ERIC KIM ₿

Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter about the benefit of randomness, unpredictability, and chaos in our life.

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The other day I did something really stupid. I accidentally deleted a ton of photos on my camera before uploading them to my laptop.

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In this video I give some of my thoughts about life, travel, minimalism, blogging, and hopefully some tips that can empower you!

You can also read more about my future plans in-depth.

In Silicon Valley, one of the main obsessions a lot of entrepreneurs are having is to eliminate “friction” in user-experiences; whether that be apps, websites, or businesses.

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If you want to learn from the top thinkers and influencers in the field of street photography, don’t miss out on The London Street Photography Symposium (August 20-21, 2016). Tickets are now available to purchase >>.

Read more to learn more, and see my interview with organizer Jason Reed:

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I feel in today’s world in order to be successful, you need to be a “generalist” — someone who isn’t uber-specialized in one thing, but you can do many things very well.

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Dear friend,

I just read a book on Japanese Aesthetics titled: “In Praise of Shadows.” It was a beautiful book that helped me reflect on the beauty of darkness and shadows (Japanese aesthetics) while we in the west love white, the brightness, and light.

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Dear friend,

I wanted to write you this letter on gratitude— and thanking you for everything, and some life updates (moving out of Berkeley, moving to Vietnam for 2 years, and some other random ideas in my mind):

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Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter (to hopefully empower you). My suggestion: realize that everything in your life is up to you; nobody else.

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Is your photography your lifestyle? Or is your lifestyle photography?

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If you don’t desire or “want” anything superfluous in life, you are truly wealthy. When you have all your needs (food, water, shelter, love); what else do you need in life?

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Dear friend,

I wanted to write you this letter regarding your calling— the reason you were put on the earth.

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Sergio Larrain is a figure in photographic history who isn’t well-known, and is a bit of a mystery. He barely shot for more than a decade, and then decided to pursue a more “mystical” path in life— focusing on yoga, meditation, and secluded himself from society.

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We are all born into different situations in life. Some of us are born rich, some of us are born poor. Some of us are born with parents who taught us photography; others of us learn photography later in life.

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I first met Kaushal Parikh around 6 years ago— when he first invited me to Mumbai, to teach some street photography workshops there. He was one of the first street photographers I got to know really intimately— and I was always inspired by his passion for black-and-white photography, seeing beauty in the everyday world, and his dedication to the photographic community.

“Fragments of a Spinning Rock” is his first self-published book. I recently got a copy of it in the mail (thanks KP) and wow— the book truly blew me away.

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One of the things that plagues me as a photographer is that I think too much and don’t shoot enough. I think about what camera I should use, whether I should shoot film or digital, and what project I should work on. But all of this thinking leads to “paralysis by analysis”– I think so much that I end up getting nothing done.

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Dear friend,

I only got two weeks left in Berkeley. Here are some reflections I have in life and my time here, before I head off to Vietnam for around 2 years.

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If you haven’t heard about the SF StreetFoto International Street Photography Festival 2016, don’t miss out. June 6-12 will be jam-packed with exciting workshops, exhibitions, and pub-crawls. If you’ve wanted to meet other passionate street photographers from all around the globe, don’t miss your chance.

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I teach a lot of street photography workshops for a living. I’m always wondering, “How can I best empower my students, help them build their confidence, and ultimately make better images?”

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As photographers, we make photos to share them with others. I don’t trust any photographer who says that they only shoot for themselves.

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I just finished reading Karl Marx’s “Capital” and “The Communist Manifesto” — and I was so amazed to see how modern a lot of his ideas are.

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Learning is growth. The more you learn, the more inspired you become. The more ideas you culminate in your mind, and the more your view of the world expands.

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Carpe diem. Seize the day. Today is the only day that exists, tomorrow might not come.

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The other night I met one of my good friends Geoffrey for dinner, and he’s been having a tough time with his photography. He’s busy with work, traveling, and barely has any time to make photographs.

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To me, creativity is all about cross-pollination of ideas in novel ways.

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Just finished an action-packed weekend with my great students from my SF “Discover Your Unique Voice” workshop. I’m proud of how hard they worked to push themselves out of their comfort zones, as well as how they were able to hone their vision this past weekend. Here are my personal favorite images from the workshop:

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Dear friend,

After 10 years of shooting street photography, one thing I’m starting to realize is that I’m becoming a bit complacent with my work. I have a few projects behind me which I think are quite strong, and I think haven’t pushed myself hard enough to innovate in my work. I need to push my limits, and I want this letter to be a call for you to push your limits too.

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Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter on the amazing power of photography– how it can be used to empower ourselves. I want to make the point that the camera is a tool that helps us become more courageous, more creative, and more interested in the world. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our cameras, or the fact that we are photographers.

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Dear friend,

Let me share some thoughts on the importance of self-discovery in photography with you.

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Dear friend,

I wanted to share a thought with you: that rather than focusing on photography, we should focus on having a fulfilling, passionate, and fully-engaging life.

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I met Peter Zhang at one of my SF street photography workshops, and was blown away by his up-close street photos (shot at 28mm with a Ricoh GR) of the changing neighborhood of SoMa (South of Mission in San Francisco). Check out how he got started, as well as his personal and vivid color street photographs:

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In Silicon Valley we have a saying: “Fail forward.” I think it is a beautiful saying– because it isn’t telling us that failure is okay for failure’s sake, but that we should learn from our failings, and learn how to move forward.

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I just finished a fantastic “Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography” workshop in SF this past weekend. Super-proud of all the student photos, check them out all below:

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Dear friend,

I just did an interview with my buddy Michael and one of the things he asked me was, “How has your approach in photography changed the last 2 years?” Fantastic question– this is what I told him:

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Many of us started photography quite innocently— with small compact point-and-shoots, a smartphone, or a disposable film camera. The main advantage was that we didn’t need to think about all the technical settings when we made images— rather, we focused on capturing the “decisive moment”, the framing and composition as well as the emotional content within the frame.

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Dear friend,

I’ve been on a bit of a “minimalist” binge. Part of me is that I’m frustrated with all this crap I have in my life— material crap, emotional crap, and negativity I have built up inside my head over all the years.

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Dear friend,

I want to write you this letter about how being generous is one of the best “investment strategies” and how the more you give, the more you will receive in return.

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Dear friend,

I’ve been really fascinated in this Japanese concept of “wabi-sabi” for quite a while. Simply put: “wabi-sabi” is the Japanese/Zen aesthetic of beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and the natural. If you have a favorite pair of jeans that has worn into your body over the years, that is “wabi-sabi.” If you have an old film camera that has brasses over the years and shows its patina and “brassing”– that is “wabi-sabi.” If you find old and aged things as beautiful (the wrinkles of old people or decaying old buildings), that is “wabi-sabi.”

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Dear streettogs,

Due to popular demand, I’m excited to announce a new special 1-day Street Portrait Crash Course workshop in San Francisco (Saturday, April 30). If you have a busy schedule, and want to conquer your fears of approaching strangers, this workshop will be perfect for you. Don’t miss your chance to attend my last workshop in the Bay Area for the next 2 years (I’m going to be living in Vietnam!).

You can also see all my other upcoming street photography workshops >>.

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We’ve all experienced it. It is around 9pm, and you’re about to go out. You check your smartphone and you have a mini heart attack. Your battery is only at 10%. You get “charge anxiety”– you know you need to switch your smartphone to “airplane mode” and conserve your battery for the rest of the night, just in case you need to make an emergency call or hail an Uber after you get a drink with your friends.

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Dear friend,

If you’ve ever wanted to find more meaning, purpose, and direction in your photography— I recommend you to pursue “personal photography.” What exactly is “personal photography”? To me, it is a genre of photography that focuses on yourself— focuses on your personal life experiences, focuses on photographing your loved ones, and the other elements of your “boring” and everyday life.

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I’m sure you’ve had this experience: you are sitting on the couch with your loved one, and you think to yourself, “This is a wonderful moment.” You then jump off the couch (ask your loved one to wait a second), and get your camera. You make a few images, and then you sit down again with your loved ones, and continue to savor the moment.

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Often we feel like we need reasons why we take photos. We need a purpose; a sense of direction. But my tip for today is this: photograph for photography’s sake.

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Dear friends,

My new edition of “Street Photography 101” (Version II, 91MB Direct Download) is available for download as a PDF. I wrote the book last year, but finally updated it with better design, images, and layout. This is a great primer if you’re new to street photography, or if you want to re-learn the fundamentals.

This will be a good companion to my other recent e-book: “Street Photography 102.”

Lots of love,

Eric

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Dear friend,

I think in today’s world, we are always trying to make things more complicated than they need to be. We get more gadgets to “optimize” our lives, but it only adds more complication and frustration to our lives. We look for the “perfect camera” — but we find that the newer cameras have more features, which makes our life more complex. What I advocate instead is for us to make our lives simpler— and make simpler photos as well.

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Dear friends, I just recorded a new YouTube video titled: “How to Master Monochrome” — which is a 45-minute presentation based on my recent book: “Monochrome Manual.” If you are more of an audio-visual learner, I hope this format will help you.

“Technology is the best when it is invisible.” – Nassim Taleb

I have these utopic dreams of a “perfect” camera. I want a camera that makes photos that are ultra-sharp, yet soft, affordable, yet fits in my front pocket, yet has tons of megapixels, yet can zoom to see anything but wide enough to shoot interiors. I want a camera that has unlimited dynamic range, that operates like a film camera (with the convenience of digital).

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One interesting distinction I find in speaking “American English” and with “European English” is how we differentiate the difference between “taking” and “making” photos.

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Dear friend,

I want to write you a letter about motivation, “inspiration”, and the drive that compels you to make photos.

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Dear friends,

If you’ve wanted to take your street photography to the next level, I am excited to introduce my new e-book: “Street Photography 102” (102.MB Direct Download)

This book will introduce new intermediate/advanced street photography concepts and techniques, and will hopefully be the little fire you need to take your passion to new heights.

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Dear friend,

I want to share an experience I had today morning; stumbling upon an old box full of documents, old photographs, and nostalgic memories.

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Evolve. Don’t stand still. Keep advancing, pushing forward, and creating yourself anew.

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Dear friends, I am excited to announce my new free book: “Monochrome Manual.” It is a brief 34-page handbook on the basics of black-and-white photography, full of practical tips, and some of my favorite monochromatic images. If you have a passion for black-and-white photography, download it for free and share it with your friends.

Read more for more download options, or to read the entire book as a blog post:

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In this video, I talk about some practical tips when traveling in a minimalist style and shooting street photography, my love of the Ricoh GR II when on the road, as well as a (brief) review of the ThinkTank Perception 15, my new favorite travel bag for photography.

Articles on traveling

• Why Travel?
• On Travel and Street Photography
• What I Don’t Do While Traveling

The “Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography” workshop is one of my personal favorites– it is a combination of street portraiture, candid shooting, and building your confidence. I’ve done the workshop many times– and it never gets old.

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We all make photos because it makes us feel something. When we see something, there is something in our gut, or in our heart, that compels us to take a photograph.

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Time— it is the ultimate resource that we all have in life. It is the most valuable thing that we own, yet we squander it like it costs nothing.

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Dear friend,

I wanted to write you a letter about the beauty in imperfection– that nothing in life will be 100% perfect; and that’s the charm.

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Do you remember when you took multiple choice tests in school, and you weren’t 100% sure what the answer was? You might have had a gut feeling that one of the answers of the right. However you thought more “analytically” about the question, and instead of following your gut, you followed what your brain told you was “right”.

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When is the last time you sat on the subway or the bus, waited in line, and just listened?

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Dear friend,

The other day I was in a hotel lobby, reading some art books (found a fantastic book on Keith Haring, one of my favorite artists, as well as a book on American advertising from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

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One of the big things that inspires me in photography, life, and technology is the ability to “democratize”, to add “access”, and to make things “affordable” to the masses.

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I grew up with hip-hop, R&B, and “street culture.” Most of me and my buddies were kids up to no good— constantly roaming the roads, riding our bikes, listening to hip hop, burning and remixing music, rolling around in my 1991 Sentra with 12’’ Subwoofers.

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I’m a nosy person. Whenever I go to new places I love talking to the staff, locals, and to just look around.

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I am not easily satisfied. I always want the “best”; “good enough” never satisfies me.

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