ERIC KIM ₿

Dear friend,

I wanted to write to you about photography contests — why I generally recommend staying away from them.

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Life is a hassle.

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You were destined for great things.

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When we go to an all-you-can eat buffet, we overload our plates with too many different types of food. This often leads to indigestion, regret, and an upset stomach.

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The only thing that separates “successful” people and “unsuccessful” people is grit, tenacity, and endurance.

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Dear friend, if you want to take control of your own life, to live on your own terms, and pursue your passion for photography — here is some advice, tips, or insights I will share with you:

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Designer watches, bags, and cars — is this true luxury?

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Never buy the first generation (anything) technology (no matter how innovative or life changing it may seem).

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No matter where we live, it will be boring.

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One of the biggest inspirations I have gotten from Silicon Valley is this concept of an “MVP” (minimum viable product).

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I’m easily bored.

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One of the common misconceptions I think there is in photography is that using filters, presets, or any sort of post-processing (or ‘Photoshop’) is somehow cheating.

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When I was 20, I was dissatisfied with my photography. I felt like I was being limited by where I lived.

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I remember when I started off in photography, I would be marveled by all these great photographers, with their fancy cameras, and their fancy lifestyles.

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One of the things I hate is when people say snobby things like: “Nowadays because everyone has an iPhone, everyone thinks they are a photographer.”

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I am a huge fan of collaboration.

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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has taught me that “happiness” is simply being in a state of “flow” — or “in the zone.”

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Don’t call it “street photography” — call it “walking your camera” (like walking a dog).

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If I started street photography all over again, and could give myself a guide on “how” to shoot in the streets— these are some ideas I would give myself:

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Why is it that we are so interested in making money from our passion — photography?

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If I started shooting street photography on a DSLR all over again, this is the advice I would give myself:

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As humans, we are curious creatures and follow what rouses our curiosity.

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If there is one genre of street photography I specialize in, it is “street portraiture.”

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A while back, I read “Money: Master the Game” by Tony Robbins and learned not only practical things about investing, but I also learned practical philosophy about money.

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A while back I read a book on Jeff Bezos: “The Everything Store” — and was struck by a lot of the life principles Bezos applied to his business and life.

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Dear friend, I want to write you this letter on the importance of living — not just photographing.

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We all think that upgrading our cameras, getting newer cameras, with more megapixels, with more features, functions, and bells & whistles will make us better photographers.

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If your life were a smartphone battery (without a charger), would you let anyone drain it?

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Dear friend,

I have been thinking a lot about the aesthetics of photography — why is it that grain is beautiful, especially with film?

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The braver you are, the better photographer you will be.

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A lot of people think that “happiness” is always feeling pleasure.

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As each year comes to an end, there is the hope for a new year.

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Dear friend, “Color Manual” is a brief (19-page) guide, to get you started off in color photography.

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Dear friend, “How to Shoot Street Photography“ is a new free ebook which will give you all the information how to start shooting street photography.

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The three most valuable things we have in life are time, attention, and money.

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I once read the proverb— “If you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for a lifetime.”

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This holiday season Cinderic will be taking some time off with family, and will not be selling and shipping international orders until February 1, 2017. Amazon orders will still continue to be accepted and shipped as usual.

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Each photo you shoot doesn’t need to be a masterpiece.

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I am attached to my old work, which no longer serves a purpose.

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Dear friend, I’m one of the very few blessed people in the world who does what they love for a living.

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Most of us live in fear— fear of not being able to pay the rent, fear of not feeding ourselves, or fear of not providing for our families.

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One of the ideas I’m constantly obsessed about is innovation.

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In a famous essay, “Software is eating the world” — internet pioneer Marc Andreessen professed that the future of technology was software, not hardware.

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When I was a kid, I loved to tinker.

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Have you ever felt stressed, shitty, and overwhelmed with life — and went out with a walk with your camera, and instantly felt much better?

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One of the most challenging things in photography is to choose our best photos.

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I remember when I was growing up — and was wondering whether I should follow my passion for a living or not.

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I am excited to share my new book: “Street Photography Contact Sheets Volume II” — a behind-the-scene looks to some of my best (recent) street photos.

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I have been testing the Olympus Pen F and Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens in Dalat, Vietnam for the last few days, and I am blown away.

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We all know the feeling— when we haven’t done something for a while, we become “rusty.”

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You never know when you will die — why risk the chance of dying when you’re doing something you don’t want to do?

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In photography and life — less is more, when it comes to your projects.

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I see negative space as a fascinating concept— both photographically and philosophically.

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We are always told to photograph everyday.

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I’ve been recently inspired by the Roman poet— Horace, who gave a lot of practical advice to other poets in “Ars Poetica” (the art of poetry):

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One of the factors which makes or breaks a photograph is the eye contact.

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I consider “urban landscapes” as a sub-genre of street photography.

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Photo Journal is your new Personal Photography handbook to make your photography more personally meaningful:

• Purchase Photo Journal (Amazon USA) >
• Purchase Photo Journal (International) >

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Nobody knows how to live— but we know exactly how we shouldn’t live.

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What is the difference between a “so-so” photograph, and a great photograph?

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Dear streettogs, if you’ve ever wanted to read the entire library of “Learn From the Masters of Photography” download it as a free PDF or ePub below:

• PDF Download (35mb)
• .ePub Download (2.2mb)

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It is a pleasure to share my new book “Zen Photography” with you.

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Dear friend, when do you feel fulfillment in your photography?

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Dear friends, here is my current portfolio as of 2016– feel free to share, re-distribute, and re-mix these photos as you’d like:

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Dear friend, it is hard to figure out who to photograph for.

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I’m a huge fan of “tinkering” — just playing around, figuring out how things work, breaking things, and learning along the way.

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Dear friend, you’ve accomplished great things in life— yet you want more.

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What brings you joy in photography, and why do you take photos?

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“The fool adds one thing a day. The wise man removes one thing a day.” – Lao Tzu

For me, the most important trait for success in today’s world (and in the future world) is having the ability to focus.

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