ERIC KIM ₿

Tag: lee friedlander

  • Composition Lesson #14: Square Format

    Composition Lesson #14: Square Format

    symmetry-woman
    Symmetry in 6×6 photo by Diane Arbus

    You can see all my composition lessons here.

    I have been quite fascinated with the square-format in street photography for a while. My fascination first came about from Jeroen Helmink, a photographer from the Netherlands (you can see a fun video we made on shooting Hasseblads). There was something quite sexy about the 6×6 format– the way that it created perfect balance in the frame, the simplicity, as well as the novelty.

    Of course as Instagram has become insanely popular– the square-format just looks like an “Instagram shot.” I have heard of Instagram as “ruining” the 6×6 format (medium-format film).

    However I don’t think it really matters what camera, format, or aspect ratio you shoot in. Ultimately the most important thing is to create a visually compelling image that speaks to our hearts or souls.

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  • Street Photography Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits

    Street Photography Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits

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    © Lee Friedlander. New York City, 1966

    “At first, my presence in my photos was fascinating and disturbing. But as time passed and I was more a part of other ideas in my photos, I was able to add a giggle to those feelings.”

    – Lee Friedlander

    For today’s compositional lesson I want to introduce the idea of incorporating self-portraits into your street photography.

    While self-portraits don’t fit into the textbook definition of “composition” per se– I still feel that they are an interesting compositional technique we can add to our toolkit to make more interesting images.

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  • 10 Lessons Lee Friedlander Has Taught Me About Street Photography

    10 Lessons Lee Friedlander Has Taught Me About Street Photography

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    The Little Screens © Lee Friedlander

    In my opinion, Lee Friedlander is one of the most under-appreciated (or simply unknown) street photographers when it comes to the internet/social-media sphere. Of course Friedlander is one of the pillars of photography and is known to every student who has gone to photography school. However when I started photography, I had no idea who he was or never even heard of him.

    When I first looked at his photographs of the stark urban landscapes, I didn’t really “get” them. However over time, I have began to appreciate his vision and genius when it came to capturing what he first called in 1964, “The American social landscape.”

    If you aren’t familiar with Friedlander or simply want to learn more about his work and philosophy – read on.

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