{"id":331015,"date":"2021-09-24T16:17:29","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T20:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=331015"},"modified":"2021-09-24T16:19:41","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T20:19:41","slug":"what-ive-learned-from-the-masters-of-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/24\/what-ive-learned-from-the-masters-of-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"What I&#8217;ve Learned from the Masters of Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/newsletter\/\">FREE MOTIVATION >>><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to promote my new and upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/24\/learn-from-the-masters-online-photography-workshop-december-11-2021\/\">LEARN FROM THE MASTERS ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (Dec 11, 2021)<\/a>, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to reflect on my own photographic journey, and what I have personally learned from the masters of photography, and hopefully what you can learn too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography-ERIC-KIM.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Embed of 100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography ERIC KIM..\"><\/object><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography-ERIC-KIM.pdf\">100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography ERIC KIM<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography-ERIC-KIM.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-Ive-Learned-from-the-Masters-of-Photography.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Embed of What I&apos;ve Learned from the Masters of Photography..\"><\/object><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-Ive-Learned-from-the-Masters-of-Photography.pdf\">What I&#8217;ve Learned from the Masters of Photography<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-Ive-Learned-from-the-Masters-of-Photography.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Embed of MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC..\"><\/object><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC.pdf\">MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Every master once had their own master<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the big thing &#8212; we look and fawn at the master photographers, and think they were always masters. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/22\/10-things-henri-cartier-bresson-can-teach-you-about-street-photography\/\">Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a> (HCB) studied as a student under Andre Lhote (painter). Thus if we study the history of the masters, we can learn that every master was once a student, and also copied the masters who came before them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. There is no ultimate truth in the masters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When studying the <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/learn-from-the-masters\/\">masters<\/a>, the thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>There is no ultimate and infallible truth when it comes to photography.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, you will always find one master to contradict another master. Thus the goal is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Study the masters who speak to you, and get a wide array of opinions, and choose the ones which resonate with you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Every master had their own different life path and trajectory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some masters approached photography early, others later. Some started off as painters, some started off as assistants, and others were simply self-taught. There is no consistency here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For me the big takeaway is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>No matter what your life situation, you can always find some benefit in it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/01\/10-lessons-william-eggleston-has-taught-me-about-street-photography\/\">William Eggleston<\/a> &#8212; the man lives in possibly one of the most uninteresting places. Yet he was able to harness that boredom to some sort of photographic productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Why study the history?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/04\/timeless-insights-you-can-learn-from-the-history-of-street-photography\/\">study the history of street photography?<\/a> For me the biggest benefit of studying the history of street photography is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>You find out that a lot of the modern &#8216;trends&#8217; were actually done in the past!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example we all think that <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/24\/5-lessons-bruce-gilden-has-taught-me-about-street-photography\/\">Bruce Gilden<\/a> was the only one to have shot flash street photography, yet predecessors like <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/22\/10-lessons-weegee-has-taught-me-about-street-photography\/\">WEEGEE<\/a> were doing this far before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. I desire to become my own master<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After all this soaking in the wisdom of the masters, I one day realized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I must cut the umbilical chord, and become my own master.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The buddhist Zen practitioners call this &#8216;killing the buddha&#8217;, or &#8216;If you see the buddha walking across the street, you must kill him&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In photography, <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/20\/why-you-must-kill-your-masters-in-photography\/\">we must kill our masters<\/a>, which means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Know the wisdom of others is simply a guide, not the ultimate end.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/learn-from-the-masters-online-photography-workshop-december-11-2021\/\">Learn From the Masters Online Photography Workshop (December 11, 2021)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you desire to elevate your photographic wisdom and insight, I cordially invite you to my new and upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/learn-from-the-masters-online-photography-workshop-december-11-2021\/\">MASTERS ONLINE WORKSHOP (December 11, 2021)<\/a>. No matter how busy you are, or where in the world you are, you can make it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/learn-from-the-masters-online-photography-workshop-december-11-2021\/\">Learn more and secure your spot &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/masters-volume-i-mobile\/\">MASTERS MOBILE Volume 1<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/masters-volume-i-mobile\/\">Free lessons from the masters, distilled &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/786bupezof48uzj\/MASTERS-MOBILE-by-Eric-Kim-Cindy-Nguyen-Annette-Kim-HAPTIC.pdf?dl=0\">Dropbox PDF DOWNLOAD<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/27\/100-lessons-from-the-masters-of-street-photography\/\">100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/nv6ljhczg57koyu\/100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography.pdf?dl=0\">DROPBOX PDF DOWNLOAD<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography.pdf\">PDF DIRECT DOWNLOAD &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/workshops\/\">ERIC KIM WORKSHOPS<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2021:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>November 13 (Saturday): <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/14\/san-francisco-bay-area-advanced-street-photography-workshop-november-13-2021\/\">SF BAY AREA ADVANCED STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP<\/a> (New)<\/li><li>December 11 (Saturday): <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/learn-from-the-masters-online-photography-workshop-december-11-2021\/\">ONLINE LEARN FROM THE MASTERS ZOOM PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP<\/a> (New)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/23\/a-billion-photos-2\/\">A billion photos<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A thought: is it possible for me to shoot 1 billion photos before I die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If so, how can I do this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/23\/a-billion-photos-2\/#more-330498\">Read More &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/23\/eric-kim-top-5-street-photography-tips\/\">ERIC KIM TOP 5 STREET PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advice I wish I had access to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/23\/eric-kim-top-5-street-photography-tips\/#more-330426\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/21\/how-to-channel-your-dissatisfaction-in-photography-in-a-positive-way\/\">How to Channel Your Dissatisfaction in Photography in a Positive Way<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two turbo thoughts this morning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Perhaps dissatisfaction is good<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The lust for more<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is my big thought:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Perhaps dissatisfaction and the lust for more is actually good.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the tricky thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how can we channel this lust for more in a positive way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/21\/how-to-channel-your-dissatisfaction-in-photography-in-a-positive-way\/#more-330273\">Read More &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/arsbeta.com\">ARSBETA.COM<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/arsbeta.com\">Get real feedback on your photos on arsbeta.com &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/why\/\">WHY APP?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/why\/\">Never stop asking why?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If this inspired you, feel free to motivate and forward to a friend. <a href=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/newsletter\/\">Newsletter Link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FREE MOTIVATION >>> Dear friends, In order to promote my new and upcoming LEARN FROM THE MASTERS ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (Dec 11, 2021), I wanted to use this as an opportunity to reflect on my own photographic journey, and what I have personally learned from the masters of photography, and hopefully what you can learn [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":330999,"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,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/F35C6DF3-CCE8-4D8B-BD44-4AC0C7CFD9E7.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1460&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331015","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=331015"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331023,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331015\/revisions\/331023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}