Group photo of the SF Introduction to Street Photography Workshop
After a trip visiting Cindy in Michigan for a week, I headed my way over to SF to teach my Introduction to Street Photography Workshop. It was also great to have Tom Brichta from Leica come out and help input his thoughts about street photography while letting us play with some nice Leica equipment! Although hiking up hills was tough, it was wonderful to capture the colorful people of the city. Not only that, but we had great company, food, and support!
I also wanted to thank all the participants Davit, David, Michael Rickey, Michael Cohen, Xiamin, John, Jia, Austin, Justin, Tom, Angela for their willingness to help one another while trying out new street photography techniques! Of course I also want to thank Sarah for letting us use her beautiful home and also to my loving mom for her never-ending support! Make sure to watch the video below– I give each of you guys a shout-out!
Also if you are interested in any of my upcoming workshops in Chicago, Downtown LA, San Diego, Toronto, or Tokyo check out my workshops page for more info!
Video Recap
Read more to check out all the photos from the workshop!
Stu Egan, a passionate street photographer and magazine editor from London recently put together the first issue of Radiate Magazine, a new street photography magazine filled with great street photographers from all around the globe. Not only does the magazine include great images, but it includes insightful interviews and features from street photographers such as Paul Trevor, John Battaglia, the un-posed street collective (Michal Adamski, Damian Chrobak, Pawel Piotrowski, Zbigniew Osiowy, Tomasz Lazar and Maciej Dakowicz), Charlie Kirk, Misho Baranovic, Bruce Byers and Justin Sainsbury.
The magazine is 100 pages and is only $21 if you wish to get a real paper-back copy. The magazine isn’t priced to make any profit, and is priced at the basement price to get the thing printed. If you really love street photography, you should pick up the paper-back version and enjoy the beautiful images. I just ordered mine and can’t wait until I get it in the mail!
They also offer a free digital download at the link below.
If you want to get a deeper insight into street photography and take better photos, I feel it is very important to study the work of the street photographers who came before us and paved the way for the rest of us. Not only that, but reading the quotes and words by these influential street photographers is a great way to train your mind to take better photos as well. Below are some of my favorite street photography quotes that are concise, inspirational, and have influenced me in one way or another.
Eric’s note: The following guest blog post is by Simon Garnier, part scientist and part street photographer who lives and works in New Jersey. Read about his experiences in getting close in street photography–and how he grapples with the idea of getting close in street photography. Interestingly enough this post was written before Fabio Pires’ video came out, but it is more relevant than ever.Â
Simon: I am not an experienced street photographer. I started shooting street and candid pictures about a year ago, after several years of irregular experimentations with film and digital cameras. Everything you will read in this post is therefore the result of an ongoing reflection about something that I thought was true, but that I start to find overestimated, and potentially problematic for street photography in general.
First of all, I don’t like how this guy is deliberately trying to scare people to elicit a type of response. The fact that he hides behind a phonebooth and then jumps out doesn’t feel right to me. When you are shooting street photography you might scare/surprise people on accident, but that shouldn’t be your primary motive. Even with my street photography, I prefer when I capture images of people candidly without them noticing me. I found in many cases when I get really close to people with a wide-angle lens, they don’t even seem to notice me. And for those who say that I shoot flash to elicit a response– people don’t notice the flash until after you take the photo.
Secondly, his technique looks very sloppy. I am not sure if he shoots under his arms/sideways all-the-time, but it looks like he was doing that to be showy. Although I believe shooting from the hip without a viewfinder is a good way to get your feet wet in street photography, I believe that using the viewfinder is the best way to get solid compositions and framing. To say that he is “more of a perfectionist than Bruce Gilden” is absolute blasphemy as many of his images have poor composition.
In addition, his knowledge of street photography seems to very superficial. He mentions that he is out looking for characters, but simply defines “characters” as people who look different. He also mentions that there is no point in shooting “normal people” which I disagree with. Also, I think he should think more about the story he is trying to tell through the people that he captures.
Lastly, he doesn’t seem to have much respect for the people he shoots, especially the homeless. He has no problem scaring people to get his shot, and the aggressive motion he uses with his camera looks more like a punch than photo-taking. In addition, he mentions that he only deliberately shoots the homeless because they are “different”. To say something like that is unethical in my opinion, as the homeless shouldn’t be seen as easy subjects to capture because of their socio-economic differences from us. All-in-all, you must have the right reasons to shoot your subjects to showcase something beautiful about their character, dress, face, or attitude. You must look for unique and special people to shoot, rather than “different” people. Love the people you shoot.
Although the guy does come off as arrogant and cocky, what he is still doing is legal. Whether it is ethical is a completely different story. I don’t know many street photographers that try to elicit a response on purpose from their subjects, but if that is his cup of tea and artistic style I don’t feel right to judge him based on a video. Who knows, maybe the guy is just a bit confused or mislead. I feel that art always needs to push boundaries and although this guy is doing the extreme polar end of street photography, that is his style.
Let us know what your thoughts about the video are in the comments below. And please try to keep the conversation civil.
Update: One thing I want to emphasize is that let’s not all take out our pitchforks and crucify Fabio. Let’s disagree with his actions, rather than himself as a person. I’m sure he has been reading all the negative comments on the web and feels pretty crappy right now. I know how it feels to be criticized on a large-scale and trust me: it feels horrible. After all the negative press I received after my video, I was actually quite depressed and down-in-the-dumps for several weeks.
I am excited to announce that I have chosen the Top 20 “Decisive Moment” Street Photography Contest Finalists. Find the images on Facebook, and vote on your favorite images by “Liking” them! You will have between September 6-14th to vote on the images.
The 10 final images with the most “Like’s” will advance, and I will judge the Top 3 images.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about marketing oneself as a street photographer. Through the past year on my blog, I have featured a great deal of street photographers who are extremely talented yet haven’t had the coverage that they deserved. Thinking more about the subject, I thought especially about Vivian Maier who was indeed one of the great street photographers, but was unknown until after she died. Of course Maier purposely didn’t share her photos with others, but I think that photographers have a duty to share their images with others to inspire and show the beauty of life.
I know there are many street photographers out there who are still very talented yet don’t know how to get their work out there. I have divided up this blog post up to three parts which will hopefully help you understand what you want out of street photography, how to get your work out there, and how to get your work recognized as well.
Twitter can be a beautiful place to meet and connect with other street photographers on a 1:1 basis, but the biggest problem is the amount of noise out there. Here are some of the 50+ street photographers I follow religiously on Twitter who always tweet interesting content, communicate well, or are great sources of street photography related news.Sorry if I forgot anybody on the list (I am human after all) so please don’t take offense! Also make sure to use the hashtag #streettogs on Twitter to stay posted with anything street photography related!
The last day of the Downtown Los Angeles Intermediate Street Photography Workshop really touched my heart. Being able to facilitate a community of equally passionate and open-minded street photographers really made me realize how wonderful life has been to me. A year ago, I had a faint idea of starting a street photography blog to share all my tips and insights about my path of becoming a street photographer. I had no idea that a year after, I would be able to meet people from all around the world and share this same passion for street photography.
The second day of the workshop went smoothly, and a great time (and great food by my mom and sister) were enjoyed by all! Huge shout-out to The Think Tank Gallery for hosting the workshop and letting me use their venue.Being in the heart of Downtown LA really helped us explore so many colorful neighborhoods (the fashion, jewelry, and toy district as well as Little Tokyo and other areas). Below are some images from the workshop, and expect to see photos from the participants (Mattei, Norman, Nannette, Justin,Rinzi, Elizabeth, Ibarionex, Bo, Todd, Jordan, and Dana) soon!
If you want more information about my upcoming Introductory Street Photography Workshops in San Francisco (9/10-9/11) with Leica or in Chicago (9/17-9/18) with Jason Martini check out my workshops page or shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com
Hey streettogs, the Think Tank Gallery in Los Angeles is looking for 32 street photographers for a fascinating project. They will select an undisclosed location, and you will be given 10 days to shoot during October 1st-10th. Those chosen will then have their best 3 images shown in their gallery during the LA Downtown Artwalk on October 13th. If you are interested in participating, shoot an email at youareherethinktank@gmail.com with your 5 best images in JPEG format (resized to 950px wide). This can be a great opportunity to get more exposure for your work and even get featured in an up-coming gallery!
*Deadline to submit is September 15th, 2011
*You don’t need to be from Los Angeles to participate, but you will have to be in Los Angeles during October 1st-10th to participate.
Hey streettogs, I’m excited to say that the first day of my Downtown Los Angeles Intermediate Street Photography went extremely well! It was the first time I taught the Intermediate workshop, and quite frankly was worried how it would go. I made the Intermediate Workshop from scratch (completely new material from the Introductory Workshop) and wasn’t quite sure how it would be in terms of engagement, timing, and fun.
However things went very smoothly, and I really fed off all the positive energy from the participants of the workshop. We studied the work of some of the great street photographers, such as Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau, Winogrand, Erwitt, and Levitt and learned more about their methodology and philosophy when it came to shooting. By looking at a combination of videos of them shooting on the street, documentaries, as well as images and quotes– it helped us understand their style and how we could apply it to our own.
I want to personally thank all the participants of the workshop (Mattei, Norman, Nannette, Justin, Rinzi, Elizabeth, Ibarionex, Bo, Todd, Jordan, and Dana) for their enthusiasm to keep an open mind, learn new things, and apply them when shooting on the streets. Although I love doing workshops for the street photography, my favorite is meeting new and passionate people from all around the globe and different walks of life.
To you guys who attended today: rest up and let’s have some more fun tomorrow! Read more to check out all the photos from today!
Some of the talented street photographers over at Seconds2Real, a co-operative of thirteen passionate Austrian and German street photographers are going to be hosting an exhibition titled:  “Fascination Streetâ€, their first exhibition of contemporary Street Photography. The Berlin show opens October 15th, 2011 and runs for two weeks. They will also be showing more than 100 prints at the unique MEINBLAU Kunsthaus.
Read more information below to get the inside scoop.
My father inspired my passion for cameras and photography when I was a child. This led to me becoming a full time wedding and portrait photographer to pay the bills.
However in my spare time I have been shooting street photography on and off for over 10 years, mainly since I switched from film to digital and because I have always lived in large towns rather than in the countryside and love people watching. Looking back however I now realize that I always had an observational eye for the ‘street’. At the age of 15 my first published photograph, that made the front cover of my local paper, was of speed limit signs on either side of the road that confusingly didn’t match!
“Pipe it in” by Jason Martini I am excited to announce that I will be teaching an Introductory Street Photography Workshop in Chicago 9/17-9/18 with talented street photographer Jason Martini. This workshop will be great for anybody interested in street photography or wanting to improve their current skills. Here are some of the topics we will cover: 1. How to get over the fear of shooting street photography 2. How to shoot candid images without anybody noticing you 3. How to tell a story with your photos 4. The best technical settings to use in street photography 5. How to post-process and edit your images and create captivating color or beautiful black and white photos. The workshop will be full of insightful tips & techniques, and there will be lots of time for you to ask us your individual questions on street photography. Not only that, but you will have the opportunity to shoot with other passionate street photographers and us on the streets of Chicago.
WORKSHOP TIME & LOCATION
Date: September 17-18th Time: 10am-6pm (both days) Location: University of Chicago
REGISTER NOW:
If you are interested in registering or would like more information, please email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com
Don’t forget to order the new re-print of “The Decisive Moment” by Henri Cartier-Bresson!
I have been doing quite a bit of research into Henri Cartier-Bresson, the godfather of street photography.
Although my current approach in street photography is more like Bruce Gilden and less of Henri Cartier-Bresson, HCB influenced much of my earlier work and I still deeply respect his photography and philosophies. I hope you are able to enjoy these things I believe you can learn from Henri Cartier-Bresson about street photography. Keep reading to become inspired and learn more.
Recently the Leica Blog just published an interview that I did with David Kim, a Korean-American street photographer currently living in Korea. He shoots film on a Leica M6, and many of his images capture Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “Decisive Moment” aesthetic. It was a fantastic interview, with many insightful thoughts from David himself about how he got started in street photography and soulful photos from Korea. I encourage everyone to check it out.
To talk about street photography you first need to explain what it is.
I will start off by saying that there is more than one way to shoot street photography. It also depends on the the history and context in which you live.
European and international street photography has a history and a variety of different styles. However this doesn’t mean that one style or way to shoot is better than the other.
A while back Thomas Leuthard (85mm) put up a blog post on 500px titled “The Best Excuses On the Street.” He came up with a hilarious list of mostly bad (some good) excuses to use when people ask what you are doing. I was inspired by the list and thought I’d take a stab at using a few of them on the streets. I called up my friend Alex Lea and he recorded some footage of me from behind (while I recorded with a GoPro on top of my Leica M9). Yeah I shot the video a while back but didn’t have the chance to edit it until a few days ago ;)
My favorite one that I didn’t mention in the video (but took a stab at Thomas): “You should see Eric Kim, he is a creepy Korean tourist with a Leica M9…”
Although I made this video for fun, I was quite surprised to see that most people reacted somewhat positively to these excuses. Perhaps one could use a lot of these excuses and get away with it. Hope you guys enjoy the video :)
Charalampos Kydonakis (or known online as Dirty Harrry) is a street photographer who was born in Heraklion of Crete and raised in Rethymnon. Dirty Harry is indoubtly one of the greatest contemporary street photographers out there. Not only does he consistently create solid work, but he also creates innovative images getting close and at times shooting with a flash. He is an architect by trade, but creates his true artistic vision through his street photography. Read more to see the rest of the interview as well as his inspirational images.
Recently my colleague and fellow streettog Kevin WY Lee put together a 15-minute documentary for Japanese street photographer Junku Nishimura. The film shows Junku shooting the streets of Singapore with his Leica, and you can even see fun clips of him pop-locking (he is also a DJ and breakdancer). It is quite insightful and well produced–I encourage everyone to watch it.
This week’s street photography assignment of the week was “Hands“. Thanks to everybody who sent in their submissions to my Facebook fan page. Stay tuned for next week’s assignment, and keep on reading to check out the rest of the inspirational images!
The other day I was hanging out with Derriel Almario and we stumbled upon an old Borders bookstore that closed down and was converted into a $1 bookstore. When I saw it, I suddenly got giddy at the possibility that there may be some hidden photography book gems that we could find. Low and behold I stumbled upon a book titled, “The Camera” which was a photography book published in 1970 by TIME.
There was a chapter on shooting people that particularly fascinated me. Most of the photojournalists interviewed for the book generally agreed it was better to get closer to your subjects than shooting far away with a zoom lens.
Chun: I was introduced to analog photography by some friends when I studied abroad for a year in Taiwan. I loved the analog medium immediately and shot as much as I could. Shooting film is still my passion but because it wasn’t really economical, I decided to shoot with what I had available instead, my phone. I discovered some online photo sharing community’s and started to post my pictures there. It wasn’t until then that I started to realize that mobile photography has some serious potential. There are so many apps that you can download and process your pictures with, the possibilities are endless. Of course I tried copying from different people and experimented as much as I could to achieve that distinct mobile photo look.
Finding your own style in street photography is one of the most difficult things to discover. Everyone is influenced by the great street photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Garry Winogrand, but to differentiate yourself from them can be a life-time journey. Personally I have been having difficulty finding my own style, with my earlier work relying more on juxtaposition and architecture. I have recently started to transition in getting closer to my subjects and shooting with a flash–a technique similar to that of Bruce Gilden and very controversial.
This week’s street photography assignment was “Humor” and many of you submitted great submissions to my Facebook fan page. Thanks to everybody who took the time to post, and here are 20 of the best images that stood out to me. Keep reading to check out the rest of the images!
Yesterday I put up a video of me shooting flash street photography in Hollywood as a tool to help people understand how I get close to people and shoot them with a flash. My original intention of the video was to help others build their courage, rather than offend people.
In the video above I talk about some of my thoughts about the video.
First of all, I am not Bruce Gilden and don’t claim to be. I am hugely inspired by the work of his and those of others such as Weegee, Charlie Kirk, Mark Cohen, Dirty Harry, and some others. My idea is not original, and I have been copying aspects of their technique I like. Through this experimentation, I have found out I enjoy this style and am curious to keep on trying it out. The experience is much more intimate and has been challenging me both as a street photographer and person.
Secondly, the images I took in the video were not great. I only put them in there to be instructive and helpful to give people a sense of how the images would look. I can shoot street photography for an entire day and get 1-2 decent shots if I am lucky. To get a good photo in 3 minutes flat is almost impossible.
Lastly thank you for the comments & critiques. I see my blog more as a hub for street photography discussion, learning, and debate. I purposely never censor any of the comments that people leave, and appreciate everybody’s thoughts. I don’t claim to be the master or have all the answers. Rather being a street photographer that struggled with getting over his fear of shooting street photography– I simply want to help others get over that as well.
Feel free to leave your thoughts, suggestions, or critiques below. Also thanks so much for the continued feedback and support. Shooting street photography, doing workshops, managing my social networks, and this blog is a ton of work–but it is my passion and I do it all out of love to help you and the community.
During my Los Angeles Street Photography Workshop, Rinzi Ruiz followed me around and recorded me shooting street photography with my Canon 5D, 24mm f/2.8, YN 560 Flash, and CSLR C-loop and Glidestrap.
I enjoyed the experience and this time aimed my flash aiming upwards from a low angle (while crouching down). As you can see through the video, a lot of people were very friendly (as long as I smiled and said “thank you” or that I liked something they were wearing). A few people objected and gave me weird looks (as you can see) but I am pleased with a few of the resulting images.
For the first day of my introductory street photography workshop, I was very impressed to see all the great photos everyone took! We were able to edit/post-process each of the photos with one another using Lightroom 3 and Silver Efex Pro, and the results look great. Read more to check out all of the photos!
Day 2 of the LA Street Photography workshop was a huge success and I am so sad it is already over! We spent a good time during the day editing our images and post-processing them with Lightroom 3 and Silver Efex Pro, and everyone got some great images! I am still in the process of editing all the images and videos, so please be patient as they get ready ;)
Also I am accepting sign-ups for my Intermediate Street Photography course on August 27-28th–so please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com for more info!
Update: Just uploaded photos of the workshop–read more to see them all!
Tomorrow is the day I am teaching my street photography workshop in LA and I wanted to let everyone know thanks so much for the help, support, and love you have given me. If it weren’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to spread the news and made this workshop a success (at least in getting people to sign up!). I have been very fortunate that my entire family has been helping me, including my mom and sister who are making all the meals, and my girlfriend/manager Cindy who helped me with all the logistical details.
Today on the car ride to the 4th Floor Gallery to do some last-minute things, I had a very insightful conversation with my mom about being humble. She told me that regardless of what I do I should remember to stay humble and be truly grateful for the help I have been getting from everyone. It really struck me to the heart, and I thought about all that has happened within the last year. Within a year I was able to teach a street photography workshop in Lebanon, the UK, Switzerland and meet passionate street photographers like Thomas Leuthard, Charlie Kirk, Damien Rayuela, and many others. Not only that, but Leica has also flown me to Paris where I met Bruce Gilden, Elliott Erwitt, and many other influencers.
Therefore I wanted to re-iterate thank you again for everything you have given me. This quote that I got from my friend and street artist Jacob Patterson truly resonates with me:
“You don’t owe your audience your art; you owe your audience your life.†-Howard Bloom
Wish me luck for tomorrow and will keep you updated with how everything goes :)
Today is my last day in Vegas and all I gotta say is I had a blast. Not only was I able to come here for the first time and experience debauchery, gambling, and great food– but I was also able to shoot great street photographs here. Huge thanks for everyone giving me all the advice of places to check out, and especially to Rob DeRosa for showing me around in Downtown Vegas. Watch the video above to hear more about my thoughts about Vegas, and a quick review of the Macbook Air I have been using during this trip.
Also I still have 2 spots open for my Los Angeles Street Photography Workshop this weekend (July 30-31st). Check out more information here and email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you are interested in joining!
Read more to check out the photos I took today (although not many!)
I just completed my second day in Las Vegas and wanted to share some of my experiences. First of all, it appears that for the entire time I have either been a) Drunk or b) Hungover. Not the most fun when shooting street photography, but I still get the job done. Also today I had the great opportunity of meeting up with Rob DeRosa (one of my LA Street Photography workshop attendees this Saturday-Sunday) and he showed me Downtown Vegas which was a ton of fun. It seemed more soulful than the main strip (as it had more locals and fewer tourists). Not only that, but I was able to have a ton of fun shooting flash with my camera, which was awesome.
If you are interested in my LA street photography workshop in Hollywood this weekend (July 30-31st), please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com for more information! There are only a few spots left, and it will be a great opportunity for you to overcome your fear of shooting street photography while being able to test out a Leica M9!
Make sure to also read more to check out more of the photos I took :)
Although I have lived in LA for many years, I have never been to Vegas before. Deciding to go to Vegas was a random idea, but suddenly it happened. I packed my bag with my street photography gear and headed out Monday morning. I just got here and was able to do some street photography. I’m still pretty inebriated and was barely able to process these images I took during the day. I was able to get a few night street photographs (but ended up going clubbing and kept my camera at home). Hope to do some more street photography with flash tomorrow night–but in the meanwhile read more to check out my photos!
Recently from the recommendation of Daniel Schaefer I watched a film called “Midnight in Paris” which stars Owen Wilson and is directed by Woody Allen. The premise of the movie is that Owen Wilson (a writer) is hopelessly in love with the ideal of Paris in the 1920’s and is convinced that his present is not nearly as romantic or great enough. However through a strange series of events he finds himself in the 1920’s Paris where he finds out all the people living during that time-period wished that they were also in an earlier and more romantic time-period.
Highly recommend everyone to watch this film
Therefore it had me thinking about street photography and the romanticism we can often attribute to the past. We think of all the great photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, and Robert Frank and think that we can never capture as stunning images because the present is boring. However what we need to realize that today is going to be the past one day, and the opportunity to shoot is now. Don’t let all these excuses about the present not being interesting enough get in your way of shooting.
Henri Cartier Bresson – I am sure we can still find opportunities to shoot images like this today
Also I am excited to announce that for my July 30-31st street photography workshop in LA I am going to have a Leica representative bring Leica M9’s, lenses, and compact cameras for you to shoot with. If you have ever wanted to learn more about street photography (and shoot with a Leica M9) sign up soon! I only have 3 spots available, so please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com for more information or to sign-up.
So have you ever been guilty of romanticizing the past and dismissing the present? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment below!
Today I hit the streets of Santa Monica and the beach armed with my new YN-560 Speedlight Flash and wireless transmitter. It is a new setup that I have been trying out, which seems to be far better than using a chord for my street photography with flash. Not only is the kit extremely cheap (only $67 for the flash and $20 for the wireless transmitter) but it works well and gives me great images! Screw buying a Canon Speedlite 580EX II for around $500. Having shot with it in Santa Monica today, I have been extremely pleased. Read more to see all the pictures I took.
Anyways I also have 4 more spots open for my July 30-31st street photography workshop in Hollywood, Los Angeles! It is going to be a ton of fun meeting other street photographers, shooting together in the streets, while also getting helpful critique and learning new techniques. Please email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you want more details or would like to sign up!
Street photography grabbed my attention only about 3 years ago when I stumbled upon images made by photographers like Cartier Bresson and Joel Meyerowitz on the streets of Paris and New York.
Those images were so real. So unposed. For the first time I felt emotionally connected to still photographs. I wondered about the people in the images and what their lives must have been like and where they might be today. I marveled at how the photographer captured such a fleeting moment to tell the perfect story. Sometimes I would lose myself in an image for several minutes.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with street photographer Craig Semetko in Los Angeles. I met up Craig at a quaint little Coffe Bean in Los Feliz and we had a great chat about street photography and his life story as well. It was fascinating for me to hear that Craig never touched a camera until he was around 40, and that he was a comedic actor and writer for 20 years prior. However one he picked up his Leica, he got obsessed with shooting street photography and has been shooting non-stop the last decade or so. Highly inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, craig recently released his new collection of his street photography titled: “Unposed” which is published by teNeues. Also if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area, he is having his opening exhibition at The Phil Stern Gallery Thursday, August 4 at 7pm-11pm.
Read more to see my favorite images from him as well as more information about his gallery!
Pictured above: Ryan Cabal’s Street Photography Camera Collection
After Ryan uploaded a picture of his awesome street photography camera collection on my Facebook fan page, I asked you guys on Facebook and Twitter to send me photos of what was in your bag. Thanks to everyone who submitted photos of their awesome cameras and equipment! Keep reading to see all the street photography camera porn ;)
It has officially been 7 days since I got laid off my job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. Things have been hectic with me working 15-hour days on this blog, booking participants for my workshop, managing my social media networks, and going out and networking! Today I was fortunate enough to meet with Todd over at Lighting Leica and he was able to hook it up with an awesome flash (and wireless trigger) which I plan on using for my flash street photography. Stay posted for an in-depth review later.
Tonight I was also able to meet up with avant-garde Leica photographer Thorsten Overgaard and had a ton of fun chatting with him and shooting portraits of him with my flash. The guy is super-chill, down to the earth, and did I mention–well dressed? Watch the video above to hear more about my highlights and also read more to see the fun pictures I took as well!
I also still have 3 spots open for my Los Angeles street photography workshop July 30-31st, so please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you would like to hear more details! Hurry, spots are running out ;)
This morning Fabrice Drevon told me about this video that has been getting quite a bit of buzz online about 6 photographers who stand their ground and take photos in London of private buildings from public property. Long story short, all 6 photographers get confronted by private security who assert that they have no right to do so (when in reality they can shoot from a public space). Not only that, but in 3 cases police were called as well (who fortunately were very reasonable and well-versed in the law).
The video is a bit long (16 minutes) but I advise everyone to watch it. The photographers all use common-sense and are reasonable when confronting these doubting private security officers (and have the balls to stand their ground). Here are some takeaway points I got from watching the video.
I am excited to say that I got my first paid photography assignment from a digital culture magazine called Stark in covering an LA bike culture scene. Pretty much around 50 bicyclists with tricked out bikes meet up at this central location and drink, smoke, and go out and ride together for around a 20-mile circuit. I went there and captured the footage with my Canon 5D, Canon 24mm f/2.8, my Custom SLR Glidestrap, and my flash. I shot the entire thing in black and white while dragging my shutter (ISO 800, f/11, and 1/3rd of a second for most of my shots).
I had a ton fun shooting and also made some great connections and hope I have more assignments coming down the line. Every little bit will help me keep the #foodinthecupboards as Devin Palmer mentioned on Twitter. Keep reading to check out the images I shot!
“The Philadelphia Project†was born out of a necessity for a street photography series that is both fast and ambitious. I have a kind of nervous energy and walking the streets with a camera for hours everyday gives me a way to channel that energy. The ambitious part of this project is a goal of 1000 photographs in a 3 year time period. With the first year of this project almost behind me I coming close to staying on track but sometimes Philadelphia doesn’t cooperate.
Another aspect of this project is a time period. Many street photographers have their work of over a couple of decades lumped into one portfolio and my purpose is to show a very short period in time. Fashion, trends and buildings all change so fast anymore it’s hard to keep up and that is why sometimes it’s important to show something like an advertisement or billboard as a reference. I’ve learned a lot about my city since I started this project and have actually made several acquaintances along the way.
Note: Several different cameras have been used for this project so far. From digital and film slrs to point and shoot cameras again that are both film and digital.
Read more to see the rest of Michael’s inspirational images!
Many of you guys loved watching my Leica M9 POV video as well as my Leica M9 Viewfinder video so I decided to make another one (this time editing in shots!) I also tried adding in a soundtrack (RJD2 Ghostwriter) to make the video more upbeat and fun. Sorry if my voice is a bit muffled in the video, as I’m still new to video editing and I’m getting the hang of it :)
Hope you enjoy the video! Read more to see the images I took.
It was 4 days ago when I announced that I got laid-off my previous job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. The last few days have been pretty hectic, with me working 15 hour days (from 8am-midnight) everyday. Some of the things that have kept me busy is writing blog posts, recording videos of me shooting street photography, writing interviews, and getting people to sign up for my street photography workshop in LA on July 30-31st (email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you want more details).
Although the process has been stressful, it is exhilarating to work for myself and being able to do what I truly love. Not everyone out there has the opportunity that I do– and I sincerely thank everyone in the community for their never-ending support, suggestions, and love. Whenever I doubt myself and think that things won’t work out, you pull me back up on my toes.
Also if you are interested in supporting me and the blog, please considering purchasing a shirt in my store! (yes I ship internationally!)
I had a question for you guys: What other features/interviews/blog posts would you like to see more on my site? I swear to try my hardest to give what you want! :)
This week I announced on my Facebook fan page that the weekly street photography assignment was: “Blur”. I chose this theme because I was inspired by a quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson that “Sharpness is a bourgeoisie concept.” Many of you submitted your great images, and I chose the best images to be featured for this week! Make sure to read more to see the rest of the images, and stay tuned for next week’s assignment by liking me on Facebook!
When it is out raining, I always make it a point to go out and shoot some street photography. The beauty of shooting street photography in the rain is that not only are you able to capture certain reflections and scenes you don’t typically see– but you can also create moody images of people with umbrellas. The folks over at Lava 360 put together a great collection of street photography in the rain of people with umbrellas (including one from Danny Santos (pictured above).
When it is raining outside, do you like to go out and shoot photos or stay in? Leave your comments below!
First of all, thank everybody so much for their love and support in lieu of my recent layoff at my job (and my new beginning as a full-time street photographer). I read all of your comments on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and my blog and was truly overwhelmed with gratitude. It is great that you guys have my back, which gives me a ton of confidence to live out this crazy dream!
Also I am still accepting participants for my introductory street photography workshop July 30-31st. If you are interested, please shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com. Continue reading to see more images from my first day being a full-time street photographer!
Yesterday on my Facebook fan page, I asked you to submit your best self-portraits of yourself with your camera. I got an overwhelming response, and thanks to everyone who was brave enough to upload their images! I chose the most fascinating self-portraits out of the bunch and included them here! Hope you guys don’t mind ;)
When I was in Paris for the Leica + Magnum event, I had the huge pleasure of shooting and staying with Damien Rayuela. Not only is Damien an incredibly talented and passionate street photographer, but he was also worked at Magnum as an intern (this may explain his great photographic vision).
Looking at his work, I was particularly fascinated with his “The Halted Traveler” project in which Damien captures people staring out into a landscape, deep in thought. Keep reading to see the images from the project, and also a multi-media video he put together as well.
Long story short, I recently got laid off my job and now I am doing what I have always wanted to do–pursue my street photography full-time! I just wanted to personally thank everyone out there for giving me all this love and support through the last year. I couldn’t have made it so far without you guys. <3
Some of you may be curious how I plan on doing street photography full-time. Hopefully I will be able to make a living by selling shirts, through advertisements and sponsorships, and also by doing street photography workshops in LA and all around the world.
(I am teaching an introductory street photography workshop in LA July 30-31st, so please email me at erickimphotography@gmail.com if you’re interested).
Considering I also will do street photography full-time, stay updated for this blog. I really plan on ramping up the content I produce, including more interviews, videos, how-to-guides, and other goodies. Thank you guys again so much for the love and support– you guys rock :)
Any words of encouragement or advice you can give me in being a full-time street photographer? Please leave a comment below :)
Tonight I had the fun of shooting flash street photography in Hollywood with Daniel Schaeffer. At first I was a bit worried about shooting street photography in Hollywood (because of all the characters), but I had a very pleasant time. Few people objected to me using flash, and I got some pretty interesting images as well.
Also I am pleased to announce that on July 30-31st, I am teaching an introductory street photography workshop at the 4th Street Gallery in Hollywood. Shoot me an email at erickimphotography@gmail.com for more details, and read more to see my flash images!
For this article, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dairou Koga, who is a photographer and a bookmaker who recently put together the Tokyo-Ga Charity Book. The Tokyo-Ga Charity book is a collection of some of the finest Japanese street photography which is currently being sold help the victims of Japan in the March disaster. Keep reading to hear about this noble cause from Koga-san’s own mouth, and also see the inspirational images included in this book.
When it comes to street photography, I am a huge proponent that it doesn’t matter what camera you use. Each camera has its own strengths and weaknesses, and as long as it takes photos it works for street photography.
When I asked a while back on my Facebook fan page, I found out that the majority of the community shoots street photography with a DSLR, so I thought it would be a great idea to write an article on how to most effectively use your DSLR for street photography. Keep reading to read some more tips.
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!
Another fun video of me shooting with the Leica M9 and the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux in Santa Monica’s 3rd street promenade. To record this video, I put my HTC EVO 4G Smartphone’s camera through the viewfinder and walked around and shot. Didn’t include the photos I took during the video because most of them came out out-of-focus (holding this setup was hard). But I hope this video helps you get a better sense of what I see when shooting street photography :)
When I first got my feet wet in street photography and heard of Leica cameras, I couldn’t quite understand the hype surrounding it. Sure it looked like a cool and retro old-school camera, but why the heavy pricetag? After doing my homework, it seemed like everyone who owned one would rave and praise it. In Chris Week’s street photography documentary, “Documenting the Human Condition†he highly encourages everyone to try shooting with a rangefinder and noticed that the “haters†have never shot with Leica’s themselves. This piqued my interest, however I never even dreamed that I would have the chance to shoot with a Leica.
A question I often get asked is whether or not street photography needs to include people. It was a topic that fascinated me, so I even posted it to my Facebook fan page for the community to discuss. I have talked to many street photographers about this, and the vast majority of the consensus is that street photography doesn’t necessarily have to include people. However if street photography doesn’t have to include people, how can we differentiate those types of images from any other genre of photography?
Simply put, I feel that effective street photographs without people show the uncanny of everyday life, while showing remnants of humanity. Keep reading to see how you can effectively shoot street photographs without people in it.
Currently the video that I shot with my Leica M9 and GoPro HD 960 has been getting quite popular on the web, and has been creating some interesting discussions on what street photography is/isn’t. In this video I discuss my definition of street photography and whether you should ask for permission when shooting street photography.
I welcome everyone to participate in the discussion and please leave a comment below! How would you define street photography, and do you think you should ask for permission or not–and why? Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts :)
Damien Pot uploaded this awesome photo of his Leica M9 and flash  to my Facebook fan page. How would you react if someone took a photo of you with this rig? ;)
With my Leica M9 set up with my Canon Speedlite 430EX, I experimented street photography with a flash for the first time in Los Angeles (3rd Street Promenade). Despite what people say, I didn’t get punched in the face or my camera broken (although I did get shoved once hard in the back). Overall, it was quite a fascinating experience, and I learned a ton about the process. Keep reading to watch the video of  my crazy stories, and also check out some of the photos as well.
Eric: For this guest post I am pleased to feature Keith Chastain, an incredibly passionate street photographer who currently lives in a small city. Many of you in the past have asked me advice about shooting street photography in a small city and franking speaking– I wasn’t quite sure what to say. However Keith is able to balance his life in the small city, while scratching his itch for street photography while hitting up big cities like San Francisco. Read more to see his images and read his insight about the subject.
Keith: I’m thinking of an unoriginal analogy for street photography…Bear with me here…Street photography is a lot like fishing right? We have our favorite spots that usually guarantee us a few bites. Sometimes we come home with a few catches that are small and should have been thrown back, while other times we might return with the big one….A capture worthy of hanging over the fireplace like a fat marlin an old angler dreams of. The fundamental aspect of fishing is fish, just as people are the ones we street photographers set out to catch on any given day.
War photographers have a crucial job to society that is not only important but extremely dangerous. Without war photographers, we would not see the true realities of war and the countless number of lives that it affects. History has even proven that a single photo has the power to even end a war.
This guest blog post is from Thomas Leuthard (85mm) who is one of my dear fellow street photographers from Switzerland. Not only are we good friends, but we have taught two street photography workshops together–one in Beirut, Lebanon and the other recently in Switzerland.
In this blog post Thomas talks about his recent trip to New York City and about his experience shooting there. If you are curious to read what he has to say, read more and also see his great shots!
Often times as street photographers, we are too focused on capturing what is right before our eyes, rather than looking up and especially down. Capturing shadows is a wonderful way to open up your eyes to things which are around you, and give the viewer a sense of the surreal. If you are interested in understanding how you can better capture compelling shadows in your street photography, read on!
Need some inspiration when it comes to your street photography? Check out these beautiful black and white street photography wallpapers by Elliott Erwitt. Click on the images to see the full-resolution images, and keep reading to see more of his iconic images.
Watch Thomas Leuthard (85mm) in action shooting his candid portraits in his first video! Also you can read more about his street photography portrait technique here.
Many of you have asked me to record videos of myself shooting street photography. After a trip to Best Buy and picking up a GoPro HD 960 Videocamera, I rigged up an interesting POV camera to my Leica M9. Check out the video and let me know what you think. Read more to see some of the photos as well!
On the day of the Leica Magnum Paris event, I had the huge pleasure of meeting Bruce Gilden. After the official product announcements of the Leica M9-P and the 21mm f/3.5 Elmarit lens, I headed upstairs for some small appetizers and some wine. After chatting it up with some fellow photographers and bloggers from the event, I spotted Bruce from the corner of my eye. My hands got clammy, and I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my body. It was my hero—Bruce Gilden in person! I knew that I had to talk to him.
The second he was about to pass my left shoulder, I politely leaned in and asked, “Excuse me, are you Bruce Gilden?†He then said with a grin in his scruffy Brooklyn accent, “Yeah I’m Bruce Gilden—who are you?†I then introduced myself that I was a street photographer and blogger from Los Angeles and that I was a huge fan of his work. He then told me, “Oh—I think I know who you are.†My blood froze. How could someone like Bruce Gilden know who I was? I then asked him how he knew me and he told me, “Yeah a guy named Charlie in my workshop told me about you. He said to keep my eyes open for this overly enthusiastic Asian guy.†I then grinned and started to chat with him.
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