionized the field of art when he turned a urinal/toilet and declared it “art”. It challenged all of us to ask ourselves,

What is art, and what is the purpose of art? Can ordinary objects be considered art?

Then you get innovators like Andy Warhol, who turns something as common and mundane as Campbell’s Tomato Soup into an art and cultural object.

Anything you decide is art, is art!

Which means this: Anything which humans consider as “art” is generally a human concept. If humans see something as art, it is art.

Also, I don’t think you need a majority consensus to validate something. For example, if you consider something as “art”: it is art! Of course it is beneficial if multiple individuals agree on something, but your own approval as your own artworks as being art is good enough.

For example, consider that a ruby is the color red. You don’t need 1,000 people to confirm this. Only one person is sufficient to quality/validate this claim.

Also even more interesting (Black Swan concept by Nassim Taleb) is that you only need 1 individual to devalidate or falfisy (Karl Popper) something. For example if for 2,000 years no human has ever seen a black swan (only have seen white swans), that doesn’t mean that black swans don’t exist. It simply means nobody has observed a black swam yet.

Therefore if you’re the person who totally goes against the grain in terms of “rules” in art, aesthetics, life, or whatever; you’re the only black swan that needs to exist, to validate a brand new concept or idea!

---

You have more power than you think you have!

To me this is a very exciting discovery, because it means that you, an individual of 1 person, can totally change the world, and innovate massively! You can be the “Archimedes lever” that can positively change the world for the better!

---

You have the power to dictate what is beautiful in your eyes!

Anyways sorry for getting off topic, to bring it back, my takeaway is this:

If you think something is beautiful or ugly in your eyes, it is.

Now, realize that you shouldn’t superimpose your own personal judgements of beauty on others. Otherwise we will become tyrants.

This means, we must be tolerant towards the views, perspectives, and opinions of everyone in society. But of course there are certain things we should have zero tolerance for; for example slavery, subjugation of women/children/elderly, and we should follow the Hippocratic oath, “Primum non nocere” (First do no harm). Which means, our viewpoints and opinions shouldn’t be used as weapons to harm or attack others.

---

Love yourself

Taken further, use your own opinion of yourself and your own body image as a barometer of your own self-beauty, and your own self-esteem/self-worth.

If you look at yourself in the mirror, and you love the way you look, then you are beautiful! Consider there are some bodybuilders whom no matter how muscular or low body fat percentage they get, they still don’t like what they like looking at.

---

Cultivate your own aesthetics

What do you find beautiful? Keep cultivating your own aesthetic vision.

Whatever you consider ugly, avoid it yourself. But if others find what you consider ugly as beautiful; let them be. Become tolerant to the aesthetic views of others; we can all live in harmony together in society, without forcing others to adopt our own views.

This is the beauty of a free, open, and democratic society. We all have the freedom, choice, and option of living a life however we desire, a life true to ourselves, without being forced to believe something else (dictatorship, slavery, tyrrany).

Be unabashedly you!
ERIC

Dear friend,

A thought I have: when life gives you two options:

• A: Safer, less risky option
• and
• B: Riskier, more uncertain, more adventurous option

Take the option B: the riskier, bolder, or more interesting/adventurous option to live a happier, more fun, and more interesting life!

---

My reasoning is this:

1. What we often perceive as being the “safer” option isn’t actually that safe. For example, the banker who had a “safe” job, ended up losing their shirt during the subprime mortgage stock crash. In the thinking of Nassim Taleb, there is no truly “safe” option in life, and all risk-assessment tools we have right now aren’t accurate.
2. In today’s society, it is pretty much impossible to stave to death, or die from the cold, die from thirst, etc. Therefore, to me it means that we shouldn’t let fear of impoverishment/death dictate our lifestyle choices, or how we decide to live our lives! I believe living a more interesting life means to take more chances, to take more “calculated” risks, and for us to take the more adventurous option in life!

---

For example, let’s say you have two options for a vacation:
– Option A: The “tried and true” place you like to travel to, and
– Option B: You have another option of a place which you haven’t been to yet, but it might be even better or more interesting place than option A.

Which do you choose?

---

I believe taking the Option B in life is far more interesting, fulfilling, and fun for us in life, than taking the “safe”/boring Option A!

For myself whenever I take the less certain route/option in life, I learn more. I develop more. I evolve more. I have more new and exciting ideas which spark in my mind. Encountering random and novel ideas are a positive stimulus to my life! This randomness , chaos and chance is what makes life interesting, exciting, and worth living!

---

Other ways to apply this line of thinking in practical ways of life:

1. If you’re given a more risky job option, take the riskier job than the “safer job”, especially when your potential upside is higher than the safer choice. For example, opt for working at a “risky” startup, which can revolutionize the world, instead of taking the “safe” job at Google or Microsoft.
2. If you’re out shooting photos on the streets, don’t always walk in the same neighborhoods or areas. Add variety to where you shoot photos! Shoot in new neighborhoods, and realize that you don’t need to travel far to find interesting and new places! Even shooting photos in a different part of your town will be sufficient “differentness” to stimulate your creative spirit!
3. Spend more time with interesting people, and going to interesting social gatherings, parties, or get-togethers. You will increase your likelihood of meeting interesting people who will empower you. At worst, you might just waste an evening.

---

“Yall here still taking advances, huh? Me and my n*ggas are taking real chances, huh!” – JAY Z

Your life is short. At best you’re going to live to be 100 years old. At worst you might die tonight in your sleep.

Why waste any second, day, hour, or duration of your life doing boring stuff? Taking the boring option in life?

You were destined for epic greatness. Never let fear hold you back from taking the more adventurous, interesting, or bold option in life!

MEMENTO MORI,
ERIC

New batch of photos from the suburbs of LA, shot on Lumix G9, Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens, and medium-JPEG processed in ERIC KIM PRESETS:

(more…)

I’ve been super inspired by my 3 year old niece, Amelia. The way she sees the world with curiosity, excitement, and fun!

Why see the world from a child’s eyes?

Our entire life we’ve been taught to “grow up”, to stop being so “childlike”, and for us to listen to rules, to obey, and to follow instructions.

It’s insanely sad, and an injustice to humankind. We are essentially crushing the creativity out of children, in order for them to become perfect test-taking, email-answering machines.

It is of my belief that children are far more innovative, interesting and epic than adults. Children question the status quo, children test assumptions for themselves (they intuitively follow the “first principles” approach), they don’t just listen to adults for the sake of it, and they are continually curious, learning, and hungry to learn and do more!

We see this mentality being followed with all the great innovators of history. Pablo Picasso once famously said, “Every child is born an artist. The problem is staying an artist as you get older.” Steve Jobs was infamous for throwing “tantrums”, crying, and acting essentially like a big “man baby” at times, when he didn’t get things his way. Kanye West also says that when he is trying to make a new song, he tries to create like his 2 year old self. An even wiser saying from Kanye, “I want to become more and more childlike as I get older. When I die, I want to be 0 years old.”

In an interview when someone asked Kanye, “What do you think a genius is?” his answer was simply, “A genius is a kid with good parents.” (meaning, a parent who supports the child in their own personal inquiries, and doesn’t beat the curiosity out of the child).

---

Why?

I think the best 3 letter word in the dictionary is, “Why?”

As children, we incessantly ask, “Why?” when we are told by our parents, teachers, or authority figures to do stuff. But the adults wrongly say, “Because I said so!” (the worst thing you can ever tell a child). Thus as we get older, we become trained like domesticated dogs (Palaov dog training), to not ask “why”, and we simply follow orders out of fear.

But do we want the future of humanity and our future children simply to live according to fear-avoidance, or do we desire our children to do epic stuff? For them to create new things, to explore new frontiers of knowledge, and for them to innovate to make the lives of humanity better?

---

I’m essentially a man child, or a man baby. I don’t have a good attention span, I get easily bored, and I break a lot of social rules. For example if someone is talking to me and I’m bored, I will often just walk away. Or I interrupt people, or I ask people “Why?” about 5 times, enough to annoy people.

I actually think I was the most creative when I was around 16 years old, when I got my driver’s license, when I got my first job, and I had financial and mobility (driving) independence for the first time in my life. I was also quote independent and free in college. But when I started to get older and got a job, and had to do “adult stuff”, my childlike self started to slowly dither away.

But after living in Vietnam for about a year, and going into intense ZEN MONK seclusion mode, in philosophizing a ton, and questioning everything; I think this is one of my big discoveries:

In order for us to live more creative, fulfilling, and innovative lives, we must act more like our past childlike selves!

---

Some practical ideas:

1. Spend more time with children, play with them, and interact with them. Ask them questions and don’t tell them they’re wrong. Assume you’re the wrong one.
2. Give a kid a camera or a phone camera, and ask them to take photos. See how excited they are, and copy them!
3. Write down a list of dreams, hobbies, and passions you had as a kid. Do you still have them, or pursue them? If so, why? If not, why not?

Be childlike! :)
ERIC

You are power
You can create beauty, hour after hour
You have beautiful gifts,
Share it, and let it shower.

Why doubt yourself?
In life you were dealt a royal flush
Play your cards right
Unleash all of your creative might.

Your future is bright and clear
You got the steering wheel; just steer!

---

Poetry >

Is it okay to die and not have anyone remember you after you die?

(more…)

Dear friend,

If you want to work on your own (meaningful) photography project, this is the advice I would give to you:

(more…)

I think all of us as street photographers are hunters of the “decisive moment”: that split-second of beauty in life.

Definition of the “Decisive Moment”

The term “decisive moment” was coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson (who got the concept from a poem). I would define “the Decisive Moment” as the following:

A moment which shows the beauty of being alive.

To me the interesting thing about the Decisive Moment is this:

You can create your own decisive moments in a street photograph, or you can capture a decisive moment (already) happening.

For example, I have created many decisive moments by interacting with my subjects and eliciting a reaction from my subjects!

I think the mistake we make in street photography is thinking that we cannot “influence” the scene. I think this is silly. It is my belief the more you can influence the scene, the better. Because if you influence the scene, you inject your own soul into the photo!

You can create decisive moments in your street photography by interacting and talking with your subjects. And to never miss the Decisive Moment, always have your camera around your neck (Henri Neck Strap) or wrist (Henri Wrist Strap) and always be ready before you see something interesting happening.

Also, it is important for you to shoot a lot when you see a scene in which you have a feeling that something interesting might happen.

Candid street photography

If you’re shooting candid street photography (making photos of people without their permission) here are some tips I would give you:

1. A decisive moment is a hand gesture, a look in the eyes of your subject, or some sort of interaction you see between several people in a scene. For example the moment someone frowns (like the photo I shot above in Istanbul).

---

1. A decisive moment can also be the moment someone notices you taking their photo. For example, the photo I shot below in Downtown LA (I made a lot of photos of the man below and I took a photo the moment he stuck his finger out at me and said, “Hey are you taking my photo?”

Therefore one technique you can do in street photography is get close to your subject, and keep clicking until they notice you, and then make eye contact with you, or cover their face with their hand:

---

1. Timing: Look for leading lines, and wait for your subject to enter the scene.

The best technical settings to capture the Decisive Moment

1. If you use a new digital camera with very fast auto focus, just use center point aurofocus (or on the Lumix cameras like the G9 or LX100, use intelligent auto mode, where the camera automatically focuses on faces).

2. If you have a manual focusing camera (like Leica or rangefinder), use “zone focusing” (prefocus to 1.2 meters, shoot at f8, and ISO 1600) with a wide angle lens like a 28mm or 35mm lens. This will ensure that everything within the range of around 1.2 meters (roughly two arm lengths away) will be sharp and in focus.

3. If you’re shooting with an iPhone, use the ProCamera app, and prefocus and use the “full screen trigger” mode, to get rid of the camera lag.

4. Always have your camera on, and turn off the “auto camera off” setting on your camera. Or turn the “auto camera off” function to the maximum duration (10-20 minutes).

---

How to see more decisive moments

1. Don’t listen to music or turn off your phone:

Reduce external stimuli, so you can give more energy and focus to your eyes to see!

2. Take your camera with you everywhere you go

Always have your camera ready, carry your camera with you to the grocery store, to Walmart, to Costco, to the restaurant, bar, coffee shop, to the park, or anywhere!

You want to integrate a “regret minimization framework” to your life. Reduce the amount of decisive moments you might miss, by always have your camera on your neck! (Henri Shoulder Strap).

---

Memento mori

The last tip is memento mori: remember that your life is short, and you will die. Live life to the fullest, and never stop hunting for beautiful decisive moments in your everyday life, whether in street photography, personal photography, or your life!

Street portraits (2011-2018) by ERIC KIM:

(more…)

Dear friend,

One of the most challenging things in street photography is mastering your own psychology; to conquer your personal fears in photographing strangers (either with or without permission), to overcome the feeling of moralistic/ethical guilt of photographing strangers, and how to not hesitate before hitting the shutter!

(more…)

Color photography portfolio (2011-2018):

(more…)

Hey STREETTOGS, this is my recommended equipment for street photography:

(more…)

If you’re passionate about color this advice I would give to you on mastering color street photography for yourself:

(more…)

Dear friend,

A random thought: “real” reality is the best reality!

(more…)

ERIC KIM MONOCHROME PORTFOLIO (2010-2018):

(more…)

Why do we get nostalgic?
(more…)

If you are drawn to interesting people, faces, and subjects, I recommend you to shoot street portraits!

(more…)

Dear friend,

If you want to master black and white street photography for yourself, this is the advice I would give you (advice I wish I could have given myself):

(more…)

Continuing from Part 2: Epic Cinematography and Philosophy of 2001 Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick:

(more…)

Dear friend,

I think the most important people you must photograph are your loved ones.

(more…)

Dear friends,

Now that Cindy and I are back in LA for a few weeks (and close to our HAPTIC INDUSTRIES inventory), we are super pumped and excited to announce that our brand new product, the Henri Shoulder Strap is now available on Amazon in the limited-edition colors (CREMA BROWN + PHANTOM BLACK).

(more…)

Kind of a funny experiment I’m testing out: writing (typing on a phone), while on a dynamic treadmill (a treadmill that is purely mechanical and is only moved by the movement of your feet).

(more…)