Tag: minimalism

  • Why Less is More in Street Photography (and Life)

    Why Less is More in Street Photography (and Life)

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    Brilliant photo by Josef Koudelka, showing how minimalism can be more in making a powerful image. NORTHERN IRELAND. 1978. © Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos

    In today’s age, we are always obsessed with the concept of “more“. We falsely believe that we need more stuff, more money, more more cameras, more lenses, more megapixels—more, more, more.

    In one of my favorite books “Antifragile” (I mention this book in a prior post on the “barbell theory”), the author Nassim Taleb advocates that the secret of health, wisdom, and happiness can be obtained through less, not more. Taleb calls this approach “via negativa that we should focus on subtraction, not addition in life.

    For example, nobody really knows what makes us happy. However, we know what makes us unhappy and miserable. Therefore the key to happiness may not so much be the “pursuit of happiness”– but the “avoidance of unhappiness.” I think the same applies to happiness in street photography — focusing on less, not more.

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  • Why You Should Shoot with One Camera and One Lens

    Why You Should Shoot with One Camera and One Lens

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    Manila, 2013

    Eric’s Note: This article was first published on the CSLR blog, but I am reposting it here in-case you didn’t have the chance to read it yet! 

    I first got introduced to photography when I was 18 years old. At my high school graduation ceremony, my mom gave me a little Canon Powershot point-and-shoot. I never considered photography before in my life, but I was amazed by the power I now held in my hands.

    I had the power to capture life around me — to photograph those fleeting moments and make them eternal through my camera.

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  • How to Find Zen in Street Photography

    How to Find Zen in Street Photography

    Whisper , Mumbai, India 2011

    (“Whisper”. Mumbai, 2011)

    When it comes to street photography, it is easy to get caught-up in the hype of new cameras, spending too much time on blogs, and not enough time out shooting. I think one of the most difficult things in street photography is to find enough time to shoot and being able to also relax when out on the streets.

    I suffer lack of focus, obsession about gear, and also not enough time out shooting on the streets. It is a battle I constantly fight with myself to change. If you ever felt that you have had difficulty finding focus in street photography, hopefully this advice I will share will help you. Also included in the article is some of my unpublished work from 2011, hope you enjoy!

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