{"id":27685,"date":"2016-03-08T11:10:32","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=27685"},"modified":"2016-03-08T11:10:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:10:32","slug":"humanistic-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/08\/humanistic-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanistic Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

I wanted to write you this letter on some of my thoughts on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how this might be a better definition and way to visualize and understand \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d anyways?<\/h2>\n
\"Tustin,
Tustin, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was having dinner with one of my good friends (Christophe Wu<\/a>) the other night, and I was asking him for some life advice. I told him that I felt that I wrote \u00e2\u20ac\u0153practically everything\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve wanted to write about street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and what direction I should take my photography, my blogging, and just my life in general.<\/p>\n

He told me that one thing he found interesting about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is that he thought a photographer could do it practically anywhere. He argued that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d could be done in the suburbs, on a farm, on the beach, and perhaps (one day) even in space. He made the argument that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was probably more of an approach, a way to see the world, and the fact that you are interested in making photos in man-made environments or a public place.<\/p>\n

For a guy who is interested more in portrait and editorial photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I was knocked back. He hit the nail straight on the head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t this super specific genre of just taking photos of strangers in busy downtown areas. It was rather a way to approach life, to interact with the public world, and it could be done really anywhere.<\/p>\n

A better definition<\/h2>\n
\"In
In and Out, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Which got me thinking\u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d seems to be such an imprecise phrase. I often see a lot of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d done in places where there literally are no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153streets\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d for example in the subway (Bruce Davidson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Subway\u00e2\u20ac\u009d), on the bus, or even at the beach (Bruce Gilden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coney Island\u00e2\u20ac\u009d comes to mind).<\/p>\n

I propose a more embracing idea: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is really \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photography<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Let me explain more below:<\/p>\n

First of all, most \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I meet are people who love humanity. They love their fellow human-beings, they love being in public places, they love studying other human beings, and they are generally only interested in taking photos with people in them. They are sociologists with cameras\u00e2\u20ac\u201d using the camera as their research tool. They are trying to understand the world and their fellow human beings through the agency of a camera.<\/p>\n

What is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanism\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/h2>\n
\"Tucson,
Tucson, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let me go back to the idea of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanism.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

To start off, when we think of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanities\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in college and university\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we think of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153non-science\/math\u00e2\u20ac\u009d majors (English, Latin, History, Sociology, Psychology, etc). However in ancient times, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanities\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e2\u20ac\u02dchumanitas\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in Latin) was more connected to the Greek work \u00e2\u20ac\u0153philanthr\u00c5\u008dpia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, from philanthr\u00c5\u008dpos \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcman-loving\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

When we think of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153philanthropy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, we think of billionaires giving money to charities. However the original meaning was to just love our fellow human beings.<\/p>\n

So in short, the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153philanthropy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanities\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are both fields that are interested in how to be a good human being, how to show love to fellow human beings, and to contribute to all of human-kind.<\/p>\n

Are you a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/h2>\n
\"LA,
LA, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I recently read Jaron Lanier\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s compelling book: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who owns the future?<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In short, he is skeptical about the future of technology and human beings\u00e2\u20ac\u201d he is afraid of these cloud-based emperors (Facebook, Google, Amazon) who will eventually take over our lives and such.<\/p>\n

One of the questions Jaron puts in the book is this:<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you keeping people at the center?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After all, these services on the internet, our tools (laptops, tablets, smartphones, cameras, etc) should be used to serve<\/em> humanity. We shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be trying to build artificial intelligence to replace<\/em> humans \u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather, we should be making technology which helps empower<\/em> human beings.<\/p>\n

So the question I have for you is:<\/p>\n

\n Do you love your fellow human beings?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I feel this is the most important thing of being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d or a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

Do you love people? Do you love being around them?<\/p>\n

I mean, you have to in order to document them, to be fascinated in them, and to be a part of society.<\/p>\n

One of the main reasons I studied sociology in college was to better understand people around me. To me, humans are the weirdest animals\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we are so rational in so many ways, yet so irrational in many ways. And at the end of the day, I am a very social person\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I love being around other humans. When I am stuck alone in my apartment, I feel depressed and miserable. I generally feel the most \u00e2\u20ac\u0153alive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when I am interacting with others\u00e2\u20ac\u201d whether making small chat at the cafe, whether that is teaching, whether that is traveling and meeting new people, having engaging conversations over dinner, or taking photos of people (especially strangers).<\/p>\n

Make love your mission statement<\/h2>\n
\"Nashville,
Nashville, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I know to talk about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s age seems to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new-agey\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and fluffy. But really\u00e2\u20ac\u201d do you love the people you photograph? Do you show love to them?<\/p>\n

Street photography gets a lot of flak\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that we are simply \u00e2\u20ac\u0153assaulting\u00e2\u20ac\u009d strangers in public with our cameras, our flashes, and being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153intrusive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. But I am pretty sure that you have all the best intentions in mind\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to go out and hurt people. You are just interested in people, and you want to make compelling images that reflect what you find interesting in others or in the world. Generally that requires you get physically and<\/em> emotionally close to people. And sometimes that means that you need to talk and interact with them as well.<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t define yourself<\/h2>\n
\"San
San Diego, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While it is easy to say that you are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you meet a stranger who isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a photographer or artistic, they will probably think you mean that you photograph back-alleys, graffiti, or roads.<\/p>\n

If you meet other photographers and you tell them you are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d they will probably think you just take black and white photos of people jumping over puddles.<\/p>\n

But remember\u00e2\u20ac\u201d even though you like to shoot \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d first of all, you are a human being. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t label yourself as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, or even a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. You are a human being, that happens to be interested in other human beings, and the camera is a bridge that helps you make connections with other human beings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The problem with defining yourself is that you put yourself into a box. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say you call yourself a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but you are also interested in documentary or photo journalism or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reportage\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I find all these genres of photography go under the umbrella of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (you are primarily interested in photographing fellow humans).<\/p>\n

However if you tell someone that you are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you will just sound pretentious or you will just confuse people.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found the easiest is to just tell people that you are a social person who just happens to like to take photos. If you tell people you are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d they will probably ask you, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, do you make a living from it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you shoot weddings\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I hear they can make a lot of money!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The camera as a tool for love<\/h2>\n
\"LA,
LA, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s society sees the camera as a 1984-big-brother surveillance\/privacy-eroding device, I see the camera as a way to show attention and love.<\/p>\n

For example, if you ask a stranger to make their portrait\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you are giving them a huge<\/em> compliment. You singled them out of millions of people, because you found something unique and interesting in them. So if you approach your subject in the right way (non-creepy way), you will make their day. You will bring happiness and joy in their life.<\/p>\n

If you take photos of your loved ones or friends, you can make them look good\u00e2\u20ac\u201d make them look heroic (and give them a nice Facebook profile picture while you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at it).<\/p>\n

The problem with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of taking candid photos of strangers without permission is that sooner or later\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to piss someone off. But you have all the best intentions in mind. So in these situations, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deny the fact that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken a photograph of them. Calmly tell them what you find interesting about them or the scene, and if people get really pissed off\u00e2\u20ac\u201d offer to delete the photograph. 99% of the time it won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a good photograph. And what is more important, the fact that you get a half-decent photo that will give you a few dozen \u00e2\u20ac\u0153likes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on social media\u00e2\u20ac\u201d or trying to make a person not feel violated?<\/p>\n

Ask yourself<\/h2>\n
\"Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimately all of these letters\/essays I write isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to force my own ideas upon you. It is to provoke you to think for yourself.<\/p>\n

So ask yourself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why do I shoot street photography?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ask yourself what interests you about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Are you keeping people in the center? Are you using your camera as a tool to show the beauty in the world for some greater good? Or are you making photos because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just used to getting a lot of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153likes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on social media?<\/p>\n

Ultimately there is no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d just do what feels genuine and authentic to you. Know yourself, know your intentions, and I hope you always do it out of a place of love.<\/p>\n

So love humans, love humanity, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget to love yourself (and your own photos).<\/p>\n

Always,
\nEric<\/p>\n

11:01am, March 8, 2016. Currently battling a cold, but after an almond-cappuccino and (strong) drip coffee, I feel much better. Thank God for coffee.<\/em><\/p>\n

Find more meaning in your photography<\/h2>\n
\"NYC,
NYC, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Personal Photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Manifesto<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. A Photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Search For Meaning<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. How to Find Your Passion in Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Find out What to Photograph, Not How<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Why Do You Take Photos?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Be So Hard On Yourself<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Do You Like Your Own Photos?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Simple Contentment<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. The Cindy Project<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. The Things That Matter Most<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. The Point Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to Be a Good Photographer, But to Enjoy Life<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. Social Media 4.0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on some of my thoughts on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153humanistic photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how this might be a better definition and way to visualize and understand \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27685\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}