{"id":110429,"date":"2018-08-19T11:00:42","date_gmt":"2018-08-19T18:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=110429"},"modified":"2018-08-19T11:01:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-19T18:01:09","slug":"how-to-never-stop-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/19\/how-to-never-stop-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Never Stop Shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Never stop shooting. No matter how boring or uninteresting you feel like your life is; there’s always something to shoot! Some practical ideas to always stay inspired to shoot:<\/p>\n

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1. Take photos on your phone<\/h2>\n

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It doesn’t matter what camera you shoot with. Just shoot with your phone!<\/p>\n

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Your phone is easy and convenient to shoot with. Treat your phone as a sketchbook. Your phone is a legitimate camera!<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Experiment with your post processing<\/h2>\n

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I’m always experimenting with the aesthetics and look of my photos. For example I’m experimenting and making new presets for color pictures on a Lumix G9<\/a>. These photos in this post (after this paragraph) are all shot on program mode, JPEG high contrast “vivid” color mode, processed with ERIC KIM COLOR 1600 preset. You can download them here: ERIC KIM PRESETS – CHROMA 2018<\/a><\/p>\n

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Experiment with your post processing. Experiment with RAW or JPEG. And also practice shooting film (and different film formats). Be creatively promiscuous with your photographic vision, and never stop experimenting with your processing!<\/p>\n

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See all Eric Kim PRESETS HERE ><\/a><\/p>\n

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3. Switch between black and white or color<\/h2>\n

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Don’t get married to monochrome<\/a> or color<\/a>. Do both! This is a great way to avoid boredom or burnout in your photography.<\/p>\n

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4. Delete your Instagram<\/h2>\n

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Social media fucks up your self-esteem. It is also bad for your artistic development, because end up caring about what others think of your photos, instead of caring what you think of your photos. After I deleted my Instagram<\/a>, I have been so much more prolific as a photographer!<\/p>\n

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My suggestion: start your own photography website\/blog. Just use wordpress.com or sign-up for 1and1.com and install WordPress.org. Turn off your statistics and just share and upload photos which bring delight to your own soul!<\/p>\n

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Learn more: Photography Entrepreneurship 101 ><\/a><\/p>\n

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5. Always keep your camera on your wrist or neck<\/h2>\n

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When it comes to your camera strap<\/a>, choose a strap that allows you to always wear your camera around your neck (like a necklace), or on your wrist (like a bracelet). I had this epiphany in Vietnam:<\/p>\n

\n If rappers can wear heavy golden chains, why can’t we photographers wear heavy cameras on our neck?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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To be honest, 90% of being a photographer is just carrying your camera everywhere you go. The director Stanley Kubrick<\/a> had a similar mentality when he said something like:<\/p>\n

\n 90% of being a director is just stepping out of the car.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Therefore if you want to make more photos and improve your photography — just carry your camera with you everywhere you go!<\/p>\n

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For example if you shoot with a RICOH GR II<\/a>, pick up a Eric Kim NECK STRAP<\/a> (compatible with RICOH GR II). Or if you have a larger mirrorless camera (Leica, Sony, Fujifilm XT-series camera), pick up an HENRI SHOULDER STRAP<\/a> (to always have your camera strapped around your shoulder and chest, to be ready before<\/em> the decisive moment).<\/p>\n

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And once again; if you want to keep it simple, you can just shoot with your phone. Just keep your phone in your pocket, and whenever you see anything interesting, JUST SHOOT I!<\/p>\n

And yes– the phone is a legitimate camera<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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6. Find inspiration in cinema<\/h2>\n

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Most of us don’t own (that many) photo books<\/a>. Yet, we watch a lot of movies. My simple suggestion:<\/p>\n

\n Watch movies on your laptop, and whenever you see an interesting scene or composition, take a screenshot, and study it afterwards (by sketching on top of it).\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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I’ve done this a lot recently with my cinema<\/a> series, with some classics such as:<\/p>\n