Will cropping make a better photo?

The passionate street photographer Keenan Rivals took Street Notes to the streets. Check out how he uses the Street Notes assignments in Detroit and get an exclusive preview of Street Notes:

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Street Notes in Action

Dear friend,

Have you ever felt frustrated with your photography?

Dear friend,

Here is how I find inspiration for my photography and life:

Anyone who tells you that there is a “right” and “wrong” way of shooting photography is lying to you.

 

I want to use this time to think about how to add more curves, dynamism, and perhaps the legendary ‘fibonacci spiral’ to your photos:

Dear friend,

I want to write you a letter on how to conquer your fears in art.

I think many of us in photography are striving to be more artistic.

We all generally tend to have a ‘workflow’ in life — how we handle our tasks, processes, in as an efficient and smooth manner possible.

Dear friends,

If you want inspiration from the masters of photography, I compiled the following 178MB .zip file for you:

In this video, I walk you through how I edit some recent photos I made in Hanoi:

Dear friend,

I was walking on the streets of Hanoi today, and I was wondering: What is the point of photography?

Dear friend,

I’ve been really into the soul lately — in terms of how we can integrate it into our photography and life.

I think a great photo includes: 1) Composition, 2) Emotion, and 3) Soul:

Dear friend,

I was really inspired by this notion of ‘techno-zen’ that I read in Steve Job’s biography by Walter Isaacson.

Hey friends,

I’m doing this video to give you a behind-the-scenes look of my image-selection process (editing):

Dear friend,

I wanted to share some of my thoughts about “workflow” in photography:

In today’s world and society; we all want to learn how to be more productive in life.

I once read that anger is like drinking poison, and hoping that the other person dies.

We’ve all heard name-droppers at photo exhibitions, galleries, and other places. I’m going to give you a cheat-sheet of all the masters of photography you need to know:

Do we make photos to represent the beauty of life — or do we think that our lives should be according to photos?

I feel we should focus on being ‘good’ photographers—not to just get a lot of social media followers.

Yesterday I fucked up, but today I’m on track
Yeah / get back to the crib and blessings falling in my lap
What don’t kill me makes me stronger // I always bounce back

Here are some recent posts from the blog in February:

As a gift, download Eric Kim Lightroom Presets 2017 (my newest free collection of Lightroom Presets).

I’ve been shooting more with an LCD screen lately on the Ricoh GR II — and I feel liberated.

Do you need to be on social media?

Dear friend,

I know there are times that we lack confidence in ourselves as photographers and artists; but how can we overcome that lack of confidence?

If you’re looking for inspiration, follow these photographers:

Dear friend,

I’m putting together this video; documenting how I put together a photo-series on the Mac/Lightroom:

Dear Cindy,

Imagine like I’m writing you this letter from the grave.

One of the practical tips I have about composition is to establish a strong ‘figure-to-ground.’ Pretty much that means to have a good contrast between your subject and background:

Why do I blog?

How much could we achieve in our life, and how much more of our potential could we reach, if we never lacked self-confidence in ourselves?

I’m currently inspired by a lot of painting, and trying to figure out how I can improve my compositions in photography from the masters of art, starting off with Raphael:

“It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity” – Horace

Life is all about courage.

Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter on why I photograph.

I believe I am what I do, what I own, and how I live my life.

This is a personal breakdown of me, Eric Kim:

I feel that mindset is the most important thing for photography.

If you’re a newbie to Lightroom, don’t get overwhelmed. Here is an easy 10-minute start to Lightroom.

Dear umma,

I want to write you this letter– thanking you for all the blessings, guidance, and love you have given in my life, and how you helped me become the man I am today:

Here is a new lesson on “deep depth” in photography.

• Download Deep Depth PDF Examples

Many of us are drawn to photography for the element of story-telling.

Dear friend,

What kind of legacy do you want to leave in your photography after you pass?

Dear friend,

I want to share some personal thoughts on the idea of ‘reinventing yourself’ — by casting away your past self, and starting afresh:

I’ve been very interested in non-traditional compositions as of late, such as the ‘Dutch Angle’:

Dear friend,

I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts on how to capture a soul in a photograph:

Good spacing: another important part of good composition.

Take your street photography to the next level this year:

• Apr 29-30: Bangkok Street Photography Workshop (Hosted by Monogram Asia)
• Sept 13-17: Tokyo Travel Photography Experience
• Oct 4-5: NYC Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography
• Oct 7-8: NYC Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography

Learn more about Workshops >

Dear friend,

I want to share with you why I only shoot with one camera, and one lens:

Dear friend,

A lot of us are trying to find our own unique voice in photography, life, and our creative pursuits.

Many of us labor to be ‘original’ in our photography— but realize, everything in photography and life is a remix:

I think the biggest problem we face as photographers is that we don’t put enough soul in our photos.

Dear friend,

I wanted to share you this article on leading lines:

Free PDF

• Free PDF: Leading Lines

I know for myself, making photographs, writing, and doing creative work always requires me to overcome resistance.

Dear friend,

Many of us are obsessed with “depth of field” in photography. But how few of us consider trying to capture “depth of soul” in our photography?

Learn how to make more mysterious photographs with silhouettes.

• Download PDF Silhouette Examples

Dear friend,

I want to share you practical tips, insights, and advice on how to be a more ‘artistic’ photographer.

Dear friend,

One tip I have about photography is this: strive to make each of your photos a perfect pearl.

I have a problem, I am easily envious of my contemporary peers.

Dear friends,

Today (Feb 19th) is Cindy’s Birthday! Please wish her a happy birthday by buying a bunch of stuff on our Haptic Industries Store.

I am not a master in street photography; yet I am striving to master my own street photography:

I have a hard time motivating myself to take photos. This is what works for me:

Honeydew eyes,
I follow you
Into the depths of the turqoise-blue.

Eternal sunshine
My soul and my muse
I wake up in the morning and spring blooms.

—

Your mind is divine, sweet and sublime
Let’s turn back the wings of time.

—

Walking with you by the shores of the sea
Feeling the warm breeze
Let’s sing, dance, eat more wine and cheese
Breathe in the new day; apply the new glaze.

—

Breathing through the smog and the haze
Let us praise
Each day as if it were our last
Sailing together, hands holding the mast.

You are my muse
The one I choose
To guide me with your light.

The might of your pen,
Helps renew me creatively, again.

Thank you for being my light,
My beautiful delight.

You are my only one,
Just like the rising sun

Let’s imagine like our life was done,
Then turn back the clock and press re-rerun.

—

Happy Birthday Cindy

I am inspired by the zen-like philosophy of Rick Rubin, who sees himself (not) as a music producer, but a music reducer:

I’m really into the poet Horace– who mixed moral philosophy and poetry:

If you’re a writer who has writer’s block, frustrations coming up with ideas, need practical tips, tools, and strategies— I hope this letter will benefit you:

I’ve been inspired to shoot more abstract photos lately; perhaps this is a paradigm-shift for me:

Dear friend,

One question I asked myself for a long time (when I had a full-time job) was this: “Should I quit my full-time job, and pursue my passion full-time?”