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Dear friend,

Remember — the initial joy you had in photography, when everything was so interesting?

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Postcards from the Darkroom Series

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A mini epiphany that I had while studying the philosopher Democritus: true happiness in life is about living a DYNAMIC, changing, and evolving one —rather than a static, “safe”, and “comfortable” lifestyle.

(more…)

Dear friend,

If you’re interested in street photography, yet — you have hesitations or fears in street photography, this advice is for you.

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DOWNLOAD PDF

Download PDF presentation on conquering your fears of shooting street photography:

PDF: HOW TO CONQUER YOUR FEARS OF SHOOTING STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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CONQUER YOUR FEARS AND MEET NEW PEERS

Take your street photography to the next level >

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Street photography is 80% guts

To be frank, I think 80% of street photography is just having guts. To have the guts to click the shutter. 20% is skill, and everything else.

I think that street photography is enjoyable because it is so damn hard and scary. If street photography wasn’t scary or difficult, I don’t think it would be enjoyable.

To start off, realize that it is the difficulty and scariness of street photography what makes it so enjoyable. If street photography wasn’t so hard, we would all just be shooting pretty landscape or flower photos.

So first and foremost, recognize that street photography is difficult and scary. And that is OK. Realize that if you feel any fear in Street photography that is a good thing — it means you are human.

And this is my theory: Fear is a good thing — it tells us what to shoot in street photography.

What do you really want to photograph?

For example,

Let’s say you see a scene you want to photograph, but you feel nervous. Your fear or nervousness is a sign that YOU MUST SHOOT THE SCENE. Why? You find the scene fascinating, and the only reason you feel fear is because you desire and want to shoot it.

Think about it: if you didn’t want to photograph the scene, you wouldn’t feel fear.

Therefore, realize that fear is a good thing in Street photography. It guides us, and tells us what to photograph.

Yet, the only problem with fear is when it prevents you from shooting the scene.

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Channel the fear

For example, nowadays, I still feel afraid photographing certain scenes in Street photography. I still get that adrenaline rush, and that chest bumping feeling.

Yet, the secret is to feel the fear of shooting street photography, but still shoot it anyways.

Therefore, always keep that fear with you, but channel it, and use your fear as a guide. What you just want is this:

Don’t let your fear prevent you from hitting the shutter.

Once again to say this more clearly: feel fear, but shoot it anyways.

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7 practical tips to conquer your fear of shooting street photography

Okay so now some practical tips on how to conquer your fears in street photography.

1. Jam out to some good beats

I know some of my friends who like to listen to music while shooting street photography.

I generally think this is a good strategy, if you want to overcome your fears and hesitations in Street photography. But the downside of this strategy is that you might get hit by a car if you’re not paying attention, and also you lose the ability to overhear interesting conversations which might lead to good photo opportunities.

But still, try it out if you’re hesitant in Street photography. Put on some headphones, and listen to some techno, hip hop, jazz music, or whatever gets you in the zone.

For techno/electronic music, Geseffelstein is great (listen to “Viol” or “Hellifornia”.

For hip hop, some good pump it up music is “New Level” From ASAP FERG, or “Rap God” by Eminem.

Jazz music: of course, Miles Davis.

So this is the assignment: find an album or playlist you like, and shoot street photography for about an hour listening to that album or playlist. See how this affects your fear levels in Street photography.

2. Pretend like you’re shooting something behind your subject

Avoid eye contact and pretend you’re shooting something behind your subject, or pretend you’re photographing something else.

3. Smile

This is a basic one: a smile goes a long way, regardless of what country you’re in.

This is one aphorism I recommend:

When in doubt, smile.

When you’re shooting, smile. This way you will feel less self-conscious.

The assignment: for an entire hour, smile at everyone you photograph, and say “thank you”.

You can practice smiling in different ways:

• Smile first, then shoot.
• Shoot while smiling.
• Shoot, then smile afterwards.

A smile works regardless of what country you’re in. Smiling is the universal language.

4. Set your camera to P (program mode), center point autofocus, and ISO 1600

This is ERIC KIM’s patented “set it and forget it” settings. Set your camera to P (program mode), center point autofocus, and ISO 1600.

Honestly, these settings will work 90% of the time in Street photography. And why these settings?

The less you think about your settings in Street photography, the less hesitation you will have before you shoot Street photography.

Hesitation is the enemy in street photography.

Avoid ‘Paralysis by analysis’

Our brain only has so much processing power. It is a waste of energy to think of your technical settings and trying to conquer your fears in street photography.

If you have to always think about your technical settings, you fall into “paralysis by analysis” — you become paralyzed, because you analyze your settings too much.

Try shooting with your camera in P (program mode), center point autofocus, and ISO 1600 for an entire day, and see how it works for you.

5. Use an LCD screen

This is another practical tip: use a point and shoot camera (like RICOH GR II), or just use the LCD screen in your camera for street photography. The problem of using a viewfinder is that it screams “photographer!” too loud, and will draw unwanted attention towards you.

I find shooting with a point and shoot camera makes me more stealth, and makes me look more like a tourist. Anything that can make you look more like a tourist is a good thing. Oh yeah, it also helps that I am Asian (unless I’m shooting in Asia).

This is an unrelated note — but experiment shooting with touristy clothes (fanny pack and tourist t-shirts) when you’re on the streets, and see if people ignore you more.

6. Don’t drop your camera immediately after taking a photo

The biggest tip: don’t drop your camera after taking a photo.

Rather, hold your camera up, shoot, click, and PAUSE.

The mistake we make is that after we take a photo, we immediately drop our camera and move on — which is a dead giveaway that we have taken someone’s photo.

If you want to be more stealth, shoot, click, and pause. This pause confuses people.

Then after you pause, keep clicking. I’ve found in my personal experience: the pause after I shoot street photography is what often leads to more interesting photos. Because I keep shooting, and squeeze more out of the lemon. And for me, the best photos I shoot are generally towards the end.

7. Realize you’re not doing anything wrong

Ask yourself a question,

Do I like having my own photograph taken?

If not, learn how to be comfortable being photographed by others. Because the mistake we make is,

If we don’t like being photographed, we assume others don’t like being photographed.

In reality, there are vain people (like ERIC KIM) who love being photographed.

If you don’t like being photographed, you will assume others don’t like being photographed — and therefore you will feel some sort of guilt when shooting Street photography.

But, you’re not doing anything wrong when shooting street photography.

You’re capturing the beauty of everyday life; and sharing that joy with others — you are doing a GOOD THING for society!

Conclusion

Street photography is hard and scary — yet, that is what makes street photography fun and enjoyable.

My suggestion: seek to hesitate a little less in your street photography everyday.

Also applied to life — what if we had fewer fears, hesitations — how much more could we achieve in life?

BE BOLD,
ERIC

DOWNLOAD PDF

Download PDF presentation on conquering your fears of shooting street photography:

PDF: HOW TO CONQUER YOUR FEARS OF SHOOTING STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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FREE Ultimate Beginners Guide To Street Photography PDF Visualizations >

See all free street photography PDF Visualizations >

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MASTERS

Learn timeless lessons from the masters of street photography >

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STREET NOTES

Take your street photography to the next level with STREET NOTES >

STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION >

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For more inspirational free resources, join ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER and be the first to get exclusive content, access to books, presets, and new upcoming workshops.

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STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

If you’re new to street photography, start here:

• 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
• How to Shoot Street Photography
• Street Photography by Eric Kim

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STREET NOTES.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone with STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition.

STREET NOTES PAPER EDITION ON AMAZON >

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Street Photography Composition Techniques

• 10 Inspirational Sergio Larrain Compositions
• 5 Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography Composition Lessons
• Street Photography Technique: Overlap
• Street Photography Composition Lesson: Chunking
• The Fishing Technique in Street Photography

Street Photography Articles

• Street Photography Lifestyle
• How to Use Tactful Flattery in Street Photography
• How to Conquer Social Anxiety With Street Photography
• Street Photography Secrets Debunked
• 10 Dynamic Street Photography Tips
• The Benefits of Shooting Street Photography
• The Street Photography Manifesto
• My Experience Shooting Digital Medium Format in Street Photography
• Why Do You Feel Guilty Shooting Street Photography?
• Improvise in Street Photography
• Ethics in Street Photography

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LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.

Learn more about MASTERS >

Buy MASTERS on Amazon >

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FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

• The Psychology of Street Photography
• Fundamentals to Street Photography
• How to Conquer Fear in Street Photography
• Street Photography Secrets
• NEO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
• Street Photography Lenses
• Street Photography Settings
• Street Photography Techniques
• Street Photography Ideas
• CLOSER.
• CLEAN BACKGROUND

Street Photography Inspiration

• How to Enter the Street Photography Zone
• Simple Street Photography Tips
• How to Defuse Confrontations in Street Photography 
• How to Make Controversial Street Photographs
• Street Photography Project Ideas
• How to Make Good Street Photos
• Is Defining “STREET PHOTOGRAPHY” a Good Thing?
• STREET PHOTOGRAPHY “RULES” TO BREAK
• Walking Meditation in Street Photography
• 10 COMMANDMENTS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
• Street Photography is Improvisation
• In Praise of Randomness in Street Photography
• How to Become a Fearless Photographer
• How to Make Better Street Photographs
• 12 ERIC KIM Street Photography Assignments
• Meaningful Street Photography
• 25 Street Photography Tips by ERIC KIM

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Beginner Street Photography Articles

Get started in street photography:

Definitions in Street Photography

• Visual Sociology Street Photography
• Why Street Photography?
• What is Street Photography?
• Why Shoot Street Photography?
• The History of Street Photography

How to Shoot Street Photography

• How to Shoot Street Photography
• Street Portraits 101 by ERIC KIM
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Street Photography
• 70 Street Photography Tips for Beginners
• 15 Street Photography Techniques and Tips
• A Letter to My 18 Year Old Self: If I Started Street Photography All Over Again

Street Photography Equipment

• What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
• What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
• What to Consider When Buying a Camera

See all equipment articles >

How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography

• How to Conquer Your Fears in Life
• Shoot What You’re Afraid Of
• How to Channel Your Fear into Bravery

See all articles to conquer your fears >

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Intermediate Street Photography Articles

Take your street photography to the next level:

• How to Become a Stoic Street Photographer
• The 10 Principles of Good Street Photography
• 7 Tips How to Capture “The Decisive Moment” in Street Photography
• The Importance of Social Skills in Street Photography
• The Street Photography Code of Ethics
• “Taking” vs “Making” Photos in Street Photography
• Follow Your Gut in Street Photography
• 10 Reasons Why You Should Never Chimp While Shooting Street Photography

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Advanced Street Photography Articles

Find deeper meaning in your street photography:

• How to Master Street Photography
• How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
• Personal Street Photography
• The “Bookend” Technique in Street Photography
• Street Photography is Self-Therapy
• Zen in the Art of Street Photography
• Taoism and Street Photography
• How to Find Your Style in Street Photography
• Follow Your Gut in Street Photography

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Street Photography Tips & Technique

Learn how to shoot on the streets:

• 70 Street Photography Tips for Beginners
• 15 Street Photography Techniques and Tips
• Flash Street Photography Guide
• Take More Risks
• Don’t Think About Composition When You’re Shooting Street Photography
• 7 Tips How to Capture “The Decisive Moment” in Street Photography
• 7 Tips How to Make a Great Street Photograph
• Tokyo Street Photography Contact Sheets
• Video: Why it is Important to “Work the Scene” in Street Photography
• Shoot Less, Better
• Make Shitty Photos
• Shoot Effortlessly
• 10 Tips for Candid Street Photography
• 103 Lessons I’ve Learned From Street Photography

See all street photography tips and techniques >

Street Photography Guides

In-depth guides on street photography:

• How to Shoot Candid Street Photography
• How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
• How to Shoot Black and White Street Photography
• How to Shoot Color Street Photography
• How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
• How to Shoot Layers in Street Photography
• How to Shoot Urban Landscapes

Street Photography Equipment

The best equipment for street photography:

• What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
• What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
• Why I Love Cameras with Non-Interchangeable Lenses
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Cameras in Street Photography
• What to Consider When Buying a Camera for Street Photography
• In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better
• Why Sharpness is Overrated in Street Photography
• How to Shoot Street Photography on a DSLR

See all equipment articles >

Street Photography Editing and Workflow

• Video: Introduction to Editing, Processing, and Workflow in Lightroom
• How to Edit (Choose Your Best Photos) in Street Photography
• How Studying Contact Sheets Can Make You a Better Street Photographer
• Debunking the “Myth of the Decisive Moment”

How to Start a Street Photography Project

• Free E-Book: The Street Photography Project Manual
• How to Start Your Own Street Photography Project
• How to Come Up With a Personal Photography Project Idea

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Learn From the Masters of Street Photography

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

1. Why Study the Masters of Photography?
2. Great Female Master Photographers
3. Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
4. 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
5. Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
6. Download All Articles >

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The Masters of Photography

Classics never die:

• Alfred Stieglitz
• Alec Soth
• Alex Webb
• Alexey Brodovitch
• Anders Petersen
• Andre Kertesz
• Ansel Adams
• Araki
• Blake Andrews
• Bruce Davidson
• Bruce Gilden
• Constantine Manos
• Daido Moriyama
• Dan Winters
• David Alan Harvey
• David Hurn
• Diane Arbus
• Dorothea Lange
• Elliott Erwitt
• Eugene Atget
• Eugene Smith
• Fan Ho
• Garry Winogrand
• Gordon Parks
• Helen Levitt
• Henri Cartier-Bresson
• Irving Penn
• Jacob Aue Sobol
• Jeff Mermelstein
• Joel Meyerowitz
• Joel Sternfeld
• Josef Koudelka / Part 2
• Josh White
• Lee Friedlander
• Lisette Model
• Magnum Contact Sheets
• Magnum Photographers
• Mark Cohen
• Martin Parr
• Martine Franck
• Mary Ellen Mark
• Rene Burri
• Richard Avedon
• Richard Kalvar
• Robert Capa
• Robert Frank
• Saul Leiter
• Sergio Larrain
• Sebastião Salgado
• Shomei Tomatsu
• Stephen Shore
• The History of Street Photography
• Todd Hido
• Tony Ray-Jones
• Trent Parke
• Vivian Maier
• Walker Evans
• Weegee
• William Eggleston
• William Klein
• Zoe Strauss

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Free Downloads

• Eric Kim Lightroom Presets
• Street Photography Presentations

See all free downloads >

Free Street Photography Books

Distilled information on street photography:

• STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL by ERIC KIM
• The Art of Street Photography
• 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
• Street Photography Contact Sheets
• Street Photography 101
• Street Photography 102
• Film Street Photography Manual
• The Street Photography Composition Manual
• The Street Portrait Manual
• 31 Days to Overcome Your Fear in Street Photography
• Zen in the Art of Street Photography

For more resources on photography, Start Here >

Dear friend,

Recently I’ve found a huge new spurt of creative inspiration for photography, and have been shooting more on a daily basis than ever. What has helped me? Let me share with you what has worked for me:

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If you want to make more interesting photos, make more surreal photos:

(more…)

Dear friend,

If you’ve ever had ‘photographer’s block’, and felt creatively frustrated, and have no inspiration or will to shoot — I hope this advice can help you.

(more…)

30 Inspirational New Year’s Photography Resolutions: Kick off your photography with a fresh new start with this new FREE PDF Visualization by Annette KIM.

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HAPTICPRESS presents a new Visualization to inspire you for the new year’s: “ZEN OF ERIC: On Photography, Life, Art, and Work.”

(more…)

Dear friend,

I don’t know about you—but I’m prone to disappointment in my photography and life.

(more…)

Freshly pressed creations by the talented Annette Kim to inspire you this new year:

• Free Visualization: “Zen of Eric: On Life, Art, Photography, and Work“,”Introduction to Composition in Photography“, “Travel Photography Tips“
  • –> Download ALL Free Visualizations on Street Photography
• Photographer’s Hand Artwear: Cultivate the five traits of a photographer artist.
• Haptic Hoodie: Stay warm and inspired this winter.

(more…)

I’ve been thinking — there are so many good photos and images now in the world. What is the practical benefit, or value of a photograph?

(more…)

Hesitation is the death of us.

(more…)

This is a spin-off of the wise saying from Socrates: “The unexamined life isn’t worth living.”

(more…)

A recent thought I had: photography is fun precisely because it is a series of visual experimentation.

(more…)

I was recently at the house of my friend Yves Vernin, and saw the phenomenal book, ‘In The Balkans‘ by Magnum Photographer Nikos Economopoulos, and was blown away by his epic compositions.

(more…)

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If you are hungry for direction and inspiration in your photography, try these 10 simple and practical photography assignments:

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Dear friend,

Some more fun photography philosophy to wax poetic about — this time, let’s consider the photographer as a vessel.

(more…)

Dear friend,

I’m gonna try to share some personal thoughts on purpose and happiness.

(more…)

Dear friend,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s from me and Cindy in Marseille!

(more…)

Happy Holidays from the HAPTIC family. We are excited to announce the following new products in our HAPTIC shop:

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If you want more bold colors, integrate both red and green into your pictures.

(more…)

Directed, Concept, Produced, Poetry by Cindy Nguyen

Director’s Statement (Cindy Nguyen, 2017)

It’s simple, really. We like to pause, look around, and think about life. We made this to invite you to join us in conversation about what is important/not and to ask why/why not?

With end of the year festivities, we took a moment to pause and reflect. In this moment of quiet meditation, we converse honestly about life, gratitude, and redefining expectations around ‘success’ and the artistic process.

Happy Holidays from Cindy & Eric. We wish you a new year of hope, honesty, and rediscovering your inner child.

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Sounds by
Haruka Nakamura – Arne
SoulChef – Hello
J Dilla – So Far To Go
Blazo – Brisk Yellow
Que Sera – Wax Tailor
Marseille, the city
Tokyo, the city

More Reflection Essays

My Life Lessons From 2017

33 Inspirational Photography New Year’s Resolutions and Assignment Ideas

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Cindy Nguyen: “I made a film about my soulmate and creative partner. It is an intimate conversation about creating art, embracing change, and holding onto childlike wonder. I hope the film offers a moment to contemplate on the beauty and impermanence of life.”

Directed, Produced, Concept, Poetry by Cindy Nguyen
Artist interview with Eric Kim
Marseille, 2017

(more…)

Dear friend,

The reason I love street photography is to harness the spirit of the “flâneur” — or the person who walks aimlessly, with grace, and doesn’t have a final destination in mind.

(more…)

Studying the work of Rene Magritte and the surrealists has given me a new-found appreciation for the masterful photos of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

(more…)

Photography is all about finding beauty in the common, ordinary, and mundane.

(more…)

Good way of living: automate the unimportant things in your life, to give focus to what is truly important in your life.

(more…)

Dear friend,

I think I have discovered the secret to happiness and photography — and I want to share this secret with you.

(more…)

In this essay, I will attempt to define art, and explain why I believe it to be essential in being human.

(more…)

Dear friend,

As the new year is coming up, here are some new years resolutions we can apply to our photography:

(more…)

Dear friend,

I want to use this opportunity for me to count my blessings, and also thank you.

(more…)

HAPTIC presents the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Street Photography Series — visualizations of essential photography lessons and tips by ANNETTE KIM. Annette researched, synthesized, and visualized the key lessons to present to you a fun, easy to read VISUALIZATION of photography fundamentals.

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To be more creative, and to learn how to have more child-like delight in photography, LOOK UP!

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Surrealism is a classic technique we can use in our street photography.

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If you don’t love what you photograph — why photograph it?

(more…)

(more…)

If we return to our beginners or child-like mind in photography, when we started off before concepts or rules, there is no such thing as ‘genre’ within photography.

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ERIC KIM x Ricoh GR II x Prague/Marseille:

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Dear friend,

Do you remember when you first started photography, and how fun and childlike it was?

(more…)

What is the purpose of art and photography? My idea: to create optimism, hope, excitement, and positivity for the viewer, and for society as a whole.

(more…)

Kyoto, 2016, by ERIC KIM x RICOH GR II:

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Tokyo, 2016, RICOH GR II:

(more…)

One of the best compositions you can apply to your compositions: triangles.

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Let us delve deeper into composition, this time with the “Golden triangle”, also known as the “Golden section”, or the “Golden rectangle”.

(more…)

One of the ways our mind sees: we chunk together related pieces of information, and just see one piece. This helps simplify our vision:

(more…)

Matisse is currently my muse, with his minimalist compositions, his playful use of form and color, and his masterful cutouts.

(more…)

If you want inspiration for your photography compositions, here are some examples from my work that hopefully can give you some fresh new ideas:

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Why I love shooting with an LCD screen:

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Inspiration from one of the old-school masters, Edward Weston:

(more…)

Composition is the art of arranging the visual elements within your frame.

(more…)

Dear friend,

A realization: photography in itself is meditation.

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Dear friend,

Cindy and I just arrived here in Marseille, in the south of France, and will be here for the next month working on creative projects like new videos, blog posts, and other information to empower you.

(more…)

Sergio Larrain: one of the greatest composition masters in photography.

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Cindy Nguyen: “I made a film about my soulmate and creative partner. It is an intimate conversation about creating art, embracing change, and holding onto childlike wonder. I hope the film offers a moment to contemplate on the beauty and impermanence of life.”

Directed, Produced, Concept, Poetry by Cindy Nguyen
Artist interview with Eric Kim
Marseille, 2017

(more…)

Why is it so scary for us to delete our photos?

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Eric and I will be taking some time off with our family and will partially close the HAPTIC shop December 26, 2017 to January 24, 2017. A limited inventory of our products will be available on Amazon and shipped as usual until supplies run out.

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Fresh new free PDF visualization on Introduction to Photography Composition by ANNETTE KIM (part of the free PDF series on Introduction to Street Photography).

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Inspirational quotes in French/English, from the master: Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Some of my favorite compositions from Henri Cartier-Bresson, some of his less known works.

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May 16, 2017 is the day I deleted my Instagram.

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5 practical street photography tips to get your creative juices flowing:

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Conquer your fears and meet new peers in London, NYC, Kyoto, and Tokyo in 2018:

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Trigger your creative spirit with PHOTO JOURNAL.

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I think the best photos are the ones to photograph of everyday life.

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