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Dear friend,
I wanted to write you a personal letter on innovation. Not to say that I am the most innovative person (I’m not), but in the hope that I can hash out some of my personal thoughts on creativity, pushing boundaries, which I hope can ultimately help you too, my dear friend.
I just finished re-reading the excellent biography of Steve Jobs written by Walter Isaacson. If you can own just one book on innovation and inspiration, this is the book to get friend. So let me map out some of the lessons I’ve learned from the book, and the life and philosophies of Steve Jobs:
I want to share a story with you. It is an important life lesson that I learned from Greg Lowe, my tennis coach from high school.
Okay let’s start from the very beginning. I was a sophomore (or perhaps freshman) in high school (Castro valley high in California), and I heard that there were tryouts for the tennis team. I’ve always (kind of) been interested in tennis, as my parents would play (or at least they had some old rackets in the closet). I remember as a kid, looking at these (unused) rackets in the closet, and wanting to pick it up and learn.
So anyways, I go to these tennis tryouts, and fail miserably. I can’t hit the ball to save my life, and I realized that I was out of my league. Some of these kids were able to hit the ball with so much beauty, form, and elegance — adding fancy topspin to the ball, able to serve without even looking, and pretty much dominate without even trying.
Dejected, I thought I would never be a good tennis player. How could I catch up in skill to all of these other guys, who had all these fancy tennis lessons (which were pretty fucking expensive)?
I don’t remember the details, but one of the assistant coaches (Greg Lowe, a retired police chief), offered the students who didn’t make the team, “Hey guys, if you want to improve yourselves and perhaps make the team next year, meet me at the courts this Saturday at 730am, and I will give you free lessons.â€
At first I thought, “fuck yeah‖ I would be able to get free lessons, work hard, and prove myself by making the team. I thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I thought everyone else would jump on this offer.
So anyways on Friday morning, I peel myself out of bed at 7am (really early for a high school student), and made it to the courts by 730am. I was surprised to see that there were only about three of us in total. I thought to myself, “where are all the other kids, why aren’t they taking up this amazing and generous offer that coach Lowe offered?â€
Anyways, long story short, Greg Lowe trained us for that entire summer. There only ended up being around three of us in the long run, but through that summer I was able to hone my skills, work hard, and (without fail) make it to practice every Saturday morning, no matter how much alcohol I drank the night before with my friends. Funny story; there was one day that I was sleeping in on Saturday morning, and my friend (also another guy getting tennis lessons with coach Lowe) threw rocks at my window to wake my ass up.
Anyways, I end up making the team, and through the years, worked myself up from having zero skills in tennis, to being #1 varsity doubles on the team.
There were a lot of lessons that coach Lowe taught me about life through tennis, which I want to outline in this letter to you.
1. You don’t need an expensive racket
The first thing that shocked me from coach Lowe was that he played and instructed us with a wooden racket. It was a really old thing, I never had seen anything like it. While all of us young guns were obsessed with getting the newest and greatest tennis rackets, our coach instructed us with this super heavy, tiny headed relic from the past.
Yet the thing that surprised me the most was how fluid he was with it, and how hard he could hit the ball with it.
Funny in photography, we call it “gear acquisition syndrome†(gas), in which we think that our lack of photographic ability is because our cameras and lenses and gear aren’t good enough. Yet they have the same exact thing in tennis, where a lot of amateur tennis players think that they’re not improving in their tennis, because their racket isn’t expensive enough. Apparently this also happens in all other sports, like basketball (you want to wear expensive Jordan shoes), in cooking (you want expensive knives), in golf (you want more expensive clubs), etc.
So when I started off in tennis, needless to say I was pretty shitty. I always thought to myself at the back of my head: “If I only had an expensive racket like Andre Agassi” or if I had that new Head, Prince, or Babolat racket, I could hit the ball really hard and be a really good player.
But regardless, without fail, my coach taught us with the wooden racket, and showed us how hard you could hit the ball (even with a really shitty racket).
He always tried to remind us: it isn’t about the racket, but your form.
Now thinking back at it, it is an important life lesson that I have applied to my photography and life in general.
In photography, I say this a lot: “Don’t worry about the camera and gear, the most important thing is your eyes and how you see the world.” I’ve said it so many times that it seems so cliche and a fucking chore when you hear it; but it’s true. And it is a constant reminder I need to give myself (I always make excuses about my photos not being good enough, saying that my camera isn’t good enough).
Don’t get me wrong friend, I am still afflicted with GAS in photography. Although I am currently down to one camera and one lens (film leica and 35mm lens), I still crave for more. There are days I daydream about getting a Leica Monochrom, or daydream about fictitious cameras (like digital cameras without an LCD screen), or buying medium format cameras, whatever. I am not satisfied with what I have, but I always goad for more. And why is that? Because I somehow think it is my gear which is holding me back creatively, and if I suddenly had new gear, I would become “re-inspired”. But it is a bunch of bullshit, it is actually limits and constraints that forces us to be be more creative (they call it a “creative constraint”).
The same philosophy goes in life. We think that we can’t start our own business because we don’t have enough money. We think that we can’t ask that beautiful person on a date because we don’t have the looks. We think that we can never cook a decent meal because we have an ill-equipped kitchen. We think that we can’t become great painters, movie directors, or musicians because our equipment (or tools) are holding us back.
But remember; even a wooden racket can help you become a great tennis player. Similarly in photography, even a smartphone can be a more than-sufficient tool for photography. In life, make the best use of what you have, rather than seeking some external thing that you don’t have in order to be creative.
Recently, Cindy and I are embarking on a challenge (which is really difficult); don’t buy anything new for a year.
So far the challenge has been really difficult. I constantly want to buy new shit (and I know I don’t really need it, but still am tempted). But the funny thing is that in knowing that I don’t have the luxury of buying new things, it forces me to be more ingenuous and use what I already own and be more creative.
“Hunger breeds sophistication.”
So for example, I currently don’t have a laptop. I got my 11” Macbook Air stolen in Paris 1.5 months ago, I recently donated my Windows 8 Tablet/Laptop to a friend named Anne who is going to donate it to charity to teach kids in a developing country to program, and all I am left with is the iPad Air I had chilling at home. I have a “in-case” keyboard attachment thingy, and a bluetooth Apple keyboard that I use wirelessly (which I am using right now to type this up).
Before my “don’t buy anything” challenge, I was tempted to stop by the nearest Apple store (there is literally one in just a 20-minute walk from my house, on 4th street in Berkeley), and buy a new Macbook 12” retina (or a 13” Macbook pro). But because I made the decision not to buy something new, I tried to think to myself; how can I best use this iPad to be creative?
First of all, I tried to approach the whole “via negativa” philosophy that Nassim Taleb shares in his book, ‘Antifragile‘ (trying to remove as much as possible). So from the iPad, I have removed all superfluous apps that I find unnecessary. Currently the only apps I have are the ones that are not standard is Dropbox and Google Chrome, and IA Writer Pro (best minimalist writing app for both iPad and Macbook in my opinion). The benefit of having no extraneous apps or fat? I have fucking extreme focus; I am not distracted by anything else. And trust me, I am the most easily distracted person I know. I am a pigeon, I see something shiny, and I instantly lose focus.
But anyways, I first did feel a lot of frustration with the iPad– after all, I was limited. In the west, we are taught to not have any limits, to have ultimate freedom– the freedom to buy anything you want, the freedom to do anything you want, and the freedom to continue to accumulate extraneous things.
But the limitation of the iPad has helped me focus on one thing; just writing. So the limitation of my equipment and tools has ended up being a huge blessing. Rather than installing all these new “productivity” apps (in a ‘via positiva’ approach), removing unnecessary apps (in a ‘via negativa’ approach) has helped me be more creative.
So let us not bitch and moan about the lack of tools, money, cameras, financial security, opportunities, hometown, whatever hold us back.
In tennis, a simple wooden racket will suffice in becoming a great tennis player.
In photography, a simple camera will suffice in becoming a great photographer.
In life, having a little money is sufficient to living happily and contributing to society as a whole.
As I was writing this, I have also come to a little “mini-epiphany”; for the next year (at least until I move to Vietnam), I will put away the Leica and will practice what I preach; to just shoot with a simple camera (digital Ricoh GR). The camera is very affordable (less than $600), and while not “cheap” — I think if you own a laptop, live in a “developed” world, have access to the internet, clean water, whatever– you can afford it.
One of the big criticisms I get is that “Oh, Eric, it is easy for you to say ‘don’t worry about the camera’ when you shoot with a Leica.”
And that is true; I need to eat my own cooking, and not be a hypocrite.
Thank you coach Lowe for teaching me the beauty of playing tennis with a wooden racket and not being obsessed with my racket (all throughout high school, I played with a mid-range racket, which helped me make to #1 doubles on the Varsity tennis team). So similarly, I will make a vow of simplicity by also “downgrading” my camera to something really simple; the Ricoh GR.
So friend, I know it is really fucking hard not to be tempted by all these new tools and gadgets. I am a sucker to consumerism too; whenever I see advertisements, visit the mall, or see friends with more expensive stuff than me, I get instantly jealous. This is why nowadays I don’t surf the internet, I don’t read blogs (only paper-back books), I don’t watch television (I don’t own one), I don’t read the newspaper (“to cure yourself of newspapers, spend an entire year reading the news from last year” – Nassim Taleb), I don’t read magazines (90% of the content are just advertisements), I don’t watch movies (sneaky advertisement placements are abundant in films now, or they tempt you to buy expensive cars, clothes, to be fancy), I don’t (to the best of my ability) associate myself with rich people (or else I get jealous of their material wealth). Ultimately I try to avoid situations in which I will feel temptations to buy shit, feelings of inadequacy (comparing myself to those richer than me), situations where I want more than I already have (“keeping up with the Jonses” in America).
Happiness isn’t about accumulating more; it is learning how to be content with less.
So whenever you feel that your camera, gear, lifestyle, or whatever is inadequate– ask yourself,
“How can this limitation help me be more creative? How can this limitation force me to step outside of the box, and try to find out novel ways to be more innovative? How can this limitation be a positive?”
Let me flesh out some more ideas:
Benefit of shooting with a shitty camera (you only end up shooting when the light is good, which is sunrise and sunset, and you ultimately make better images than just shooting in shitty light with a high-end camera)
Benefit of living in a boring town (you force yourself to be more creative with boring subject-matter, and you’re more likely to create unique bodies of work that have never been shot before)
Benefit of not having a lot of money (you don’t use money as a crutch, and try to fix all your problems with money, which never works)
Benefit of not having a lot of free time (you don’t squander the little free time that you have. If you only have 1 hour of free time a day, you fucking squeeze out every ounce of that free time, very much like how you squeeze the last drop of lemon juice from a lemon. Even if you only had 15 minutes of free time in a day, think of how you can use that time to shoot (during your lunch break), how you can write, read, or do something that nourishes you creatively).
Benefit of being old (you are wiser, have more life experiences, which can help you be more creative and innovative with your art. You also realize your own mortality, so you don’t waste your time pursuing money and other extraneous things in life, but to ‘live everyday like it were your last’).
Benefit of being young (the world is your oyster, you have no kids to take care of, no spouse to feed, and you can just “YOLO” and do exactly what you want to do in your life. Nothing is holding you back).
I can blabber on on and on; but rather than blaming your external conditions and situations for not being creative or living the life you want to live, think of how you can use your limitations in your life, and make it into a benefit and positive.
Let us eschew fancy high-end rackets; and praise the simple, wooden rackets.
2. Never miss a practice
Another important life lesson that I learned from my coach was this: never miss a practice.
One of the most difficult things in tennis is to master a serve. It is one of the most complex movements, which require fluidity of the shoulder, turning of the hips, and it is one of those things that if you don’t use it, you lose it. You need to practice you tennis serve every single day if you want to improve. You can practice it every other day if you don’t want to lose your ability. And anything less than that, you will totally lose your ability to serve, and have to start again with scratch.
Similarly, I went to practice with my coach every Saturday, no matter how cold, no matter how early, no matter how tired I was. I always had to show up; and it is one of those things that getting there is the hard part, but once you’re there, it is quite easy. Kind of like going to the gym. Peeling yourself out of bed, and getting to the gym is the hard part. But once you’re there, doing the workout is quite easy, and after the workout, you feel great and you think to yourself, “What was so difficult about that?”
The same philosophy goes in photography. I do believe that it is important not to go a single day without shooting (if your goal is to improve your photography). I don’t think it is necessary to shoot everyday for the sake of it, but I do believe that the eye and your creative vision is like a muscle; you either use it or lose it. If you were an astronaut, sent into outer space with no gravity, your muscles eventually atrophy from non-use. This is also what happens to people in the hospital who all they do is lie down for months on end due to an illness. Their muscles weaken, they can no longer walk on their own, and they have to rebuild their strength from scratch.
It is often hard to find the “inspiration” to shoot everyday. But then again, do we need “inspiration” to eat food and drink everyday? No. Why not? Hunger is a pain, thirst is a pain, and to eat and drink is a necessity.
But for you, is being creative and making images a necessity? Do you feel physical and mental pain when you go a day without shooting?
Remember, at the end of the day your goal as a photographer (and human being) is to make images that please yourself, and to ultimately be happy. Like the famous Greek saying: “Know thyself” — try to know who you are as a photographer. Are you the type of photographer that needs to shoot everyday to stay creative or fresh? Or are you the type of photographer that instead of shooting everyday, perhaps you can look at photo books everyday, or find inspiration from other photographers?
So regardless if you shoot everyday or not; I challenge you to never go a single day without being creative, and challenging yourself either artistically, emotionally, or physically.
Conclusion
These are just 2 (of the many) points that I learned from my coach from tennis that I have applied to my photographic and creative life. Try to keep these 2 things in mind:
Disregard the equipment
Don’t miss a day of practice
I think if you practice these 2 things on the daily, you will become truly great in anything you pursue.
Farewell my friend, and I wish you all the best. You have no limits, only the limitations you put on yourself.
Love,
Eric
Written from 5am-7:20am, another beautiful day in Berkeley. Started off the day with a v60 pour-over with some Ritual coffee beans, but I am starting to realize that I don’t know if I really like pour-overs. They take far too long; I prefer the quickie of an espresso.
Just finished reading “The Cynic Philosophers” which is a fucking incredible read. The “Cynic” philosophers were the predecessors of the “Stoic” philosophers, except that the Cynics were even more manly and mentally/physically tough than the Stoics. The Cynic teachings can essentially be distilled into the two concepts: 1) “Know Thyself” (live a life true to yourself, not of others and 2) “Deface the Currency” (fuck money, disregard fame, fortune, and disregard popular beliefs; seek what you think is the ‘truth’ in life).
I’m thinking about re-reading the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. A rare insight into a man who was so passionate about his life’s goal, that he fucked everything else. He knew that he had cancer and was going to die soon; so he didn’t waste a single day of his life. One of my favorite quotes from Jobs, let me break it down:
a) Never forget that you will die, it is a great decision-making tool:
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”
b) Fuck external expectations, and don’t worry about failing. In the end, thinking of death makes it crystal-clear what is important in your life:
“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
c) Never forget that you have nothing to lose, so follow your heart:
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
d) Spoiler alert; we all die (eventually), but know that it is a necessary part of life:
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.â€
So go out, shoot, hug a loved one, express gratitude for the life you live, be grateful that you’re still alive, breathing, and able to enjoy “heaven on earth.”
“You can’t control the results, only the effort.” – Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is a guy I admire very much he’s about my age, and has accomplished a lot. He’s a best selling author, practicing stoic (highly recommend his book, “The Obstacle is the Way), passionate blogger, and overall down to earth guy.
I read this quote on his Twitter a while back, and it really struck a chord with me.
In life, we are told that if we work hard, we will achieve everything we want in life.
Not necessarily.
We can control the effort we put in, but not necessarily the results.
For example in street photography. What can you control in terms of effort? You can decide to shoot everyday, to be focused (turning your phone to airplane mode when shooting), you can decide to invest in photographers books (and not gear), you can call up another photographer to do a critique session together, you can study composition and learn how to “work the scene”, and you can study the work of the masters.
But you can’t control the result.
What is the result in street photography? You ultimately can’t control whether you get a good shot or not. You can’t control the weather (although you can control when you go out and shoot), you can’t control what people look like, you can’t control what the city you shoot in looks like, and you can’t control whether all the elements of a scene will come together perfectly.
But we can control the editing process; deciding which shots to keep, and which to ditch.
So this is today’s meditation: detach yourself from the results, and enjoy the process.
I’m easily disappointed. I want every photo I take to be brilliant. But 99.9% of the time, I take shitty photos. If I get 1 shot I’m happy with every 50 rolls of film, I’m doing well.
The problem I have with shooting digital is this: it makes me focus too much on the results, not the effort.
Having an LCD screen on a camera is a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that when we’re starting off as beginners, “chimping” helps us quickly learn from our mistakes. But as we get more experienced, the LCD screen is a crutch; it is more of a nicotine addiction. Checking the LCD screen is a sign of our insecurity.
Furthermore, assuming that a good street photographer only gets one good shot a month, the likelihood of one photo being half good is a extremely low probability. Checking your LCD screen every hour, or checking your photos on your computer everyday, has a very low “signal to noise” ratio. “Signal” are the good shots that we get. “Noise” is the bad photos that we take. So after 8 hours of shooting in a single day will result in a few (or no) good photos and a lot of bad photos.
Furthermore I find that the expense of shooting film is a blessing, not a curse. Why? Whenever I’m about to click the shutter, I got “skin in the game”, meaning, everytime I click the shutter it costs me something. Therefore I am very considerate before I take an image. I’m a lot more picky and selective before I shoot.
“But don’t you lose a lot of shots because you’re afraid to click the shutter?”
Not at all. What I do is this: I’m picky with the scenes I decide to shoot, but once I find an interesting scene, I’ll shoot an entire roll of film on it.
For example, I might go an entire day of not seeing anything interesting. But once I see something good, I’ll “shoot the shit out of it.” So rather than taking 1-2 photos of everything, just identify 3 good scenes a day, and try to shoot 30+ photos of each scene.
If you shoot digital, take 50, 100+ photos of the scene. For one of Alex Webb’s most famous “Barber Shop” image in istanbul, he shot 10 rolls of Kodak Kodachrome on it. Like Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “Sometimes you got to milk the cow a lot to get a little bit of cheese.”
Apparently even Josef Koudelka shoots 1,000 rolls of film a year. And his book “Exiles” which took him over 10 years contains fewer than 80 images. Less is more.
Morale of the story? Shoot a lot of photos, but be very selective which you decide to keep.
Don’t be disappointed
Ultimately you shoot street photography because you love it. You have enough stress and disappointment from your job, income, family life, etc. Why add additional stress, anxiety, and disappointment to your photography — which should be your joy and passion?
Hustle hard when you’re shooting on the streets, but fuck the results. Of course you want to get good shots, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t.
How can we be less disappointed when we’re shooting on the streets? Some ideas:
1. Don’t chimp
Turn off your LCD preview. If you can’t control yourself, tape it up with gaffers tape. Better yet, shoot film (then you truly won’t be tempted). I have no self control when it comes to chimping, so shooting film is the ultimate solution.
Also make it a point to look at your images infrequently as possible. I’d say if you shoot digital, let your photos “marinate” for at least a week before looking at them on your computer. On top of that, I’d suggest waiting at least a month before deciding to upload them. For me personally, it takes me about a year before I can fully emotionally detach myself from my images and identify whether my shots are truly good or not.
2. Enjoy the walk and a nice coffee
One piece of advice I got from my friend Jack Simon: don’t go out and shoot “street photography.” Just tell yourself: “Today I’m going to go on a nice walk, enjoy the city, have a nice chat with some strangers, and enjoy a nice coffee. And I’ll just take photos of whatever is interesting to me along the way.”
Enjoy the process. The journey is the reward.
“The good traveler is not intent on arriving.” – Laozi
3. Don’t upload your shots
I think more photographers should keep their work offline, and not publish their shots until they’re truly ready.
This is also great because it allows us to make images we’re happy with, rather than just uploading images that please others.
Whenever I upload an image to social media it is a lose/lose situation. If I get a lot of “likes” on a shot, then that becomes my new standard. And if I get any fewer “likes” than that, I get disappointed.
For example, before I deleted Instagram from my phone last week, I would get (on average) 800-1000 “likes” a shot. This made me hungry for more. But whenever I got “only” 500 likes, it would make me feel shitty. I would self doubt myself, my inner serenity would be disturbed, and I would feel like a failure.
Not uploading any new shots has been insanely refreshing. I feel more peace of mind, more happy, and less stressed.
So if you’re addicted to social media and the approval of those little virtual red hearts, try an experiment: go 30 days without using any social media. Just uninstall Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, whatever from your phone for a month. See how you like it, you can always reinstall it after the 30 days.
Conclusion
Don’t worry about making good photos. First of all, just enjoy yourself. Have fun. Don’t add unnecessary pressure or stress or disappointment in life. We already deal with enough of that bullshit.
But still, hustle hard, try to push your limits in street photography (only compare yourself to yourself), and realize photography is a journey.
Godspeed my friend, you got this shit!
Love,
Eric
*On the way from Stockholm back to Berkeley! So excited to see cindy back home, and wish me a safe flight. Got 2 transfers, one in Frankfurt, another in Montreal. Gonna also try fasting from eating, apparently it helps with jetlag. We’ll see. Lots of cool new stuff I have planned for the blog, plan in printing more physical books (art books and instructional manuals), etc. So stay in the loop, and thanks always for your love generosity, and time in reading this.
I want to share you with excitement a new idea that I got, from William Eggleston. The concept is quite simple (and I know I have shared this with you in the past) but it is this: Street photography is all about capturing beauty in the mundane.
Almost a year ago, I ordered “From Black and White to Color†from Eggleston, a lovely photobook that is yellow on the outside, and fits nicely on the hand. It is a lot easier to hold and look at than Eggleston’s unweildy “Chromes†(and much cheaper), and also has a great selection of images.
The funny story is that I just got back here to Berkeley, and was cleaning up my apartment. I’m choosing a lot of “normal†books to donate to the Salvation Army, and am starting to figure out what kind of photobooks I want to give away to friends or those who might appreciate them.
Anyways, the funny thing is that I ordered this book: “From Black and White to Color†ages ago, but never opened it. So when I saw it on my shelf, I took off the plastic cling-wrap, sat down on my kitchen table, drank another espresso, and started to look at the images.
What I realized was this: his photos are of nothing– of boring life in Memphis. In the past when I first saw his images, I didn’t “get†them. All of his photos looked like bad snapshots of boring shit. Why was he so famous, well-regarded, and seen as a God of color photography?
I started to realize that his genius and contribution to the photographic world was this: he lived almost his entire life in his boring town of Memphis, and tried his best to make interesting photos of the boring material he was presented with. Although he was rich, he didn’t spend his time in foreign travels, going to Paris or all these other exotic places in the world to make interesting photos. He realized that his own backyard was ample enough, and spent his entire life (quite diligently) to make beautiful images from the banal, boring, mundane, and ordinary.
I complain a lot about the city I live in (Berkeley). I get the “grass is greener on the other side†syndrome in which I am jaded with my current surroundings. I wish I was in San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo, New York, or another exotic location– to make interesting photos.
But what Eggleston has taught me is that the entire world exists in your own backyard; and what matters in photography is how you can make something boring look interesting, rather than trying to capture something interesting in a boring way.
I watched a documentary on Eggleston, and one of his friends (a famous photographer, forget his name) was quite excited to visit Eggleston in Memphis. But once he arrived there, he was massively disappointed. Memphis was boring as shit. Yet, how did Eggleston manage to make interesting photos of where he lived?
Reading a little upon the history of Eggleston, I learned some interesting things.
First of all, he started (like many of us) inspired by the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. When Eggleston was studying at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, he developed a passionate interest in photography:
“A photographer friend of mine…bought a book of MAgnum work with some Cartier-Bresson pictures that were real fucking art, period.â€
Eggleston idolized Cartier-Bresson, and said:
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything more than making a perfect fake Cartier-Bresson.â€
The funny thing is that Eggleston (like myself) went to Paris to try to imitate Cartier-Bresson, but once he was there, he realized that all the subject-material was already exhausted, and it was pointless for him to “reinvent the wheel.†Apparently the entire visit Eggleston was in Paris, he didn’t even take a single shot.
After Eggleston finished his studies (he didn’t get a degree), he moved to Memphis and made black and white prints in his own darkroom. When he returned to Memphis from his Paris trip, he complained to his friend and mentor Tom Young:
“I don’t particularly like what’s around me.â€
However Young gave him some really great words of wisdom, by replying that this might be a reason to take pictures. Eggleston realized the genius in this idea and said: “You know, that’s not a bad idea.â€
So basically Eggleston had the realization that he needed to confront his immediate surroundings and use them as a source of inspiration for his subjects and images:
“I had to face the fact that what I had to do was go out in foreign landscapes. What was new back then was shopping centers, and I took pictures of them.â€
This is the challenge that I face: I hate looking at my own surroundings, as I think everything as boring, cliche, and uninteresting.
But I need to start asking myself: What is interesting or new or changing in Berkeley? Currently, there is a lot of gentrification happening in the neighborhood. A Whole Foods just entered the neighborhood (ironically next to a Dollar Tree store), hipster coffee shops galore, and that is causing rents to skyrocket. Berkeley was expensive enough, but North Berkeley/Albany (the neighborhood where I live, near the “Gilman Districtâ€) is starting to push out poorer people who can no longer afford rents.
I went to Whole Food’s the other day, and was chilling outside in front of the cafe, enjoying the nice sun and a book (reading philosophy by Epicurus) and overheard a conversation between a man and a woman. The man was sitting in a V8 Mercedes-Benz (turbo-charged), and the woman was commenting on how she loved the sound of the engine, and how she owned a similar model, but without the big engine. The guy started to grin, rev his engine, and was totally showing off his cock. The whole conversation was quite repulsive to me, and really showed the absurdity of the wealth in the area. I then also took a look at the parking lot of Whole Foods; all I saw were BMW’s, Prius’s, Mercedes-Benz’s, Maseratis (a few), and Nissan Leaf’s. Eco-chic, rich, Berkeley folks.
So perhaps I should even do a photography project on the Whole Foods here, and photograph the people in the parking lot, inside the store, and inside the cafe (they even have their own private “Allegro†high-end cafe inside, with $3.00 espressos, which actually don’t taste all that great).
But to get back to the point, I know that you might also be jaded by where you live. You might live in a suburb, you might commute stuck in traffic, you might work in an office cubicle in the middle of nowhere– perhaps some industrial park.
But what do you find interesting in your immediate surroundings? Perhaps you are surrounded by neighbors who all they do is try to “keep up with the Joneses†by buying bigger cars, bigger homes, and showing off wealth. Perhaps you can document that. Perhaps you can do a photo-series on office life (I recommend checking “Office†by Lars Tunbjork). Perhaps you can do a “personal documentary†series of your own life (photograph your family, friends, and loved ones seriously like art). I am actually doing a photo series on my life with Cindy called the “Cindy Project.†As I’m typing these words on my iPad, Cindy is eating an enchilada for lunch, checking emails on her laptop, and I have my Leica next to me– and I just snapped 3 snapshots of her.
Regardless of your external circumstances, there are always opportunities to make images. And the more boring the place you live, the better. Why? The more boring the place you live, the harder you need to work to make interesting images. And the more boring the place you live, the less likely that there are famous bodies of work done there.
I actually feel the worst for street photographers in NYC– so much great work has been done there already. They must feel a lot of pressure trying to supersede what’s been done before them.
So what kind of “foreign landscapes†can you photograph in your own city? If you were an outsider, visiting your own city like a tourist, what would you find interesting?
You never know what something looks like, unless you take a photograph
Remember friend, photography is all about risk-taking. When you click the shutter, who knows if it will end up being an interesting or boring photograph?
I think the fun and excitement of photography is that you never 100% know what the photograph is going to look like when you click the shutter. After all, the camera renders our three-dimensional reality into a two-dimensional plane.
So for example, when I take a photograph in black and white film (Tri-X pushed to 1600 with a yellow filter), I have no fucking clue what the resulting photograph is going to look like. That is the fun and excitement. This is a bit why I dislike shooting digital; you have too much control over what the final image will look like (you can always play with the RAW files).
But regardless if you shoot film or digital, the ultimate result of what the photo looks like is out of your control. Sometimes you don’t notice all the details in a photograph, like the expression of someone’s face, or if something randomly pops in the background.
I think we need to glue this saying by Garry Winogrand to the back of our cameras:
“I don’t have anything to say. I photograph to find out what something will look like when photographed.†– Garry Winogrand
Another thing I found interesting about Eggleston’s way of working is that he always tried to shoot from a different angle, a different perspective– which was out-of-the-ordinary:
“I think I had often wondered what other things see– if they saw like we see. And I’ve tried to make a lot of different photographs as if a human did not take them. Not that a machine took them, but that maybe something took them that was not merely confined to walking on the earth. And I can’t fly, but I can make experiments.â€
So if a chair could take photographs, what would the perspective of the chair be? Or if an ant could take a photograph, what would the world look like from the ant’s perspective (one of my favorite Eggleston photos is of a tricycle, shot from a super-low angle, which literally does look like an ant shot it, which makes the tricycle look larger-than-life).
Don’t just shoot human beings
Friend, another lesson I learned is that in photography (don’t worry about the definition of “street photographyâ€) you don’t always need to photograph human beings. Sometimes by photographing objects, you get a sense of human-feeling.
For example, one person once commented to William Eggleston that his photos didn’t have enough people in them. Eggleston responded by saying: “Objects in photos are naturally full of human presence.†Some of Eggleston’s most memorable photos are of boring, everyday, mundane things like home appliances, sinks, ovens, freezers, and even food– subjects that many photographers of his time totally overlooked.
So once again, I think the secret of making great photography is to truly find the beauty in the mundane– of capturing interesting photos of boring things and places.
The “democratic cameraâ€
Another concept I learned from Eggleston was the concept of the “democratic cameraâ€â€“ that he wouldn’t judge things, people, or places as “good†or “badâ€â€“ but would see them on equal footing.
He didn’t discriminate scenes or subject-matter. To him, all things could be made interesting. By embracing a “democratic camera†– you aren’t being prejudiced to “boring†scenes.
The difficulty with shooting with a “democratic camera†is that you are constantly at “war with the obvious†(another term coined by Eggleston). Because how can you make what is obvious and boring look interesting?
Eggleston retorts by saying: “I’ve never felt the need to enhance the world in my pictures.â€
The funny thing is that it is a quite Taoist belief; that the world is perfect just the way it is, and no need to make it look “more interesting.†BBTW, here is a fun related article you can read: “Lessons Taoism Has Taught Me About Street Photography.”
Follow the light
Ultimately the thing I love most about Eggleston’s work is the beautiful colors and light in his work. If you look at his beautiful color slide film photos, you can see that his most successful shots were at sunset; when the colors started to scream with brightness and intensity.
At the end of the day, light is what photography is all about. I have often found that boring scenes can be rendered into beautiful scenes, just by capturing them in good light.
Conclusion
So friend, I recommend you to pick up a copy of “From Black and White to Color†by William Eggleston, which is a relatively affordable introduction to his work. I prefer it over his other book: “William Eggleston’s Guideâ€, as the book I recommended you has a combination of both his color and black and white work. Eggleston is famous for his color work, but it is absolutely fascinating to look into his black and white work, and see how inspired and influenced he was by Cartier-Bresson.
Another good takeaway point: Every “master†has started off by copying another “master.†So don’t feel bad, guilty, dirty, or whatever by imitating the work of another great photographer. We all need to start somewhere.
Lastly, embrace the beauty in where you live. I know it is hard my friend, but try to make beautiful photos of boring, banal, and ordinary things.
Seek the beauty in the mundane, and you will be truly set free in your photography.
Farewell, and Godspeed!
Love, hope, and encouragement from your friend,
Eric
Written from 7:30am–8:45am, at my home in Berkeley, 9/2/2015 after about 4 espressos (give me a break, I’ve been up since 3:30am, still jetlagged from Stockholm). But it is going to be a beautiful day. I have the entire day ahead of me, planning on meeting my mom and my sister hopefully for dinner, and have some plans on shooting more black and white film, and perhaps even printing them in the darkroom. Started off the day reading “Tao Te Ching†and feeling super zenned out. Life is good :)
“Over the last 10 years, what has interested me in taking photographs is the maximum — the maximum that exists in a situation and the maximum I can produce from it.†– Josef Koudelka
I just finished the second day of my workshop here in Stockholm, and after an epic Chinese dinner with the students with good laughs and recollections from the day, I dragged my exhausted body back to the home of my buddy Brian Sparks.
Brian Sparks is an enabler; he has one of the most comprehensive photography book collections out of all my friends, and he always inspires me with his wide breadth of knowledge, photography, and innovation.
In the evening, we were hanging out, and watching “Chef’s Table†— a series on Netflix about chefs and their “success stories.†Most of them started from humble backgrounds, worked their way to the top, and I saw that a lot of their success came from the fact that at a certain point, they didn’t give a flying fuck about what others thought about their food. They started to only make food that made them happy, rather than trying to make food that pleased a large audience.
While we were chilling on his couch, Brian brought over a retrospective of Josef Koudelka’s work– which was shown in Turkey in 2008. There were some excellent essays on Koudelka, his life, and his work– and this is one excerpt from a quote that Koudelka said, which hugely inspired me:
“Over the last 10 years, what has interested me in taking photographs is the maximum — the maximum that exists in a situation and the maximum I can produce from it. Sometimes I may achieve this goal immediately, but usually, for one reason or another, I am just not able to make the most out of a situation and so I have to photograph it time after time until I succeed. This repeated effort also helps to reassure me that I have in fact achieved the maximum.†– Josef Koudelka, 1981
Koudelka is the photographer whose life philosophy and imagery has inspired me the most. He is truly the photographer who doesn’t care about what others think about him and his work, he is only interested in achieving his own personal maximum. He wants to push his limits. He wants to see the maximum he can achieve from the places that he sees, the scenes he encounters, and the maximum of his photographic opportunity.
Koudelka admits that he isn’t always able to achieve this maximum, but that he always pushes forward. He therefore has to “photograph it time after time†until he succeeds. He isn’t afraid to fail. In-fact, everytime he fails, he gets up and continue to push for the maximum. He can only rest at peace if he knew that he gave it his entire soul, body, and mind.
I once read something like, “Never half-ass anything; only full-ass it.â€
Another quote from some ancient Roman philosophy went something along the lines of: “Either do something well, or don’t do it at all.â€
My problem i that I often half-ass things. I am a pretty lazy guy, and I have troubles pushing my boundaries and limits. I think in my photography one of my insecurities is that I am just repeating myself. But after reading this quote from Koudelka, it has given me so much inspiration to continue to push forward– and search for my own personal maximum. The maximum that I can achieve in my lifetime; whether that be photography, writing, or my personal relationships.
When Koudelka was a kid, he was obsessed with airplanes. He played with toy airplanes, then started to build his own models, and then to the point that he made small functioning planes with motors. His goal in life was then to become an aeronautical engineer. But then at a certain point, he hit a limit– and he knew that he had to change course in his life, to further push and see what his maximum in life truly was:
“I have always been interested to find what I am able to do the best. After 7 years of being an engineer, I realized I had reached my limit, that I couldn’t go further. To continue would have only meant waiting for death, and I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to die at the age of 30. That was one of the reasons I quit that profession.â€
The part where Koudelka says that he wanted to avoid death really struck a chord with me. I think the unfortunate thing is that a lot of people follow their passions in life and then simply find that they hit a dead end, and then emotionally and creatively they die inside. Koudelka said “fuck that†and decided to pursue another interest which was growing for him at the moment, which was photography:
“In the meantime, my interest in photography was growing. I decided to find out what I could do with photography. I tried, and I liked I haven’t yet gone to the end, there is still something more that I can do.â€
It is incredible that Koudelka is now 77 years old, and he still hasn’t found “the end†yet. He still says that “here is something more that I can do.â€
It is sad, even some of the most famous photographers in history like Henri Cartier-Bresson gave up photography after several decades. But Koudelka kept going.
Koudelka also had a theory; the reason why Cartier-Bresson quit photography was that Cartier-Bresson put too many limits on himself. Cartier-Bresson only shot with a Leica and 50mm and black and white film his entire life, and never really changed how he shot or his subject matter. Koudelka surmised that Cartier-Bresson hit his “maximumâ€, and simply decided to retire and give up.
But Koudelka kept growing, kept evolving.
Koudelka started off his main work shooting his “Gypsies†project on an SLR and 25mm lens. After a decade of shooting with that lens, he found that he was “repeating himself†— and he wasn’t interested in that. He then decided to pick up a Leica and a (not as wide) lens and traveled and just shot photos of anything he encountered during his travels. Even later on his career, he picked up a panoramic camera and started to shoot landscapes.
“I want to find my limits, to see how far I can go.†– Josef Koudelka
So as a concluding thought, think about yourself and your personal limits. Have you ever hit a brick wall in your photography, where you have achieved your personal maximum? Or is it simply an excuse? What is holding you back? Is it time, money, family, kids, your job, or something else?
Is it your external conditions in life which hold you back, or your own creativity and inner-will?
How bad do you want it? How bad do you want to make photographs that push your personal boundaries? Is it really your gear which is holding you back, or the fact that you waste too much time watching Netflix, and not enough time to go out and shoot?
Personally, I make shitloads of excuses when I don’t feel inspired. But at the end of the day, that is an excuse. I say to myself, “Oh, my street portraits would be so much more interesting if I shot with a medium format camera, or if I lived in San Francisco.â€
But that is all bullshit. I need to take this advice from Koudelka; to keep pushing myself until I have found my personal limit. To find the maximum. To subtract all the bullshit from my life, and then make some time and whitespace to focus on what is truly important to me; reading, writing, and photography.
I have no idea what my maximum is, I haven’t achieved it yet. Have you?
Don’t settle. Keep hustling until you find your maximum.
Getting my laptop stolen recently has been the best thing that happened to me recently. Let me explain why.
Not having a laptop the last week, I’ve been making all these excuses not to blog and write. I generally prefer working with a a laptop, having a keyboard, and the flexibility of having a “real” computer.
So the last week I’ve been just dependent on my smartphone. And damn, I’m pretty impressed and realize how much I can truly do with a smartphone. I can (obviously) check my email, plan my schedule, pay bills, but even better– I can record videos, take photos, process my photos, update my blog, and even “write” (actually “text”) articles on my smartphone (like I’m doing now on my smartphone).
Funny enough, I can probably text as fast as I can type. I use android and with the “SwiftKey” keyboard, I rarely make typos. Not only that, but I can write ideas while standing (not possible on a laptop with keyboard), while waiting in line at the store, or when in a cramped airline (Ryanair).
In fact, I’m starting to really wonder nowadays with the cloud and Google services what we really need laptops for. Of course for the power user (heavy video or photo editing) or Excel gurus you’re going to need a computer. But I really feel that 99% of “normal” people no longer need a “normal” computer.
Bringing the topic back to excuses, there were a lot of articles I wanted to write but I made the excuse that because I didn’t have a laptop, I couldn’t write it. But then I really wanted to write, so I used the only tool I had: my smartphone. And I’m able to “write” on my smartphone just fine.
So perhaps moving forward, I’m going to do less “writing” on a laptop, and putting down more ideas on my smartphone using Evernote. I really have no more excuses for my tools being insufficient for writing.
I also used to make excuses that my camera wasn’t good enough for street photography because I didn’t own a Leica. Now that I own a Leica I have finally leaned (the hard way) that the camera is an excuse. Not having a good enough camera is always a bad excuse. The only limitation is your creativity, inspiration, and vision of the world.
What other excuses have I made in my life and art?
I don’t have enough money to travel to shoot interesting street photos. Solution: shoot your own city.
My camera isn’t good enough. Solution: use the camera you already use.
I don’t know any other photographers to inspire me. Solution: buy photo books and make masters of photography your personal tutors.
I don’t have enough time to shoot. Solution: try to take at least 1 photo a day during your lunch break, before work, after work, or of people you know.
I’m too old. Solution: use your age as benefit (you have great wisdom that young people don’t have, which can aid your learning process). Jack Simon didn’t pick up street photography until he was 65, and at age 70 is one of the best in the world.
I’m not talented or artistic enough. Solution: educate yourself by investing in photography education (artists are made, not born).
I’m too lazy. Solution: use your laziness to your advantage and just use a smartphone and make “boring” photos of your everyday life.
I don’t understand technology. Solution: just use a disposable film camera and get the shots printed at the nearest drugstore as 4×6 prints.
I’m afraid to take photos of strangers without permission. Solution: start off by asking permission. If scared of asking for permission start off by asking friends and family to take their photos. Worst case scenario: your mom will never say no.
I’m not inspired. Solution: shoot first, the inspiration will follow.
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:
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.
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 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.
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.
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:
Chapter 1: How to Succeed and Survive as an Artist and Photographer
Chapter 2: The Role of the Artist and Photographer
Chapter 3: How to Express Yourself as an Artist and Photographer
Chapter 4: How to Have a Creative and Flexible Mind as an Artist and Photographer
Chapter 5: How to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone in Art and Photography
Chapter 6: How to Be Self-Compassionate as an Artist and Photographer
Chapter 7: Conclusion
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.
Free download:
This book is “open source†meaning you are free to distribute, edit, change, remix, or share this with your friends (freely and openly). Enjoy:
Toronto, 2015. Digital Ricoh GR and VSCO KODAK PORTRA 800 HC PRESET. Shot from a super low angle, which makes it surreal. Which way is up?
Toronto, 2015
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:
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.
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.
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.
(A.g.’s note: Photography Quick Links is a new initiative I want to do here on the blog. These are links I have personally read and sifted through. This is by no means a definitive guide but for those news stories or news articles regarding photography [but will try to concentrate it to street of course] that you may have missed or I think you should definitely see to help you in your shooting and understanding of the medium. I am still thinking of a permanent title for this one [will double check with Eric] Cheers and happy reading!)
For those that love evocative black and white, you might like his work. There is quite a passion and energy as he constantly updates with new work via his tumblr. Worth to check out and get lost in
The follow up to Patrick Tsai’s photo diary, Talking Barnacles. Tsai continues the exploration of the non-fiction ongoing photo essay complete with vignettes from his day to day life being spent on an island somewhere in Japan. I’m working on an extensive write-up on his two works. I hope I get the chance to give it the justice it deserves.
My mom recently came back from an epic backpacking trip through Nepal for about 28 days. She is an incredible woman. At the age of 59, she was able to withstand the freezing cold, the difficulty of breathing in high altitude, and the challenge of keeping her motivation up for nearly a month in which she hiked 8+ hours a day.
Hey streettogs, to continue with my “Ask Eric Kimâ€Â series (any questions you had about street photography, business, marketing, social media, etc.) I put a question out on Facebook regarding what questions you had (so I could try my best to help out and offer some ideas):
In “The War of Artâ€, the author Stephen Pressfield talks about “The Resistance†— and how it is the biggest obstacle to all of our artistic pursuits and endeavors.
We can encounter “The Resistance†in many ways in our life. We encounter it when we want to start our own business (and we have thoughts of self doubt), we encounter it when we want to start exercising more (but the resistance keeps us from leaving our house), and we encounter it when we want to go out to social functions (we are nervous of meeting new people, and would prefer to stay at home).
One of the most exciting ways to live life is to avoid boredom. By following what makes us curious, passionate, and have fun create meaning in our life.
I think one of the great ways to guide our work in street photography is to avoid boredom.
I think one of the most difficult things as a photographer is to stay inspired. How do we stay inspired to shoot everyday– when the boredom and monotony of everyday life sets in?
I just finished a new book: “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. The book is a huge source of inspiration for overcoming challenges– and using them to your advantage. In-fact, Ryan uses the quote from Marcus Aurelius for the title of his book: “The obstacle is the way” meaning that if it weren’t for obstacles in our life, we wouldn’t grow, develop, and mature.
I thought a lot about the obstacles I’ve faced in street photography– and how I have used those negative experiences and turned them into positive ones. Here are some thoughts on how you can continue to grow and develop in your street photography– and utilize negative experiences to your benefit.
One of the most influential books I have recently is titled: “Imagine: How Creativity Worksâ€. It was a book I was recommended by my good friend and fellow street photographer Brian Sparks. It outlines studies done on creativity, creative people, and the actual science done on the subject.
Sometimes we think that creativity is something that we are born with, and cannot be taught. I think (and the book suggests) the opposite. Creativity can indeed be taught, and there is scientific studies that suggest it. I can only hope that with this post it can help you unlock some of your own creativity in photography, and make your street photographs more unique, creative, and stand out from the crowd.
The article also features some of my unpublished work from 2011. Hope you enjoy!
(Above Image Copyrighted By Steve McCurry / Magnum Photos)
Charlie Atkinson: So for this weeks post I thought I would share my favorite quotes from some of my favorite photographers as well as a few others that can be applied to photography as well! They are also not in any particular order, this post is by me as well (not Eric!) as I think there was some confusion on the last gear post I did :). Enjoy!
I was shooting with my good friend Mattias Leppaniemi, and he is currently working on a project on the elderly in Stockholm. He took a nice photo of this 88-year old Swedish lady, and had a really sweet story to tell. She told him that him taking a photo of her really made her day – and after he showed her the image she said, “Wow- your camera has really great film, that’s why the photo looks so good!” Watch the video above, it will really warm your heart and remind us why we go out shooting on the streets :)
Long before director Stanley Kubrick directed influetial films such as Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining — he took incredible street photographs in New York City since he was 17. He worked until the 1950’s for Look Magazine before he decided to pursue filmmaking.
Keep reading to check out incredible street photographs taken by Kubrick – which are comical, intruiging, and full of energy and excitement! Make sure to also check out Twisted Sifter for all the images!
*Florian Dirks from my Facebook fan page has let me know that not all of the photographs included below are unposed- some of them are elaborately staged. Incredible photographs nonetheless. Also big thanks to Rinzi Ruiz for directing me towards these photos!Â
Mike Peters from his collection "Pursuit of Happiness"
In this article I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct an interview through email with NY-based photographer Mike Peters. His style of street portraiture is one that has been attempted many times by many names, but never quite to the extent or success of Mike’s work. He is consistent and his work flows well together, but he is not held down by his style and does not limit himself in what he creates. I hope you guys enjoy his work and words as much as I have, and that you may find some inspiration in this article that will help guide and refine your work, I know I certainly have.
Hey streettogs, thanks to everyone who read this week’s post on how to shoot street photography without people and submitted their best images to my Facebook fan page! Congratulations to everyone who made the final cut next week. Tell us which photos you liked best, and stay tuned for our next assignment! Keep reading to see the rest of the best images of the week!
Last week on my Facebook fan page I announced the street photography assignment of the week which was “shadows“. I got all of your wonderful submissions on my Facebook fan page, and chose the best here to feature. I hope you enjoy all the images below and stay tuned to Facebook page where I will announce this week’s street photography assignment.
Recently on my Facebook fan page and Twitter, I asked you to send in your favorite street photographs taken while traveling. Check all the images below to see inspirational images from all over the world! Make sure to follow me to stay updated with the new weekly assignments. Read more to see all the other amazing images.
On my Facebook Page and Twitter I asked the community to send in their best street photography photographs in the rain. I chose the best, and also dug up other inspirational images on Flickr as well. Congratulations to everybody who got their images featured. Read more to see the other inspirational images.
Recently I asked on Facebook and Twitter for your best street photographs on Flickr. I reviewed the entries carefully, and chose the 30 most inspirational street photographs that showed either exhibited the decisive moment, the beauty of everyday life, or powerful imagery. Congratulations to everybody that made the final cut! Read more to see the other winning images.
Note: I got this email from aspiring street photographer named Tasos. It was quite inspirational and eye-opening. I thought I would share it with you guys!
"Hey this guys shooting us!" - Tasos
The other day I was out, and as usual I had the camera with me.
I took a photo of 2 gentlemen. It was a great learning experience.
I shared my thought with another member on flickr who was kind enough to comment on my photo.
Here is my letter to Mary (fellow flickr(er)):
Hi Mary. Thanks for your comments.
You know this photo is very important to me. Not because of the subjects, composition, lighting etc. I am hoping to take much better photos than this one. The reason why this photo is important to me is because it taught me something about shooting “street”. I am getting my courage up shooting with a wide angle lens, and getting close to people. I think that it is important/necessary when shooting street. So I think I’m getting comfortable with that part. I practice even when the camera isn’t to my eye, by trying to hold eye contact with strangers for as long as possible, seeing if the other will turn away first (something that was hard for me because I’m normally not that type of personality). Sometimes the other person looks away first, sometimes they smile, and sometimes they scowl (that’s when you have to break a smile). Having said this, here I am in this parking lot. I get out of my car, full of confidence, and I am walking up to these guys. At first they are unaware of me and I snap a couple of photos. Nothing special. but then on the last shot, the man on the right takes notice. He didn’t seem all that enthused. I had my shot, and I moved on. At that moment I thought highly of myself as I had the shot, wasn’t timid etc.
When it came time to leave I got into my car.
The man on the right had left. The man on the left was still sitting there.
As I drove by him. He was looking at me, with a sort of questioning look, and at the same time kind of upset. I didn’t break eye contact, and he looked away first. This time I felt very poorly of myself. It was as if I had broken him. As if I had taken something from him that he wasn’t willing to give.
It was at that moment I learned my lesson.
You see, street photography (I am learning) walks a thin line. On one hand you are documenting the human condition, and you want people to be natural and unposed, unaware of you. But what happens when you get noticed (like I was)? My reaction (just walk on by), at least in this case, wasn’t the right one. I should have approached them, made some small talk, and let them know what I was doing. Instead, I felt as if I had been caught taking something that wasn’t mine.
Later that night I came home and found a link to this article titled: “People Like to be Honored.” It clarified what I had experience earlier that day (almost as if fate had it waiting for me).
Links:
Add Tasos as a contact on Flickr and follow him on Twitter!
Have any of you guys had an epiphany or lesson you learned about Street Photography? Leave a comment below and share your story with us!
The master, Henri Cartier-Bresson with his camera always close to his eye.
Every street photographer needs to take more photos. Street photographers (and many other types of photographers) don’t go out and shoot photos nearly as often as we should. In an ideal world, we should be outside every day, trying to capture the beauty of everyday life. Whenever photographers say, “I don’t have enough time” or “I’m too busy”–it is all just excuses. If there is something we care about enough, we will make excuses to go out and take photos. To help you get out on the streets more and shooting, I will outline some quick and practical tips that could help you be more on the streets and shooting photos.
1. Carry your camera with you everywhere you go
The master, Henri Cartier-Bresson with his camera always close to his eye. You know he never made any excuses not having his camera with him.
"Topless Fun"- an image taken in Hollywood with my Canon Powershot SD600
So if any of you guys are interested in street photography, the question might be on your mind: “Where do I start?â€
Well, for starters you need a camera. The most important step is actually going out and taking photos . If you are new to photography, all you might have is a point-and-shoot (a regular digital camera). This is great when it comes to street photography, because street photography doesn’t require extremely complicated nor expensive gear. A point and shoot can actually be better than DSLRs in many ways because of the discrete body and almost silent shutter. If you have a DSLR or anything else that’s great. As long as you have something to shoot with.
The Canon 5D, what I currently shoot withThe Canon Powershot SD600, my first camera.The Contax III, my film rangefinder (I need to use this more)
So once you got your camera, you need to go out and start shooting. This is the phase in which the majority of budding photographers fail. People will always find excuses NOT to take photos rather than finding excuses TO take photos. The most popular ones I hear are: “I don’t have an expensive camera,†“I don’t have enough time,†or “I’m intimidated.†Don’t think so much about the details– just go out and do it.
"The Reader"
The example I always use to counter the “I don’t have an expensive camera†argument is by telling them how much more convenient and effective even the point and shoots are today. The average Canon Powershot gives great image quality as well as giving instant results… and compare that with a film camera that has a steep learning curve and the inconvenience as well. Furthermore, most modern digital point and shoots have image sensors with such great image quality it is difficult to discern them from DSLR images under normal shooting conditions (during the day).
"Topless Fun" - shot with my Canon Powershot SD6000
"Remembering John Wooden" - shot at the UCLA Campus
The last excuse I hear is that “I’m intimidated, and I don’t know where to start.†I have no idea what people can possibly be intimidated by. Unless you have someone peering over your shoulder every time you are taking a photo, you have nothing to worry about. And to simply start, you just go outside and start taking photos. It’s really that easy.
Another huge obstacle you will face as a street photographer (and a general photographer) is that at times you are not going to feel a lack of inspiration to go out and take photos and let your camera collect dust on your shelf. Although it can be healthy to put down your camera at times and not to feel compelled to take images, I would say it is very detrimental to your photography if you go for around a month without taking any images.
Street photography is all about capturing the beauty in the mundane, which is every-day life. The ability to take a slice of life and capture it in an image. By not taking photographs for an extended period of time, you almost lose a part of yourself. I consider my camera an extension of my body, a 6th sense in which I am able to connect and interact with the world. It is as important as an appendage to my body as my arms or my eyes.
Skywalker, San Francisco.
Imagine not using your arms for an entire month. Just visualize them losing strength and muscle as well as the ability to make precise movements. And after a month of not using your arms, they may feel foreign and unknown to you. But you soon realize how much you have been missing out in life without them; the inability to write, the inability to embrace others, and the inability to itch your face at will. Suddenly a surge of empowerment rushes through your body, and you swear to yourself that you will never live without your arms again.
Photography is very much the same thing. If you quit taking photographs and using your camera for a month, it might feel awkward and foreign to you. You try taking photos again, but they lose that precision and touch that you used to have. But once you start taking photos again and get in the groove, you realize how much you have been missing out on life. Those little slices of life that you were unable to capture such as the man waiting at the bus stop, the woman walking with her child, or the two elderly men playing chess in the park. Suddenly a huge sense of inspiration rushes through your body and you vow to yourself that you will never live without your camera again.
