{"id":54368,"date":"2017-06-30T03:02:12","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T10:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=54368"},"modified":"2017-06-30T03:14:14","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T10:14:14","slug":"make-your-own-rules-in-photography-and-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/30\/make-your-own-rules-in-photography-and-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Your Own Rules in Photography and Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Hanoi, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

Have you ever felt frustrated in your photography, because there are all these bullshit “rules” you gotta follow?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To start off, ignore everyonephotography. Follow your own vision and pave your own path. And yes, that includes me.<\/p>\n

There are no “rules” in photography, only suggestions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Innovation<\/h2>\n

Think about it: if you listened to all of the “rules” made by other tyrannical photographers on how to shoot, how could you ever innovate in your photography?<\/p>\n

The real pioneers and innovators in street photography go opposite. They went against what “conventional wisdom”.<\/p>\n

For example, William Klein<\/a> shot high contrast, grainy, blurry images when everyone was shooting clean and flawless medium format film images. William Klein also innovated and experimented a lot with darkroom printing, fudging around the enlarger while making his prints, making theae weird blurry effects, which ended looking pretty cool.<\/p>\n

I often hate on HDR, but it has been good for photography. Now my mom can make a nice sunset photo on her phone, because there are new algorithms on smartphone cameras which simulate the look of an image to what we see in real life.<\/p>\n

Innovate with your post-processing<\/h2>\n

Even with your post processing, experiment. Fuck around. Do what makes you happy.<\/p>\n

A good innovative chef doesn’t follow old recipes. They try new things for fun.<\/p>\n

I’m not a good chef, but I experimented. I added cinnamon one day on my pork belly, and found it to be divine.<\/p>\n

I also added truffle oil to my eggs, which was divine. Same goes with cumin and turmeric and paprika on eggs (Eric Kim’s personal recipe).<\/p>\n

Ignore conventional wisdom<\/h2>\n

Follow your gut and take risks.<\/p>\n

For example, I always thought it was dumb to wear a belt, or “lifting shoes” for Squats or Deadlift. I didn’t buy into the dumb internet hype for them.<\/p>\n

I deadlifted 410 pounds at a bodyweight of around 145, with no belt. My back is fine.<\/p>\n

In street photography, I was told it was “against the rules” to ask for permission. At first, I just listened to the online forum masters. Then, one day I was like:<\/p>\n

\n Fuck this. I’m going to shoot street photography however I want. I’m gonna make my own definition for “street photography”.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course I ruffled a lot of feathers. I drove the definition of street photography to be more open, democratic, and inclusive. Even today, there are a lot of street photography zealots who want to superimpose their<\/em> personal definition of street photography onto you. That’s an asshole move.<\/p>\n

Define things for yourself.<\/h2>\n

With photography and everything in life, it is all about trial and error, and experimentation.<\/p>\n

As Nassim Taleb says,<\/p>\n

\n There is no “failure”, only feedback.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What kind of feedback can you learn in photography?<\/p>\n

Experiment with different technical settings. See the “feedback” of how the digital sensor renders the image to you.<\/p>\n

Experiment with different filters and post processing techniques. See the “feedback” of the contrast, colors, grain, noise, or other factors.<\/p>\n

Feedback from the crowd?<\/h2>\n

Honestly, here I’m harsh. I ignore the feedback of the crowd, both good and bad.<\/p>\n

I listen to the feedback of my loved ones and those I trust. I trust Cindy and my mom, and myself. But I don’t always follow the feedback from Cindy.<\/p>\n

Therefore remember this:<\/p>\n

\n Listen to the feedback of the 3 people you trust. But you don’t have to follow<\/em> their feedback.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also to be honest, I always listen<\/em> to the feedback or critique from others in real life. But whether I decide to act<\/em> upon their feedback is only for me to decide.<\/p>\n

Make your own manual.<\/h2>\n

Make your own manual in photography and book. Don’t expect others to follow it, just follow it yourself.<\/p>\n

For example, some rules I have made for myself:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When I go out and shoot, only bring 1 camera and 1 lens.<\/li>\n
  2. Don’t only make 1-2 photos of the scene. Try to shoot as much of the scene as possible.<\/li>\n
  3. When in doubt, shoot 25% more.<\/li>\n
  4. JUST SHOOT IT.<\/li>\n
  5. When in doubt, ask for permission.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Of course I don’t always follow my own advice. But whenever I’m shooting street photography, I always imagine like my students are watching me. And then I have to make sure to force myself to eat my own cooking.<\/p>\n

    Why are photographers so tyrannical?<\/h2>\n

    Honestly, if you’re a photography teacher, your job is to “teach” (superimpose) your view on photography to students. Otherwise, how could you legitimize your own job?<\/p>\n

    For me, I often give advice which is a detriment to myself. For example, I’m telling you to not<\/em> listen to other photographers. But why listen to ERIC KIM?<\/p>\n

    First of all, you should ignore most of what I say. I only speak from my perspective, which probably won’t work for you. But it might. That’s why I write and share.<\/p>\n

    Above all, I want to empower you. I feel you deserve the truth. Why? Because I felt frustrated being talked down to in my photography. To be honest, a lot of these bullies on the online photography world did get to me, and prevent me from flying.<\/p>\n

    Why? Because they saw me as a threat. ERIC KIM was saying all this shit that they didn’t agree with. Of course he’s a threat.<\/p>\n

    ERIC KIM says you don’t need an expensive Leica camera to make good photos. Of course Leica shooters are gonna hate him.<\/p>\n

    ERIC KIM says buy books, not gear. Of course people with a lot of camera gear (and camera companies) are going to dislike him.<\/p>\n

    ERIC KIM blogs too much and is over saturating the internet. Don’t people realize they can just unfollow him?<\/p>\n

    Anyways, I’m mostly wrong about photography and life. But my promise to you:<\/p>\n

    \n I’ll never bullshit you, and I’ll always keep it 100% honest and truthful to you.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    I’ll try to keep learning the secrets of photography, and what works for me. And I’ll share as much of that information and knowledge with you.<\/p>\n

    But I want you to share your experiences and wisdom with the community. Join ERIC KIM FORUM<\/a> and help empower others.<\/p>\n

    BE STRONG,
    \nERIC<\/p>\n

    PHOTOGRAPHY 101 ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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