interview

How Ola Billmont Spends His Day at the Races: Interview by Eric Kim

(Editor’s Note: Eric interviews Ola Billmont about his process, experiences, and lessons learned in making his new book A Day At The Races. All photos by Ola Billmont)

Eric: Hey Ola, long time no chat. Tell us what is going on for you in terms of your photography, and congratulations on your new book!

Ola: Thanks, Eric. It’s been an interesting ride putting this book together.

Honestly, I’m not sure as I am not shooting with anything particular in mind. Although, I have never been shooting this much before. Over the last year I have slid away from street photography and shoot many other things.

Staying True: Interview with Jonathan Higbee

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 for Jonathan Higbee, it is the impetus that is driving his work forward. Together with his keen eye on color and creative juxtapositions, he positions his work to counteract this anxiety by putting it front and center in his work. Check out our conversation and his visually arresting photos in this interview.

Italian Street Photography at the Forefront: An Interview with SPontanea collective (Italian Translation Available)

SPonatanea is a very active and organized street photography collective based out of Italy. In the interview, I talked to them about their formation, activities, and upcoming projects. This interview also has a full italian translation at the bottom! Check it out. (All photos are the respective ownership of the SPOontanea collective members.)

A.g.: What is the motivation behind SPontanea? How was it formed?

SPontanea: SPontanea was born in 2013. The idea was to found an Italian collective dedicated to Street Photography, capable of facing on equal terms the other existing international realities, hoping to become over time a quality reference point in Italy. The founding members were chosen on the basis of a reciprocal respect and appreciation – we already knew each other from the web – in order to bring together a wide range of styles and approaches, representing a solidly structured and well defined Italian photographic vision on Street Photography.

Of Raising Dogs And Pursuing Reflections: An Interview With Siri Thompson

(Interview by A.g. De Mesa. All photos by Siri Thompson)

Siri Thompson is a photographer based in Toronto, Canada. She constantly photographs her city in a manner inspired by her photographic heroes while putting her own unique twist. Siri also has a soft place in her heart for animals. Her photos feature a lot of imagination as seen by the layers of content in her frame but they can be easily understood. It is a mixture of mundane daily life and deceptively complex scenes.

Find out more about how she photographs and what keeps her fascinated with our interview below:

Fun Chat and Interview with bigheadtaco in Vancouver

Had a fun little interview and chat with bigheadtaco while I was in Vancouver. Hope you enjoy the video above, and make sure to also follow his YouTube channel!

Interview with bigheadtaco on Instagram, Street Photography, and Life

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:

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“Be True to Yourself; Great Things Will Come”: Interview with Daniel Arnold

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):

Podcast links

Read more to see all the show notes, links, book recommendations, and quotes from the interview.

“Photography is Photography, a Photo is a Photo”: Interview with Neil Ta

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:

Video Interview with Narrative in SF

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).

Lost in the Theatre of Life: Interview with Ximena Echagüe

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!

Dissecting the Layers of Portland: An Interview with Nick Gervin

(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: 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.

Video Podcast Interview about Street Photography on ISO 400 (The Phoblographer)

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!

Video Interview with Blake Andrews from In-Public (#2)

In 2011 I did a video interview with Blake Andrews, and a lot has changed since then. I recently did an interview on Blake’s blog (Q&A with Eric Kim) and wanted to see what he has been up to since the last time we chatted.

In this hour-long interview, we talk about his trip to LA, how it is to shoot in Eugene and Portland, the philosophy and psychology behind blogging, shooting in color vs black and white, as well as his advice for street photographers.

Also as a note, there are some parts of the video where the audio is scratchy, and the video isn’t the highest quality. But I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I did! You can follow Blake below:

Follow Blake on Social Media:

Photography:

Video Interview with Joe Aguirre in San Francisco (Volume #2)

Recently I had time to meet up with my good friend Joe Aguirre in SF. He was able to show me his new place, projects he is working on, and we talk about some of my personal “mid-life” street photography questions towards the end.

You can see my past video interview with Joe here.

Damien Vignol Street Photography Video Interview in Stockholm

In Stockholm I had the chance to catch up with Damien Vignol, a street photographer who has traveled through Europe, Asia, and now is in Stockholm. See my past interview with Damien here, and read more to see his new photos from Japan:

Video Interview with Kile Brewer, Photojournalist and Street Photographer from Missouri

I met Kile Brewer at the Magnum workshop here in Provincetown. He is a 24-year old working photo-journalist, who attended the University of Missouri’s Journalism program. He was one of the under-30 scholarship winners, attending a workshop with Costa Manos, and also my roommate for the week here in Provincetown (we go on romantic walks in the morning). Check out my casual interview him (shot on the iPad) with him above, and follow him below:

Video Interview with Karl Edwards on Leica M-E & Street Shootr

Today I went for a lovely 6am walk with Karl Edwards in Provincetown. Karl Edwards is a street photographer based in Toronto, and is also doing the Magnum workshop with Constantine Manos. We have a lively chat about street photography, shooting on the Leica M-E, and his new venture: “Street Shootr” — which is the Petapixel for street photography (breaking news on street photography).

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Video Interview with Eric Kim in Hong Kong by Gary Tyson

Huge thanks to Gary Tyson and Vishal S from Camera Film Photo for putting together this interview video and questions while I was in Hong Kong. We talk about my fears in street photography, books, film, and more.

The Loose Documentary of Andy Kochanowski

(A.g.’s note: Eric interviewed Andy Kochanowski. Check out his origin story, Life as a Burn My Eye Member, and his interesting advice to photographers. All photographs are the respected copyright of Andy Kochanowski.)

Eric: Great to have you Andy. Let’s start from your beginnings in photography. When did you first pick up a camera and “discover” street photography?

Andy: Let’s get the terms right, Eric, I like to think of it as loose documentary. What I do is watch and wait until something interesting happens.

But the beginning, that must have been back in the ‘90’s when I was traveling a lot to London after I got done with school. I had learned how to develop film and built a small darkroom in my basement, and began to travel with a Canon AE-1 that I had bought a couple years earlier and shooting Tri-X at night when I wasn’t working. I had never picked up a photo book, though I did have a subscription to Photo & Darkroom magazine that (I think) was then edited by Mike Johnston, The Online Photographer. I shot quite a few rolls in SoHo, Leicester Square, which were close to where my firm had a flat. That was my first introduction into just being there and looking. The results were predictable and boring of course, but since I’d never seen anything else I thought my photos were pretty good.

The Quick Straight Right of Sye Williams: Interview by Chris Stoltz

A.g.’s Note: Chris Stoltz shares to us one of his favorite photographers he got the privilege of shooting with, the L.A. based Sye Williams. Sye shares some of his inspirations, personal work, Photography Origins, and nuggets of wisdom. All of the photos are the respected copyright of Sye Williams. Here’s Chris with the interview:

Chris: Sye might be my new favorite photographer. I met him recently on a video shoot while working as a grip. He showed up because he was friends with the rest of the crew, arriving via skateboard. I hit it off with him immediately because he had a Leica M8 dangling over his shoulder. I asked him about his recent purchase and, in-between grabbing lights and helping with the video, he told me how his career in photography started.

Video Interview with Brian Soko in Chicago

This is a video interview I did with Brian Soko in Chicago about a year ago. Enjoy his images and a transcript of the interview below!

Interview with Ibarionex Perello from “The Candid Frame”

Ibarionex Perello is a photographer, writer, educator as well as the host and producer of The Candid Frame photography podcast. He is the author of 5 books including “Chasing the Light Improving Your Photography Using Available Light“. His latest book is “Portraits of Strangers.”

Street Photography Interview with John Goldsmith in Vancouver

Funny story– Take Kayo was interviewing me in the streets of Vancouver when John Goldsmith (in my opinion the best street photographer in Vancouver) pops out of some bushes and starts photographing us. We then turned the lens onto John, and I do a brief interview with him on the streets– asking him about his techniques, his “keeper” rates, and his passion for street photography.

You can check a longer interview I’ve done with John on the blog here.

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Video Interview with Take Kayo in the Streets of Vancouver

I recently had the pleasure bumping into Take Kayo (aka Bigheadtaco), a prolific street photographer and blogger based in Vancouver. Funny story: I was having an espresso and blogging at Revolver, and out of nowhere– Take and the owner Tarry recognized me and started photographing me (really close, at 1 meter). We started laughing, chatting– and got to know each other a bit more.

Take was born in Okinawa, and used to work at Kodak for around 10 years. Since then he has made the leap to digital, and has been passionate about shooting in the streets of Vancouver and testing & reviewing cameras. Seriously one of the most passionate guys I’ve met! To find out more about his infectious enthusiasm for photography, watch the interview above!

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Rare Interview with Garry Winogrand at Rice University, 1977

If you are a Garry Winogrand fan, don’t miss out on this rare video interview with him. He talks about everything, including the “ultimate justification” for shooting with a rangefinder (along other things). Gotta love Lee Friedlander’s introduction: “Welcome to the Garry Winogrand Circus– he’ll explain all his pictures!”

Thanks to Tom Kaszuba and Gary Gumanow for sending this to me!

Video Interview with Joe Aguirre in San Francisco

Warning: Some of the photos in this video are NSFW

Today I had the chance to interview a good friend of mine, Joe Aguirre — a street photographer based in San Francisco. I just found out that he is moving to LA soon, so we had a “farewell” interview at his apartment. He is one of the most down-to-earth and prolific photographers I know. He has a huge heart, and a lot of passion for his photographic art.

In the video apartment, we talk about his passion for shooting film, his self-publication, and passion for street and other forms of photography.

Photos by Joe

Below are some of my favorite photos by Joe:

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“Shooting Street”: The Street Photography Talkshow

Michael Meinhardt has been running a great series of street photography interview podcasts on “The Shooting Street Show.” He recently interviewed Rinzi Ruiz, make sure to check them out below:

Episode #5: Rinzi Ruiz

Rinzi and I talk about overcoming subject fatigue, the famous Rinzi style and how it came about, preparing a photo trip, the perfect street shooting camera, appearing benevolent and adjusting your energy, the importance of facial expression and, of course, the ultimate zen experience.

Find Rinzi at rinziruizphotography.com or streetzen.tumblr.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Past Episodes

You can see all of the past episodes from “The Shooting Street Show” below:

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Self-Expression Comes From Within: Interview with Street Photographer, Artist, Musician, and Skater Tim Kerr

Click to read more — Painting by Tim Kerr of Garry Winogrand, Vivian Maier, and Lee Friedlander

Tim Kerr is a street photographer, artist, musician, and skater from Austin, Texas. He is a prolific artist, and doesn’t put on restrictions on his creativity and forms of self-expression. Read about how he combines all his artistic forms in the interview below (and his fun stories taking a photography course with Garry Winogrand!

Video Interview with Hector Isaac from the Strata Collective

Earlier this year I met up with Hector Isaac, a street photographer originally from Cuba who moved and started shooting street photography in Miami, and now is based in LA. He is a part of the Strata collective.

In the video Interview I talk with him about his start in street photography, about the Miami Street Photography Festival, and his thoughts about working in color!

Hector recommends street photographers to check out the Observe Collective, and especially the work of Ilya Shtutsa (krysolove).

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Capturing the Emotional Connection to People, Places, and Objects: Interview with Christophe Agou from In-Public

Christophe Agou is a street photographer from France, currently based in New York. He is a part of In-Public, and his published works include “Life Below: The New York Subway” and his newest book: “LES FAITS SECONDAIRES” ( SECONDARY FACTS).

Interview with Jesse Marlow from In-Public on His New Street Photography Book: “Don’t Just Tell Them, Show Them”

Jesse Marlow is a street photographer based in Melbourne, and a member of In-Public. He recently published his book: “Don’t Just Tell Them, Show Them.” The images were shot over a 9 year period on the streets of Australia and Europe and features 50 color photographs. I interview him on his start in street photography, the book-making process, and his interest in color film.