Hey streettogs, I just put together a new street photography GoPro POV video here in Paris on my film Leica MP. Unfortunately can’t edit in shots (shooting film), but plan on doing more of these to show my working process, as well as the streets of Paris.
Stay tuned for more videos to come! :)
Almost 12 months ago, during Eric’s trip here in Manila, he pitched me an idea that he wants me to handle. He told me that I am good at looking at photographs and at the same time he needs a little help running this blog so he told me to start an assignment group. Here we are 12 months on, about to start our 12th Assignment!
I can’t thank everyone enough for participating and responding positively to our efforts. All we hope is that everyone is picking up something new or is motivated to start shooting and getting out there again.
Our current assignment is also appropriate because this is the reason why I do the things I do. So let’s keep this going!
Inspired by Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” I interviewed bigheadtaco, a local Vancouver-based street photographer driving around. Take (his real name) gives great practical advice on Instagram, branding, street photography, life, and following your own voice and vision.
Enjoy this interview, and make sure to follow him on his channels below:
Leica has just released one of their most ambitious cameras yet, the new Leica Q. Long story short: full-frame sensor, 28mm f/1.7 uninterchangeable lens, macro functionality, compact body (slightly smaller than Leica M), electronic viewfinder, and 35mm and 50mm crop modes, and $4,250.
Personally I think the camera is an engineering marvel. Solid, well-built, thoughtfully constructed (from a photographer’s standpoint). Also it would be ideal for street photography, as it has a focusing tab (ideal for zone-focusing), and blazing-fast autofocus (as fast if not faster than the Fujifilm x100T). Furthermore if you’ve ever wanted a digital Leica, it is more affordable than a Leica M (as the Leica Q comes with a lens as well).
The size is actually not as “compact” as you think it is. I only found it slightly smaller than the size of my Leica MP. The weight is also pretty solid– I liked how it isn’t as heavy as a Leica M, but it still feels solid and substantial in the hand.
In terms of handling, there is a new indentation (similar to a “thumbs-up”) which makes it very easy to handle. I think the camera is awesome in all regards– the only thing that will deter buyers is the price.
In short, the Leica Q is almost like the “rich man’s” Fujifilm x100T. I think if you have disposable income and really find the features of the Leica Q to be helpful, I’d say go for it. Otherwise, I would personally pick up a Ricoh GR and save the rest of the money to travel, buy photography books, and invest in education.
If you’re interested in the camera, check out the two videos I’ve done with the Leica Q:
So what are your thoughts about the Leica Q for street photography? Worth the money, or overpriced? Would you get one? Leave a comment below!Â
I am very proud of my students at my recent Seattle Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography Workshop. They all pushed themselves out of their comfort zone, approached strangers, got rejected, but also got accepted. They all did an amazing job building their confidence, learned how to better interact with strangers, and the coffee and experiences we had in Seattle were amazing!
I’m also quite proud of their before/after photos, see them all below!
If you want to conquer your fears and meet new peers in 2015, invest in an experience you will never forget! Check out my full list of upcoming street photography workshops below:
New York City – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT!
San Francisco – Special 1-day Essential Street Portrait Crash Course – SOLD OUT!
Seattle – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT (contact neil.ta@erickimphotography.com for the waiting list)!
Paris – Week-Long Intensive Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (Early-Bird Deadline: May 24th)
Amsterdam – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT (contact neil.ta@erickimphotography.com for the waiting list)!
Prague – Week-Long Intensive Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (Early-Bird Deadline: June 15th)
Vienna – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (Early-Bird Deadline: June 30th)
Berlin –Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (Early-Bird Deadline: July 7th)
London – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT (contact neil.ta@erickimphotography.com for the waiting list)!
London – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (NEW!)
Stockholm – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
SF – Conquer Your Fears of Shooting Street Photography – Register Intent – NEW!
SF – Discover Your Unique Voice in Street Photography – Register Intent – NEW!
New Orleans – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
Austin – Conquer Your Fears of Shooting Street Photography – Register Intent – NEW!
Los Angeles – Conquer Your Fears of Shooting Street Photography – Register Intent – NEW!
Los Angeles -Discover Your Unique Voice in Street Photography – Register Intent – NEW!
You can also learn more about my street photography workshops here.
(Cover Photo by Bruno Cunha)
Complementary Colors is a tricky thing to pull off since you need to have that mental color wheel in your head and at the same time, making sure you have a strong point of interest in your composition. Weather also needs to be in your side to pull off those nice contrasty colors that will make your Complementary Color stand out. Despite those challenges, I think this group of images pulled it off!
Here’s the latest results and Analysis for Complementary Colors!
Dear streettogs,
I hope you enjoy a new free ebook: “Zen in the Art of Street Photography.” This is a compilation of all of my favorite articles on Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, gratitude, and other random philosophical musings.
There isn’t a “correct†order to read this book. You can skip around the chapters, and read the book out of order.
I personally have faced a lot of discontentment in my photography and life, and writing these articles have been a form of self-therapy. I also hope these articles helps shine some light and insight into your life and photography too.
Love,
Eric Kim
June 9, 2015
Compiled @ Vivace Cafe in Seattle
All of the content in this book is “open sourceâ€â€” meaning you can edit, translate, remix, or distribute it openly and freely however you would like.
To learn more, see all free books >
Hey streettogs, pretty cool stuff: Magnum is selling signed 6×6” prints for only $100 at the Magnum Store! You can browse all of the photos here.
Over 50 Magnum photographers have submitted images that fits the theme: “An Image That Changed Everything.” Not only that, but they shared their personal stories related to the images.
The sale is only going on until Friday, June 12th at 8pm. Once the sale is up, they will no longer sell them. So get them while they’re hot!
Why squares? Instagram inspired, of course.
“In 1982 I bought the newly released Makina Plaubel 55mm fixed-lens camera. With this shift from 35mm to 6 x 7, I also changed from black and white to colour. Later that year, I started my project on New Brighton called The Last Resort. However, the first project I shot in colour was composed of urban scenes from Liverpool. This image was on the second roll of film. It’s the first good photo I made in this new chapter of my work.â€
“This photo, which was the cover of my book (based on a true story), changed the way I worked forever. After this successful book in 2012, I totally changed my methodology. From that point forward, I focused only on my self-published books. I dropped doing assignments, and simply worked on personal projects and artworks. I never plan a change. Things just happen. I think recognizing when something revolutionary is going on in your creative life is the key. One needs to realize when a turning point is right before your eyes. It’s just like photography itself. Fleeting. Carpe diem. Miss it, and you’ve missed it forever.â€
“The sad, vibrant, tragic, beguiling country of Haiti has been key to my photography. After reading Graham Greene’s The Comedians — a novel set in Haiti that both fascinated and scared me — I made my first trip in 1975. But, photographing in black and white, I soon realized that something was missing: I wasn’t capturing a sense of the searing light and the heat — physical and, perhaps, metaphysical — of this country, so different than the grey-brown reticence of New England, where I grew up. I wasn’t dealing with the emotional intensity of my experience of this vivid and troubled land. So, when I returned to Haiti four years later, I decided to work in color. As I wandered through the porticos of downtown Port au Prince in 1979, I remember spotting this man with a bouquet of bulrushes — strikingly outlined against a vibrant red wall — just as a second man, in shadow, rushed by. I took the photograph and slowly began to realize it was time to leave black and white behind.â€
I am excited to share this new presentation I just put together on the theory of composition in street photography, drawing from the wisdom of Henri Cartier-Bresson. You can see the entire presentation below:
Dear streettogs,
I am excited to share that I just touched down here in Seattle! Absolutely beautiful weather (all of the other times I’ve visited were in January), and have already had some amazing espresso— and feeling pretty pumped up (the coffee here is seriously the best in the world).
Dear streettogs, I am excited to announce my new free book: “The Street Portrait Manual.” If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build your confidence approaching strangers, how to direct your subjects, and not make photos that look “posed” — I think you will enjoy this one!
You can download this book for free below in the following formats:
This version has all the pictures and examples:
This version has only text, no images. Use these files if you want to read the book on a Kindle, e-reader, or if you want to edit, change, translate, or modify the text (as this book is “open source“).
Read more if you want to read the full text online (or save it to a service like Pocket or Instapaper):
I’m very excited to share this recent interview I did with Daniel Arnold. You might have heard about Daniel and his work through the controversy of him getting kicked off Instagram for showing nudity on Gawker, his Forbes feature on how he made $15,000 in one day selling 4×6 prints for $150, or his profile on Wired (titled: “On the Prowl with Instagram’s Ultimate Street Photographer”).
Upon reading all these headlines, I knew that there was more to Daniel, both as a photographer and as a human being. I checked out more of his work on his website (where he now posts mostly film shots), and was blown away by the humanity, humor, but also the complex emotional images he captures in NYC.
In this hour and a half interview we delve deep. We talk about the process of shooting film (versus shooting digitally on an iPhone), his favorite photography books, how he overcame his fear of shooting street photography, thinking about life and death, and what ultimately brings him happiness in life (clue: it isn’t about the followers).
You can watch the video interview above, or listen to the podcast below (you can see all the episodes on my iTunes podcast channel):
Read more to see all the show notes, links, book recommendations, and quotes from the interview.
Inspired by the recent free e-book I wrote: “How to Overcome Photographer’s Block,” I also made a video (for those of you who prefer audio as well).
For audio, you can listen below:
Podcast links
Read more to see all the topics I cover, as well as the assignments.
I just had a recent chat with my manager and good friend Neil Ta. Neil is a professional photographer based in Toronto (shoots wedding and commercial work), and his passion is photography. He has dabbled in many different genres of photography, including “urbex” (urban exploration), “rooftopping” (getting to really high places), documentary photography (he is working on a long-term project on “Alexandra Park“, a public-housing complex for low-income families which is being gentrified for expensive condos), and street photography.
In this video interview, we delve deep into lots of different topics. Neil shares how he first got into photography, why he decided to quit his job and travel the world for 6 months+, how we met, not being pigeon-holed in photography, his love (and hate) relationship with film, and why he is currently shooting on a Hasselblad Xpan.
Podcast:
You can listen to the audio podcast below:
Read more to see the topics we covered in the interview, and lots of inspirational links:
In this video I talk to Karl Edwards from StreetShootr on why I plan on switching back to black and white film (Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600) and we just geek out about black and white film in general, enjoy!
If you want to learn how to shoot street photography on film, I recommend reading these articles below:
I just did a fun interview with my good friend Karl Edwards (he runs StreetShootr) and has a blast chatting about his start in street photography, his tension between shooting film and digital, practical tips on how to shoot with a Leica, his favorite photography books, and why he likens shooting street photography to playing a harmonica. The format is similar to when I “ambush” interviewed him in Provincetown as a part of the Magnum workshop.
You can see Karl’s work on Flickr and his Website. Make sure to check out StreetShootr and to follow on Twitter.
Read more to see his photos and the street photographers he recommends to check out!
Dear streettogs, if you want to learn more of how to shoot street portraits, I just put together a 47-minute video lecture for you! In this lecture I cover what “street portraits” are (and how they differ from “street photography”), how to approach strangers, how to overcome the fear of rejection, as well as practical tips for shooting street portraits.
You can see and download all the slides for free on Slideshare or on Google drive.
To learn more about street portraits, check out my Chicago Street Portraits POV videos on YouTube.
Below are some of the tips I included from the presentation on how to shoot street portraits (and a few extra freebies):
What are some tips you have when it comes to shooting street portraits, Â or any questions you might have? Leave them in the comments below!
I am excited to announce that I just finished writing a new book titled: “How to Overcome Photographer’s Block.” If you have ever felt lack of motivation, inspiration, or direction– this is the book for you!
If you’re in a creative rut, learn how to break out of your “photographer’s block” with this comprehensive and practical manual. In this book, I share practical tips, guidance, and assignments to break out of any creative barrier you have with your photography, no matter how severe.
You will learn how to overcome perfectionism, “paralysis by analysis”, giving yourself the permission to make “imperfect photos”, learn how to integrate your life with photography, how to focus on the process (not the outcome), how to add more novelty and randomness to your life, and more.
The book is “open source,” meaning you can share it, remix it, and do anything you want with it for free. Feel free to share it with a friend, print it out, or even translate it into a different language!
You can download the book for free in these formats:
Enjoy :)
Other free ebooks:
You can also read the full book for free below, and you can save it to Pocket or Instapaper:
Dear streettogs,
Life is good in Berkeley! Just finished a fun 1-day intensive street photography portrait crash course workshop in SF, and after meeting all the great students, I’m more pumped up to write articles, produce content, and share what’s in my neck of the woods!
11th assignment of the Streettogs Academy! We are nearing our 12th assignment that might be just in times for the anniversary as well. Congratulations to Monika Jaskowska Bablok for getting the editor’s choice for the previous assignment! Let’s keep cracking on the next one. This one is going to be a bit of a challenge but should be a great change of pace especially for those shooting in black and white.
In “The Artist’s Way†by Julia Cameron, I came across this interesting idea: that creativity is like a shark. If sharks stop swimming, even for a minute, they will sink to the bottom of the ocean and die.
A lot of things in life are about momentum– about creating positive habits, that allow us to achieve our dreams.
If you are in Toronto (or closeby) and want to take your photography to the next level, check out the upcoming Magnum Photos Editing Masterclass in Toronto as part of the Contact Photography Festival 2015. You will get the help of acclaimed Magnum photographers Michael Christopher Brown, Mark Power, and Larry Towell.
For photographers who are starting a project, mid-project, or if you’re stuck shooting and want to move your project forward.
A monthly compilation of interesting reads, videos, books/zines, or portfolios to follow about street photography or other related genres. Check out the April 2015 edition.
I just finished reading an excellent book on art, creativity, and following your passion titled: “The Crossroads of Should and Must†by Elle Luna. The original idea was written on Medium here, and then blew up on the internet.
The premise of the idea is this: in life you are pulled between things you “should†do vs things you “must†do. But what brings real happiness? If you want to learn more, read on.
I recently met up with Ryan Lum, one of the awesome guys at Narrative, a wearable camera startup. I joined them in their office last week, and talked about my beginnings in street photography and my blog, how it was getting fired (and running this blog full-time), how to shoot street photography (and not get punched in the face), and more. I hope you enjoy the video interview above (and pardon the immature masturbation jokes).
I am currently reading “The Artist’s Way†by Julia Cameron— an interesting book that links creativity, spirituality, and overcoming your artistic self-censor.
I know a lot of photographers who are perfectionists or have a lot of self-doubt. This causes them to not pursue their dreams of becoming a photographer. Not becoming a full-time photographer, but to be someone who makes photography a part of his or her everyday life, soul, and existence.
Many milestones have been hit for the tenth assignment! We just crossed 3,000 members, implemented new rules for the group, and have the ninth assignment translated in russian and german! The community is growing and we have to keep on going!
Here we go!
I love attention. I hate criticism and negativity. I want everybody to love me, to love my photography, and my writing.
Contrary to popular belief, I actually have very thin skin when it comes to criticism. I pour my heart and soul into my work— whether that is my blogging, my photography, or teaching.
But I still get criticized a lot despite my good intentions. Every since I was a kid, I always wanted to please other people. More often than not, pleasing other people was more important than pleasing myself.
But I think it is impossible to go through life without pissing someone off. Even if you have the best intentions in the world, you will always inadvertently hurt somebody, offend somebody, or upset somebody.
I often have a hard time going out and making “street photosâ€â€” and I have a lot of other friends who face a similar difficulty. A lot of street photographers disdain their busy lives, and how they aren’t ever able to make time to go out and hit the streets and shoot “street photographyâ€.
But being really inspired by my friend Josh White— I realized that you don’t need to be a “street photographerâ€, you just need to be a “photographerâ€. Or better yet, don’t even be a “photographerâ€, be a human being with immense amounts of curiosity about the world, with the passion and drive to document it.
Eric’s Note: I am excited to feature the work of Ximena Echagüe, a street photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. I’ve been doing online 1:1 lessons with her the last year, and have been amazed with her progress. Below is an interview I did with her, check it out and her projects!
Dear streettogs, I am excited to share that I have a new free e-book to share with you guys: “On Being an Artist and Photographer“. The chapters include:
This free e-book is a compilation of all of the previous blog posts I’ve been writing on the book: “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life“. I know the blog posts are a bit difficult to download and access, so I put them together in an easy-to-access free download file.
This book is “open source†meaning you are free to distribute, edit, change, remix, or share this with your friends (freely and openly). Enjoy:
If you want to read the full e-book on this blog, “read moreâ€. You can also save the book to “Pocket” and “Instapaper“.
Here are some other free e-books on street photography you might enjoy:
I think as artists and photographers we often put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We always put pressure on ourselves to improve our photography, to take our work to the next level, and to make “original†work.
In “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life†artist (and our tutor) Shirley Tse gave lots of interesting ideas on art that are quite taoist/buddhist in nature. Her ideas reflect on self-compassion in art, and some of her lessons include loving (not judging), being critical without being judgmental, sharpening one’s visual intelligence, and not worrying so much about being original (but more focus on being authentic).
Let’s dive in.
I think one of the most exciting things about being an artist is following your curiosity, passion, and to pursue a life-long path of learning.
Continuing from my “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life†series, here are some lessons I learned from the Raqs Media Collective in how you can constantly transform yourself through art, how to step outside of your comfort zone, and thrive in a life-long pursuit of learning:
Continuing my series on “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Lifeâ€, I thoroughly enjoyed an essay titled: “Me and Marcuse†by Michelle Grabner. She exposed me to a lot of new ideas that I want to explore below on the following topics: what art is for, the importance of filtering images, undoing and re-doing your world-constructs, and the importance of learning:
Continuing the lessons I’ve learned from “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, I want to share some thoughts I’ve learned from Carol Bove, one and the artists and “tutors†from the book.
Carol expresses ideas on self-expression, what work means to her, time and information management, as well as uncensoring and finding yourself. I hope you enjoy these ideas:
(Editor’s Note: Words and Photographs by Ryan Tacay)
In a world of instant-gratification and disposable media, it’s hard to take something like instagram as a serious way to share something artistic and long-lasting. Going past the jokes about it being all about the bathroom selfies, things I ate today, or this afternoon’s sunset, it’s actually one of the best ways to get one’s work out there and seen.
For starters, with instagram claiming they have about 300 million active users compared to the 92 million that Flickr has, it’s safe to say that although the images are displayed no larger than a 640×640 pixel square format, there’s a larger audience. Having come from Flickr since 2005, I get more traffic and activity on instagram these days. It has become my preferred method of sharing my street photos.
Continuing my education with “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, I wanted to share some thoughts I have gleaned from Piero Golia, one of the artists and “tutors†in the book. Here are some of his ideas that stirred my thoughts and creativity, and how I think we can apply these concepts as a photographer.
I just gave a free street photography webinar, and here are some of the slides that I shared on practical tips, assignments, and “traits of great street photographers”. The video recording of the event will be available in a week or so, will also make sure to share. In the meanwhile, enjoy this presentation!
You can also see the presentation on Slideshare here. You can see the full list of all of my presentations here.
You can also see some of my other free video street photography lectures below:
I am currently reading: “Akademie x Lessons in Art + Lifeâ€, which is probably one of the most inspirational art/life books I’ve picked up as of late. It is a beautifully printed and bound book, folding open like a school instructional manual.
I personally never went to art school. I entered college as a Biology major (to become a doctor like a good Asian kid), but upon going into school (and realizing I hated science and math), I switched to the exact opposite: sociology.
Hey streetogs, after my 3-week trip in Chicago, Toronto, NYC, I am excited to finally be back home in Berkeley. It is wonderful to enjoy sleeping in my own bed, being back at home with Cindy, and the lovely weather of Berkeley. Unfortunately, I think I caught a mild cold while traveling, and will spend the next few days recuperating. Fortunately, caffeine and green tea has been my new friends (gonna take a break from the coffee for a while until I get better).
(Editor’s Note: Words and Photographs by Jared Krause)
I started shooting in June of 2009. I had causally been thinking about photography and decided to buy a camera. I started posting to a photo blog because I felt like photography was a good way to share my experiences with other people. Shooting street photos gave my photography purpose, a goal and a style to pursue rather than just taking random shots of anything. It was a edgy and new to me. I decided to start posting photos to my blog every day, and did so for over a year. In that period, I got very comfortable using my camera, and quite familiar with light, contrast, colour and the other elements involved in photography. Even though I wasn’t shooting street, I was learning.
I just finished reading a new book titled: “Becoming Steve Jobsâ€, which is a new biography on the life of Steve Jobs. I also read the other (more famous) Walter Isaacson biography: “Steve Jobsâ€, and found this to be a great refresher to the life, work, and passion of Steve Jobs.
In “Becoming Steve Jobsâ€, one thing I found fascinating was how Steve Jobs was a practicing Buddhist. Although he could be a ruthless businessman, he balanced that with meditation, mindfulness, and Buddhist practices.
I love music. I love listening to music when I’m writing (like I am doing now), I love listening to music when I’m driving, and I love having music play in the background when I’m with my friends.
I have a lot of favorite artists and I have found one thing that separates the “successful†artists and from the “unsuccessful†artists: the “successful†artists continue to produce work (and don’t die off).
(Editor’s Note: Interview by Eric Kim. Photographs by Nick Gervin.)
Eric: Hey Nick great to have you. Can you start off by telling us a (brief) life story and how you first picked up a camera?
Nick:Â Thanks for having me, Eric. I first picked up a camera in 1992 at the age of twelve. I wanted to document the graffiti art I was discovering in and around Portland, Maine. At that time, the city was in poor shape and it had a lot of derelict buildings that I would skip school to explore.
I really had no clue what I was doing when it came to photography; I was more of a point-and-shooter then. Still, I felt that the documentation was important and, later on, it would prove to be. Like all things in life, the graffiti didn’t last forever and the photographs I had made then helped document a subculture. I continued to point-and-shoot over the years, mostly with disposable cameras.
It is inevitable. Sooner or later, someone will give you shit for taking their photograph. No matter how good your intentions are, there will always be someone who will be offended.
You can smile, be friendly, and use all the right techniques — but there are just some people who won’t respond positively.
There will be some people who will give you dirty looks, tell you to fuck off, or threaten to call the cops on you.
In my street photography workshops, I often give the students a “5 yes/5 no†assignment. The concept is simple: you approach a bunch of strangers and ask permission to take their portrait. You intentionally try to get 5 people to say “yesâ€, and 5 people to say “no.â€
Sometimes students struggle to get all 5 people to say “yesâ€, and sometimes students have no problem.
So what are some good strategies to quickly develop a rapport with strangers, and have strangers to say “yes†to having their picture taken?
One thing to remind myself: street photography is supposed to be fun. If you’re not having fun, why are you doing it?
We all have the stresses of everyday life that we have to deal with. We have to deal with stressful commutes, unreasonable bosses, difficulties at home, drama with friends and family, and financial stresses and worries.
Street photography is supposed to be the exact opposite of that.
Street photography is therapy for the mind, soul, and body. Street photography is a chance to (momentarily) escape all the bullshit of everyday life. Street photography is the chance to empty our minds, and to simply stray the streets without a single oppressive thought in our mind.
Street photography is the chance to wander, to explore, and to feel like a child again.
Street photography is the chance to meet interesting strangers on the streets, to enjoy nice and fun conversations, and to meet other like-minded passionate people.
Street photography is having the thrill of the “huntâ€â€” of trying to find an interesting image (in an area that might be boring).
Whenever street photography becomes like a chore or stressful for you, take a break. You’re doing something wrong.
You shouldn’t treat street photography like a job. Treat it like leisure. Treat street photography as an activity that brings you supreme happiness and joy in your life. Treat street photography as an outlet which makes you feel truly alive.
Don’t compare yourself to other street photographers. After all, their life circumstances are different from yours. Perhaps they don’t have a family and have much more free time to shoot than you. Perhaps they live in a more “interesting†city than you do. Perhaps they are better connected, and therefore are more “famous†than you.
Strive to become the best street photographer you can, and enjoy the journey and the process.
Be like a kid again— have fun like a child in the playground for the first time.
The street is our playground.
Now go hit the pavement and have fun :)
One of the most interesting ideas that I’ve got from Nassim Taleb’s book “Antifragile†is his concept of “via negativaâ€. The concept is this: when describing something, negative descriptions often work best.
What is a negative description?
Well, describing what something isn’t can better define something.
From here on out, Photography Quick Links will now be known as Street Photography Quick Links. Just like from last month, a compilation of interesting news, write-ups, videos, and other things about street photography and other related genres that I have personally consumed. Since it is international women’s month last March, there’s a special section on the work of great female photographers!
Hey streettogs, I just uploaded some slides for a free talk I did for Chase Toronto the other day on tips, techniques, and tricks to conquer your fear of shooting street photography.
You can also download the slides for free here. Enjoy! :)
So after a long trip in Stockholm, Dubai, and London I wanted to share some of my experiences shooting medium-format (Hasselblad 501c + 80mm lens and Mamiya 7 + 80mm lens) for street photography (and traveling in general).
To start off, I have been really fascinated with shooting square-format photographs recently. To be honest, my first real fascination with shooting squares was from Instagram (and of course photographers like Lee Friedlander and Vivian Maier).
So I first started shooting a lot of squares on my smartphone (squares in-camera, post-processing in VSCO, and uploading to Instagram and social media). Then I realized I had a Hasselblad that my friend Jeroen Helmink gave me about 2 years ago (which was collecting dust on my shelf) that I wanted to try out. Dutifully while living in Berkeley, I carried around my (quite heavy) Hasselblad while on my daily chores and just exploring the neighborhood.
OBSERVE is holding their first group exhibit in opening on June 12, 2015 in the Städtische Galerie in Iserlohn, Germany, and will run through July 26, 2015.
The exhibit will feature the works of the 13 members of the collective. Several members will be present in the opening as well.
In line with the exhibit, OBSERVE will hold their first ever street photography competition with a total of over €1000 in prize money. The theme is “Under Construction”. The competition is open to all photographers of all ages worldwide.
I just re-read an excellent book titled: “The Art of Learning†by Josh Waitzkin. If you’ve ever watched the film “Searching for Bobby Fischer†(the movie about the kid chess prodigy)— that movie was based on Josh Waitzkin’s life.
“The Art of Learning†is a rare book in the sense that he became world champion not only in chess, but also later in competitive Tai Chi “push handsâ€. In the book, Josh breaks down how he was able to learn at an incredible pace, how he was able to push his own creative boundaries, and how he achieved excellence at a master-level.
For this article I want to break down some lessons that I’ve personally learned— which can help you in your street photography or life in general. Let’s go:
I’ve always believed that good work will stand out on its own and it will spread. That is pretty much what happened in our assignment No. 9. given by Harry Fodor. Everyone gave out great black and white work which in turn gave a bit of limelight to the group attracting new members.
Streettogs Academy is pretty much close to 3,000 members now. With that in mind, there are new policies and guidelines implemented so that everyone will be guided on how to interact and post in the group. As always, I am in deep gratitude for everyone’s participation in the group and its assignments.
So let’s jump straight into the next assignment Editor’s choice Chilun Leung gave us!
The other night here in Chicago, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was tossing and turning (put on the heater too hot at night).
In a state of being half-asleep, I started to have all of these random ideas for blog posts. One of them was: “measure your life as a photographer in decades, not years.â€
I recently got 164 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 developed after a year of shooting (and not looking at any of the images). I would have to say— I was so impatient towards the end. I wanted to see my images, and I started to get frustrated. There have been many times when I’m frustrated waiting for my film to get developed that I think of just switching all of my work to digital— to get that sweet, blissful instant gratification.
This is a guest post by Josh White, a street photographer based in Seoul, Korea.
Josh: Yesterday (and sort of the day before) I took part in the 24 Hour Project. For those of you that don’t know, it is a street photography initiative that involves photographers worldwide.
Basically, how it works, is you take one photo per hour for 24 hours in your given city (cities in my case). So, from 00:00 on Saturday, March 21st, until 11:59 I was to stay awake and take and post one photo per hour. By the time 00:00 rolled around I felt more like #fml than #24hourproject.
I have been re-reading a lot of stoic philosophy recently, especially “Letters from a Stoic†and “On the Shortness of Life†by Seneca, and “The Meditations†by Marcus Aurelius.
One of the biggest things that I have re-learned is that for true happiness, we should focus on appreciating what we currently have, rather than what we don’t have. Seneca says the following:
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.â€
By focusing on making the best of what we have in life is the key to happiness.
I recently stopped into the Costco in Mountain View, California with 164 rolls of Kodak Portra 400. You should’ve seen the look of the staff— it was a look of confusion, awe, and amazement.
They were surprised that all that film I brought in was all shot by me. They were also partly worried that they would have to process all of it. I reassured them by telling them to take their time— I wasn’t in a rush. After all, I had been sitting on my film and letting them “marinate†for nearly a full year.
And so the cycle continues for Streettogs Academy! Our assignment this time round is deceptively simple. This assignment would actually go down as the assignment with the most interaction (so far). Many comments were shared and there were a number of photos that got the attention of many members of the group. If you look closely, the photos that got selected and got the most interest are the ones that had the simple basic requirement of a good image: A strong visual hook. So let’s see all of them.
Hey streettogs, I am excited to share that my friend Walter Margerison and IÂ are curating a group street photography show at ArtÃs Coffee in Berkeley, comprised of 24 Bay-Area based street photographers.
The exhibition is this Friday, March 20, from 6-9pm. Free alcoholic beverages will be served, and this will be a great chance to meet other street photographers from the area! Don’t miss out, hope to see you there, and bring a friend (or two!)
Artis Coffee Address: (Google Map)
1717B 4th St
Berkeley, CA 94710
You can RSVP on Facebook.
I recently finished “Being Mortal†by Atul Gawande. It is one of the most touching books I have ever read this past year. Atul talks about the tension between living long (versus living a meaningful life).
This made me think a lot about my personal mortality, and always how this relates to photography. Here are some of my thoughts:
On October, 2014 Rene Burri passed away, at age 81. He had an incredible career of photography behind him, and produced many iconic images, which include those of Che, Picasso, and many other street photographs which perfectly combined geometry, story, and form.
About a year ago I got a copy of his color street photography, which was published in “Impossible Reminiscencesâ€â€” and was deeply moved by his color work. I feel that his photographs have an emotional and cultural sensitivity to them. Rene’s work feels like a more empathetic Henri Cartier-Bresson.
I therefore felt inspired to write an article on Rene Burri. Unfortunately there isn’t too many interviews he has conducted, but based on what I could find online— here are some lessons I have learned from him:
Dear streettogs,
This weekend is the last opportunity for you to qualify for the early-bird discount for my Toronto Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop. I am also excited to announce I have added an Amsterdam Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop as well!
If you wanted to take your street photography to the next level and invest in your own growth and education, join me at one of my upcoming street photography workshops in 2015:
San Francisco – Week-long Intensive Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Chicago – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop - OPEN!
Toronto – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop - OPEN!
New York City – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!Â
Seattle – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop - OPEN!Â
Paris – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
Amsterdam – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (NEW!)
Prague – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop - OPEN!
Vienna – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop - OPEN!
Berlin –Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
London – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent – NEW!Â
Istanbul – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent
Stockholm – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent – NEW!
New Orleans – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent
You can learn more about my street photography workshops here.
I ultimately want to be happy. But unfortunately there are a lot of sources of dissatisfaction in my life. There are a lot of things I want to change about my life, and my outlook in the world.
In this article I want to share some of the 10 deepest sources of dissatisfaction I’ve had in my life, and strategies I’ve been able to cope with these issues. I hope this can help give you some sort of help (if you’re dealing with similar issues as me).
In this presentation, I share how to come up with and shoot a street photography project, and also cover what makes a great street photography project. Some of the projects we cover are:
Project tips/advice:
Ways to stay motivated
Links:
I was stunned to hear that photographer Caio Proença recently translated my free e-book: “Street Photography 101: An Introduction to Street Photography” into Portuguese (free download here)! Caio writes a bit about why he decided to translate it:
I recently got a new book in the mail: “Dorothea Lange: Aperture Masters of Photography†(courtesy of Aperture) and was deeply inspired and moved by her work, life, and philosophy.
I have always known Dorothea Lange’s work documenting the Great Depression (and her famous “Migrant Mother†photograph), but didn’t know much about her life and philosophy. In this article I will share some of the lessons that Dorothea Lange has taught me about photography, and how you can apply that philosophy to your own work:
One thing I notice when I’m teaching street photography workshops is that a lot of photographers don’t like having their own photograph taken.
This is a huge problem.
If you want to build up your confidence in shooting street photography, I think you also need to be comfortable being on the other side of the camera.
Julius Motal (passionate street photographer) from The Phoblographer recently did a podcast interview with me on their new podcast series, ISO 400. We talked about how I joined my interests in sociology and photography (to grow my interest in street photography), the projects I am currently working on, as well as tips and advice for street photographers.
Enjoy the video interview above!
I just finished a week-long intensive street photography workshop in SF, and man– was it one great experience. The students all did an incredible job stepping outside of their comfort zones, improved their street photography, and built up an amazing sense of teamwork.
I am so proud of all of their improvement through the week, read more to see all of their before/after images! Also if you are interested in improving your body of work, learning more about composition, and building your confidence in in the streets, check out my upcoming street photography workshops.