{"id":21310,"date":"2014-11-01T18:30:33","date_gmt":"2014-11-02T01:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=21310"},"modified":"2014-11-01T18:30:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-02T01:30:58","slug":"street-photography-human-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/01\/street-photography-human-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Photography and The Human Condition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"My
My grandfather’s grave, from my “Grandfather<\/a>” series. Busan, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I always think about the meaning of life\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and you can probably notice that this blog has become heavily philosophy-based the last few months. This is due to the fact that I have been thinking much more about living a purposeful life as a photographer. Not only that, but I have also had a few close encounters with death\u00e2\u20ac\u201d which always prompts myself to ask why I shoot photography, and what kind of life I want to live.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153search for meaning\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I recently came across the Wikipedia page for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Human Condition<\/a>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I never really considered or thought what the phrase \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the human condition\u00e2\u20ac\u009d referred to. I know it is often thrown around in street-photography circles, so I inspected the page closely. It defines the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153human condition\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as the following:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The human condition encompasses the unique features of being human, particularly the ultimate concerns of human existence<\/strong>. It can be described as the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent and innate to human beings and not dependent on factors such as gender, race, culture, or class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, and the awareness of the inescapability of death.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here is another apt definition of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the human condition\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The existentialist psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom has identified what he refers to as the four \u00e2\u20ac\u0153givens\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or ultimate concerns of human existence: meaning, loneliness, freedom, and mortality.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s break down the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ultimate concerns of human existence\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Meaning<\/li>\n
  2. Loneliness<\/li>\n
  3. Freedom<\/li>\n
  4. Mortality<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The pursuit of understanding\u00c2\u00a0“the human condition”<\/h2>\n

    As street photographers, I think we are trying to capture \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the human condition\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (what it means to be uniquely human) through other strangers. However at the same time, I think the pursuit of street photography and meaning of our lives is far more important. I think street photography should be much more inwards looking (than outwards looking).<\/p>\n

    Therefore, I wanted to write this article to see how we can better find meaning in our lives in street photography. I wanted to also write this article to share some of my personal thoughts, and articulate some things, which have been on my mind for a while:<\/p>\n

    1. Meaning<\/h2>\n

    We all shoot street photography for a reason. We want to discover more meaning in our street photography.<\/p>\n

    For the longest time, I have been concerned with making \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos instead of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153meaningful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos.<\/p>\n

    \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d vs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153meaningful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos<\/h3>\n

    What is the difference between \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d versus \u00e2\u20ac\u0153meaningful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos?<\/p>\n