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Street photography as courage. Photography philosophy as embodied life. A living archive by ERIC KIM.
“Find out what to write, not how.†– Seneca (Letters to Lucilius) Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on the importance of knowing what to photograph, rather than how to photograph.
Why put so much pressure on yourself? Why make things harder than they need to be? Do you take photos because you genuinely enjoy it, or do you want some sort of external recognition? …
This guest article is by Nick Smith. Someone who I’ve followed for sometime is Trey Ratcliff. For those who aren’t familiar, he’s known for his HDR style images.
I believe that photos are best created from subtraction. Just like how a sculptor makes a statue.
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on having creative confidence.
Dear friend, Often I’m asked, “Eric, what is the best camera for street photography?â€
Even in ancient times, poets and playwrights would constantly seek the approval of the public.
Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest …
My friend Aaron Offord sent me Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” which has been one of the most inspirational and uplifting books I’ve read in a while. The story outlines Frankl’s story of …
I have lost hundreds and thousands of photographs over the years, due to hard drive failures, forgetting to backup my images, or by accidentally deleting photos (before transferring them).
Dear friend, I wanted to share an idea I had with you in regards to philosophy, life, photography, physics, and Elon Musk from Tesla.
Dear friend, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on “reducingâ€, “subtractionâ€, “less is more†— whatever along those lines.
Interview by A.g. De Mesa, Photos by Jonathan Higbee A.G.: Any creative pursuit, especially photography comes with anxiety and a whole lot of uncertainty. We all have our ways of dealing with them but …
I just went to a friend’s wedding the other day— and man, it was so much fun. Singing, dancing, drinking, eating— the air full of merriment and joy.
Happy 2016; goodbye 2015. Every year, we are told what to do for a new year’s resolution. I propose something opposite this year— let us try to propose things not to do this year. …
I was driving on the freeway (the 5) and had a random thought:
In American society— we are always told to buy more shit to take away our misery and dissatisfaction in our lives.
Dear friend, I want to tell you a story:
Dear friend, I want to propose a new school of photography called “personal photography.†Consider this letter as a way for me to work out some ideas, and to share some ideas with you.
For the latest Assignment over at Streettogs Academy, our editor’s choice, Jota Barros chose Self Awareness. (Details of joining and more info after the jump!)
Dear friend, I want to let you know— I am a brand-slave. Meaning; I love brands. I love the way they make me feel, but I am imprisoned by them.
Dear friend, I just wanted to write you this letter to share you some personal thoughts after reading “Capital†and “The Communist Manifesto†by Karl Marx. And no, it isn’t some crazy communist shit– …
After about a hundred shots of espresso, the newest “Learn From the Masters of Street Photography” PDF Book is live. This version (Version II) is the newest and cleanest version that distills the wisdom of the …
“It’s not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.†– Bruce Lee
I’m like a pigeon. I am so easily distracted. If you saw how many Google chrome tabs I have open at once, you’d know what I mean. When I was walking around in SF …
Better late than never as they say. The “ber” months have been tough on your admin balancing a busy schedule, the flu, and paying the bills. That said, I want to say that this …
Don’t be afraid. Fear is what prevents your inner-artist from expressing itself. Fear is what prevents you from approaching that stranger you want to talk to/take a photo of. Fear is what holds you …
Dear streettogs, I am excited to share that I am one of the instructors at “Gulf Photo Plus 2016†this year. If you’ve never heard about the event, long story short— it is the …
HENRI Never Miss the Decisive Moment. Discover all of the camera straps made by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES: NEW Henri Wrist Strap Pro (with pad) Buy in Haptic Shop > Buy Phantom Black on Amazon > …
Raise your hand if you don’t have enough time to make photos. [Raises hand]
Dear friend, I want to tell you about my camping trip in Yosemite during the thanksgiving break.
Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest …
This is an interview between me and Neil Ta, my good friend (and manager). He’s recently taken his street photography to the next level by shooting exclusively with a Hasselblad Xpan (panoramic film camera), …
“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the …
Read this as a Google Doc I was talking with one of my friends and students David— and he has an excellent camera. He shot with an Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II with a …
“Happiness: take away from your desires, not to add to your riches.†– Epicurus Today is American Thanksgiving. It is a time of the year to appreciate what you have— to spend time with …
With the end of the year holiday season only just around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to write about Can Giving Make Us Happy?
Dear friend, I am writing this as a practical instructional manual in terms of how to start your own photography blog. Note that none of this is “truth†or “rules†— these are simply …
Dear friend, I am addicted to G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I always want to buy new shit— the newest iPad (Epic), cars (Mustang), phone (iPhone 6s or Nexus 6P), clothes (hipster $200+ raw denim), …
I love to buy shit. It makes me feel great. I feel cooler, handsomer, sexier, more powerful, and more important. I always feel that if I just bought “X†I would become happier. For example, if …
Ugh, I just woke up and haven’t had my espresso yet (fortunately it is being made right now). Anyways— I wanted to share an idea that I had when I was rolling out of …
This weekend I’m teaching a “how to find your unique voice†street photography workshop in Downtown LA. One of the things I love most about teaching a workshop is that it gives me the …
Dear friend, life is brutally short; live a life of leisure.
I own a lot of shit. I don’t think it is bad to have a lot of material possessions. However I find for me, more stuff, more problems.
This is part two of my review on Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, ‘On Street Photography and the Poetic Image‘. For part one, click here.
Hey Neil, Happy birthday man. I’m not 100% sure how old you are now, but all I know is that you’re about a decade my senior. I wanted to write this letter to wish you …
Dear friend, I want to share some ideas with you– specifically about “personal” street photography. I’m going to ramble a bit before that, so please be patient with me.
Dear friend, I wanted to share some ideas with you on my mind; one of them being on happiness.
Interview by A.g. De Mesa, photos by Harvey Stein The thing about any creative pursuit, specifically photography, is that it is easy to pick up but only a few can stay with it let alone …
I’m in a plane to LA from Oakland (Southwest), and wanted to use this hour or so to write and share about my experiences shooting 100 rolls of Kodak Tri-X Film pushed to 1600 …
(A.g.: In the spirit of Open Source here on Eric’s Blog, this is a German translation of Eric’s 10 Things Henri Cartier-Bresson Can Teach You About Street Photography made by photographer Lukas Beinstein).
Aperture have released a book collection called ‘The Photography Workshop Series‘ and currently have four in that set. I recently bought the co-authored one from Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, ‘On Street Photography …
Simon: I recently took part in Eric’s workshop in New Orleans and during one of our daily critique sessions Eric asked if I’d like to write a post about the top 5 things I learnt. …
See the most recent version of this book (Version III): “100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography.” Learn from the masters of street photography, with 82 practical lessons and assignments that will push …
I’ve been in the “social media†game for as long as I can remember. Let me tell you a story: I just turned 21 years old, and I got 100+ “happy birthday†messages on Facebook. …
(A.g.’s Note: We’re glad to have Observe Collective back on the blog again with some highlights of their recently held Under Construction exhibit in Germany. Check it out!) Observe Collective from Cut Production Germany …
Dear fellow streettog, I want to live my life to the fullest. I want to die without regrets. Often I piss away my days, live a life according to the opinion of others, and …
Hopefully by now, you already know what this means! If you don’t know what we do, check my introductory post of Streettogs Academy Here! For those of you already know, read on!
I am currently loving my “boring”, humble, yet simple life back in Berkeley. Everyday my life with Cindy is like this:
Original post from Nick’s blog. Looking Back on Life So it’s that time of year again when I look at my life and all of the things that I’ve accomplished, or in my case, haven’t. …
(Cover Photo by Assignment No. 15 Community’s Choice, Salman Taseem Haque) While sifting and reading these pictures, I constantly have a smile on my face. This has got to go down as one of …
(This was initially sent to my newsletter) Dear friend, Long time no talk! I am excited to share that I just got back safely from New Orleans after an epic two-week trip there. I …
Dear friend, I wanted to give you a new “no bullshit” review of the Ricoh GR II (new version, Mark II). I can honestly say that the previous Ricoh GR is the best value camera for …
Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on photography and life. I just finished an epic week-long street photography workshop here in New Orleans, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. I …
Dear friend, It is 7:20am in New Orleans, and I just downed a “Miss Tracy’s Addiction†(Double espresso, Cayenne pepper, Thai coconut milk) at Addiction Coffee and I’m feeling good. Had a nice chat …
Check out the updated book: “100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography.” Dear streettogs, I am excited to announce my new free “open-source” e-book: “Learn From the Masters of Street Photography.” This book …
Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest …
Eric: This article is by John Hall, a photographer and human being I respect deeply. John Hall was one of my students at a week-long street photography workshop in SF, and since then he …
During my street photography workshop in SF this weekend, I experienced something that touched my heart. Peter Zhang, one of my students, was having a lovely chat with this woman in the Tenderloin of …