Dear friend,

When you’re shooting on the streets, dance.

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DYNAMISM — an element we want to integrate into our photography.

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II.

In spring, 2012, there was a partial eclipse over Japan.

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Why ask others for their opinions or thoughts? Don’t you know yourself better than anybody else?

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The one cardinal sin of street photographers: making boring pictures.

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Robert Capa said it best— if you want to make better pictures, get closer.

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I just finished teaching a workshop in Kyoto, and borrowed the Fujifilm XT-2 and Fujifilm 16mm f/1.4 (roughly a 24mm full-frame equivalent) for a spin– and to sum up, it is practically perfect.

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MAKE MAKE MAKE
CREATE CREATE CREATE
CONCENTRATE TRATE TRATE

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Your life is short, why study things, people, or art of which/whom you don’t care about?

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‘A soldier’s skill is not at fault if he receives the death-blow through his armor.’ – Seneca

Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter emphasizing the importance of you to focus on your actions — not the results of your actions.

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Postcards from the Darkroom Series

I.

SEAN LOTMAN X HAPTIC

A native of Los Angeles, California, Sean Lotman is based in Japan. Having spent most of his twenties and thirties working on narrative fiction, he is now focused on photography, particularly color darkroom printing. His first photo book, Sunlanders, was published in London by Bemojake in September, 2016. He is currently working on his second book, Blown Zen Moments, which pairs prints made with the Dian f+ toy camera with haiku poetry. He lives in Kyoto with his wife, the photographer Ariko Inaoka, and their young son, Tennbo.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Sunlanders, 2016 (HAPTIC FEATURED ARTIST: Available for a limited time in the HAPTIC shop)
• Blown Zen Moments (Ongoing)

FEATURES

• Postcards from the Darkroom: I

PRESS

• Sunlanders by Sean Lotman: Interview with Eric Kim
• Street Photography Composition
• Sunlanders
  • GUP Magazine
  • Fisheye Magazine
  • Feature Shoot
  • It’s Nice That

CONNECT

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Bemojake

The Complete Works of Sean Lotman

Dear friend,

What is your final aim in photography — for what, for whom, and for why do you make pictures?

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Dear friend,

If you want to make better pictures while traveling– here is some advice I would give you:

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A compilation of things I’ve learned so far with traveling and life– advice I wish I knew before I started to travel and live abroad:

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Lately I’ve been inspired by Cindy and what she has been doing with HAPTICPRESS.

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To announce SEAN LOTMAN as a featured HAPTIC artist, here is an essay on why I love his work.

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Once we have the basics of living (enough money to pay rent, feed ourselves, drink coffee, have access to wifi, etc…) what is the purpose of living?

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Inspired by ‘Cindy Project‘, Takashi Nakagawa created a moving, artistic personal documentary project titled “Becky.”

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Dear friend, a word of advice: don’t seek to be a ‘fancy’ or complicated photographer/artist– seek to be more simple in your artistry and picture-making:

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More lessons from Akira Kurosawa– the master visual poet, story-teller, and cinematographer:

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Allow me to re-introduce myself.

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Photography should give you happiness, joy, and excitement in life!

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A topic nobody has really talked about: the connection between diet, fitness, lifestyle, health, photography, art, and creativity.

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Why is it that we are so obsessed with image quality, sharpness, bokeh, and focus?

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Sean Lotman x Haptic

HAPTIC presents SUNLANDERS by SEAN LOTMAN. Described by Eric Kim as one of the top color photobooks of the past five years, SUNLANDERS will be available for purchase in the HAPTIC shop for a limited time. (more…)

Shoot, so you may be inspired to shoot again, and again, until the day that you die.

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If there is one thing I want to be remembered for after I die it is this: “Here lies Eric, who showed through his pictures, that we should always love and be appreciative of our loved ones, and always feel gratitude for the blessing of life.”

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Dear friend,

I think photography and pictures should be the great stimulus to our life.

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What’s the purpose of having more followers?

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Why make pictures? To me, it is to enjoy the sweet nectar of life… and to make art to express our inner-soul.

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If you delete your pictures, are you deleting your memories? And if you delete your memories, do you delete yourself? And can we have a “self” without memories?

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HAPTIC FEATURED ARTIST presents visual storyteller TAKASHI NAKAGAWA:

Takashi Nakagawa: In 1981, I was born in Kyoto. In 2005, I left my hometown, to travel around the world. 10 years later, I returned to Kyoto decided to photograph my family in order to learn more about my own hometown, and to regain my childhood memories.

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Dear friend,

Never let no pretentious photographer or artist or teacher force you how to make or present pictures.

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Dear friend,

The most important person to follow is yourself.

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Okay friend, to start off– realize as a photographer, you already are an artist! Don’t let nobody else tell you otherwise.

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There is an ‘art’ to reading pictures– not just looking at pictures.

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Trust me, I complain a lot. I complain about pain, stress, lack of sleep, not having enough coffee, my lack of finances, my lack of focus, and my lack of time.

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You are a PHOTO BEAST– hungry to make images.

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Dear friend,

I’m pretty convinced– the secret to happiness in life is making picture — or making art.

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I’m currently studying Kurosawa, the legendary film maker from Japan, and I realized why I like to study the masters of photography.

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Akira Kurosawa: the Japanese master of cinema who inspired some of the great film directors of today (like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas).

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MASTERS First Edition Book

MASTERS Volume I is your essential photography primer– to push your photography education to the next level.

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Compositional guidelines and grids from “The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry.”

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Inspired by triangle compositions.

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An essay in praise of imperfection and cameras.

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Dear friend,

Here are some current life meditations while here in Kyoto.

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Dear friend,

If I started street photography all over again, this is advice I would have given myself:

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Dear friend,

After some philosophizing, I’ve come to realize… true “happiness” in photography IS making pictures. Very simple.

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Why do I travel? What does traveling mean to me? Why is traveling great, and why is traveling overrated?

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To promote the new version of STREET NOTES KINDLE EDITION, let me give you some practical tips on how to conquer fear in street photography.

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I love grit, I love grain.

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How do you triumph over misfortune?
Easy, see every misfortune as fortune.

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No matter the weather, do you see suffering as pleasures?

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I don’t want to be a sucker.

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Random traces of design and art that is currently inspiring me, while in Kyoto.

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Hot off the digital press, we have now made our popular STREET NOTES available for your Amazon Kindle.

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Don’t be a romantic for the past. Wishing things to never change. Fearing death. Feeling nostalgia for your childhood, or the “good old days”.

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I’m promoting an ANTI-OBJECTIVE school of photography.

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Dear photographer,

This letter of encouragement and empowerment is for you.

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