Flagship blog / human artist archive

Shoot
Think
Publish

Street photography as courage. Photography philosophy as embodied life. A living archive by ERIC KIM.

Human first
Camera ready
Walk more
Publish raw
Woman on phone, with billboard in background. Shot with a flash. I love the tension here. London Street Photograph by ERIC KIM, 2014.
Photo essay / Nov 13, 2017

The Psychology of Street Photography

I think street photography is 90% psychology — if you can master your own mental psychology, then you will be able to achieve your personal maximum in your photography and life.

Read essay →
Eric Kim photography Bauhaus Piet Mondrian
Photo essay / Nov 13, 2017

Photography Content Marketing 101

How to succeed as a modern photographer: master marketing. The type of marketing I am a master at is ‘content marketing’— and in this article, I will share with you everything I personally know. …

Read essay →
Picture of me sleeping by Cindy. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Photo essay / Nov 10, 2017

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

What drives or motivates you? Are you self-driven, by your need to fulfill your inner-desires, and to help society? Are you driven by your own inner-demons and your own inner-angels (intrinsic motivation), or are …

Read essay →
Beta Cover for “The Modern Photographer” by ANNETTE KIM / HAPTICPRESS
Photo essay / Nov 9, 2017

How to Succeed as a Modern Photographer

How do you “succeed” in your photography and life as a modern photographer? How do you quantify “success” in your photography? How do you continue to grow, evolve, and become more powerful and motivated …

Read essay →
Low perspective, and Superman effect. New Orleans, 2015
Photo essay / Nov 8, 2017

The Benefits of Shooting Street Photography

I’ve been thinking a lot about Street Photography — what it means to me, why I’ve been able to stay so passionate about it for over a decade, and what benefits it brings into …

Read essay →
Mad men. NYC, 2017. Pentax 645Z
Photo essay / Nov 7, 2017

The Street Photography Manifesto

What is street photography, why is street photography important, who gets to “define” street photography— and what makes a great street photograph?

Read essay →
Photo essay / Nov 7, 2017

F*ck You Money

We’ve all probably had the dream — hit the lottery, have enough money (that your funds would never run out), and you can just say “f*ck you” to your crappy boss and crappy job, …

Read essay →
Photo essay / Nov 6, 2017

How to Brand Yourself

There is only one of you in the world. How do you brand yourself, and stand out from the masses of photographers and visual artists out there?

Read essay →
Dynamic CURVE composition. Cindy, curved line, hand, with flash. Saigon, 2017
Photo essay / Nov 6, 2017

Why You Must Photograph

As a photographer, it is your DUTY to make photographs, and to share your vision of beauty with the rest of the world.

Read essay →
Sketch on iPad Pro and Procreate App
Photo essay / Nov 4, 2017

WILLPOWER

What is willpower, where does it come from, is it desirable to have more willpower, and how can we increase our willpower?

Read essay →
Photo essay / Nov 2, 2017

Why You Should Travel

Dear friend, This letter is an encouragement for you to travel, see the world, expand your mind, expand your horizons, to push yourself out of your comfort zone, for you to take bigger risks …

Read essay →
Figure to ground example: Silhouette of Cindy against backlight of stairwell. Hanoi, 2017
Photo essay / Nov 2, 2017

Dynamic Photography Composition 101: Figure to Ground

One of the fundamentals of DYNAMIC COMPOSITION: to make strong contrast between your subject and the background (concept of “figure to ground”— “figure” being your subject, and “ground” being the background):

Read essay →
Photo essay / Oct 30, 2017

How to Find Your Unique Vision in Photography

Your voice is unique — the focus of your photography shouldn’t be to discover a “better” voice or vision in photography. No, the focus you should have is to better understand and better listen …

Read essay →
NYC, 2017 #cindyproject
Photo essay / Oct 28, 2017

How to Conquer Regret

Dear friend, If you’ve ever felt regret or remorse in life, and that guilt holds you back… here is some advice to help you conquer those emotions and feelings, in order for you to …

Read essay →
Photo essay / Oct 25, 2017

Your Pictures Are For You

Dear friend, Not everyone is gonna ‘get’ or appreciate your pictures. Why not? Because not everyone has the same vision as you.

Read essay →
Cindy behind a red curtain, “about to” come into contact with you.
Photo essay / Oct 25, 2017

The Power of Photography

Photography is a powerful force that can change, and transform our lives, for the better. Photography is amazing, and powerful.

Read essay →
Portrait by Cindy Nguyen. Hanoi, 2017
Photo essay / Oct 24, 2017

Happiness is Overrated

Dear friend, An idea that might make life a lot more pleasant and good— realize that happiness is overrated. Rather, seek GROWTH.

Read essay →
Photo essay / Oct 23, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS

Dear friend, This is a personal manual for how you can master photography for yourself– based on the last decade of my photography experiences.

Read essay →
Eric Kim crown
Photo essay / Oct 21, 2017

Why You Must Not Call Yourself a Photographer

Dear friend, A practical word of advice: don’t call yourself a photographer. Rather, call yourself a “visual artist”, or better yet—an “artist”— or better yet, a child.

Read essay →
Eric Kim anatomical head
Photo essay / Oct 20, 2017

What Stimulates Your Eyes?

I just read Lucretius “On the nature of things” and was interested — what stimulates your eyes, why, and how does it affect your visual perception, how does it affect how you make pictures, …

Read essay →