{"id":23710,"date":"2015-05-11T17:14:58","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T00:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=23710"},"modified":"2015-05-11T17:14:58","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T00:14:58","slug":"eric-kim-life-diary-4-switching-to-black-and-white-film-what-im-reading-random-life-musings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/11\/eric-kim-life-diary-4-switching-to-black-and-white-film-what-im-reading-random-life-musings\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Kim Life Diary #4: Switching to Black and White Film, What I’m Reading, Random Life Musings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kodak
Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600, locked and loaded.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear\u00c2\u00a0streettogs,<\/p>\n

Life is good in Berkeley! Just finished a fun 1-day intensive street photography portrait crash course workshop in SF, and after meeting all the great students, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m more pumped up to write articles, produce content, and share what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in my neck of the woods!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"sf
Group selfie from my recent SF Street Portrait Workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Switching to black and white film<\/h2>\n

So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently dwindling down my supply of Kodak Portra 400. Prices are starting to climb up more and more, and I had some Kodak Tri-X 400 chilling at home.<\/p>\n

It has been almost 2 years since I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve shot black and white film (because it is so much easier to process color film at the neighborhood Costco). But I recently learned that the Costco in Mountain View (where I usually get my film processed) is discontinuing processing film (their machine broke down), so I was at a bit of a crossroads.<\/p>\n

So suddenly, I thought to myself\u00e2\u20ac\u201d hey why not use this as an opportunity to try to switch it up with my film?<\/p>\n

I have around 10 rolls of Tri-X chilling at home, so I popped a roll into my Leica, changed my meter to ISO 1600, and started to shoot.<\/p>\n

And boy, this is the most fun I have had in photography in a long time.<\/p>\n

It was like I was a kid again, or picking up photography for the first time. Shooting at ISO 1600 (instead of the normal 400 I do on Portra) was a lot more liberating\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I could shoot at faster shutter speeds indoors, and I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to worry about making photos with nice colors (black and white for me is more about emotion, mood, and forms).<\/p>\n

Suddenly I found myself shooting almost everything. Selfies in the mirror, my shadow, my balcony looking out, Cindy working at home, and even random strangers in coffee shops. I know that most of these photos probably won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be that interesting, but they feel much more personal, and I am having more fun.<\/p>\n

I also have been wondering what film (or if I shoot digital) in my Europe trip. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m highly tempted to just pick up 100 rolls of Tri-X and shoot it all in black and white.<\/p>\n

I started street photography in black and white, and shifted to color for the last 3 years. But for some reason, black and white is calling me back.<\/p>\n

I plan on probably processing my film at home, and perhaps scanning it on my own. I generally don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like to process and scan by myself, but I think it might be a good practice for me to be more hands-on with my film, and be able to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Zen-out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when processing and scanning. Perhaps I can listen to some chill music and just mediate on life while doing my film-related stuff.<\/p>\n

What I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been reading<\/h2>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, art school in a book (just finished it, recommended if you want to be more creative!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lately, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been really on a lot of Buddhist philosophy by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. I love his writings, as they are pretty simple, straightforward, but honest. He is quite repetitive, but I like that\u00e2\u20ac\u201d he reminds me of ideas and concepts that are easy to forget.<\/p>\n

I read an excellent short book titled: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Walk<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, which is about being mindful while walking. A perfect companion for street photographers to be more mindful when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting street photography.<\/p>\n

I also enjoyed his book: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Eat<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, which reminds me to enjoy my food while eating, instead of just looking at my smartphone or listening to podcasts while wolfing down my food.<\/p>\n

I recently finished \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Artist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Way<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Julia Cameron, about overcoming your creative blocks and obstacles. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently finishing up a free e-book titled: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Overcome Photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Block\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that I will release in the next week or so on the blog.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m starting to re-read \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Antifragile<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Nassim Taleb, who is my favorite author and modern philosopher. I have literally read the book 5 times (once on my nook, once on my smartphone in the Kindle app, once as a hardcover, another time on the nook, and now on paperback). His thoughts on how to live life amidst uncertainty, chaos, and randomness have helped me gain more clarity in life. Not only that, but his ideas about removing unnecessary things from life (via negativa) has inspired me to spend less time on social media, and more time to read, write, teach, and spend time with family and loved ones.<\/p>\n

Other random books I have read recently:<\/p>\n