{"id":66033,"date":"2017-09-21T05:31:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T12:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=66033"},"modified":"2017-09-21T05:33:14","modified_gmt":"2017-09-21T12:33:14","slug":"it-is-your-duty-to-make-beautiful-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/21\/it-is-your-duty-to-make-beautiful-pictures\/","title":{"rendered":"It is Your Duty to Make Beautiful Pictures!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Man
Man turning back on stairs. Ueno, Tokyo 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

As a reminder\u00e2\u20ac\u201d know it is your duty as a visual artist to make beautiful pictures\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfor your own sake, and for the sake of humanity.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

OPEN SOURCE<\/h2>\n

DOWNLOAD PDF: It is your duty to make beautiful pictures<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

1. You are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153visual artist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n
\"Orange
Orange and blue texture. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, so to start off\u00e2\u20ac\u201d call yourself a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153visual artist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. This will expand your view of yourself, and your purpose and duty in life.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman walking by blue wall. Ginza, Tokyo 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visual artist\u00ef\u00bc\u0161You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just using the camera as a tool to make pictures. To me, using a camera is a more effective and efficient tool to make images and pictures…instead of just having to draw out everything.<\/p>\n

\"Blue
Blue tarp. Shibuya, Tokyo 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m addicted to making pictures. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m too impatient to draw. And funny enough, the challenge of making a good picture is with a camera is more difficult than drawing a picture. Why? Taking pictures with a camera is more difficult \u00e2\u20ac\u201dbecause you gotta leave your house. You must interact with others and the outside world. Street photography is particularly hard, because you must overcome the fear of making pictures of strangers.<\/p>\n

2. What do you find \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/h2>\n
\"Textures
Textured tape. Shibuya Tokyo 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aesthetics\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a field of photography which posits the question\u00ef\u00bc\u0161<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u009dWhat is beautiful, and what is not beautiful?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To me, beauty is all subjective. You must find what is beautiful to YOU.<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

For me, I like edgy, dynamic pictures…which reveal the soul of the maker. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how I define a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d picture. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beauty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as something pretty. I can see an abstract picture of peeling paint as more aesthetically sublime than any furniture in the palace of Versailles.<\/p>\n

\"Old
Old people laughing and pointing. Omotesando, Tokyo 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As an artist, it is your duty to make beautiful pictures, and to share your definition and vision of beauty with others, and with society. To me, the artist must fulfill a social role. Of course, we must make pictures first and foremost for ourselves. Then, we must move onto SHARING our pictures with the public\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto motivate, inspire, and empower our viewer.<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man shot with flash in mall, with two people behind him, making triangle. Shibuya, Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. You are the only judge of your pictures.<\/h2>\n

\"Low<\/p>\n

Judge your own pictures, and you can judge them as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d if your pictures bring you inner-joy. Never let anyone else dictate whether your pictures are beautiful or not.<\/p>\n

\"Elderly<\/p>\n

For me, I see beauty in impermanence. In decay. I love the Japanese aesthetic of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wabi-sabi\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that with use, comes beauty (I see patina as beautiful). Kind of how your RAW denim comes more fashionable and aesthetically beautiful with wear (the wear marks conform to your body, and show the wrinkles and adventures you and your jeans have gone through). Similarly, I see older faces with wrinkles as more beautiful than picture-perfect skin, because I can see a person\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life story through their wear marks on their face.<\/p>\n

\"Tokyo<\/p>\n

I see beauty in texture. Irregularity. Randomness. I prefer curved lines over straight lines. I prefer minimalist compositions and colors. I find off-centered, unsymmetrical things as more beautiful. I find high contrast beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"My
My hand and umbrella, yellow lines, and white zebra crossing lines. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, this is just me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m finding my own aesthetic and definition of beauty by making more pictures that bring me joy. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always asking myself,<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Which of my own pictures do I like, and find beautiful…and why<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy and hand through criss-cross diamond-patterned, translucent glass window. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keep asking the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153why\u00e2\u20ac\u009d question\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and you will discover what you<\/em> find beautiful.<\/p>\n

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

\"Cindy
Cindy in Ginza, Tokyo with umbrella 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

MOTIVATION<\/h1>\n

\"JUST<\/p>\n

Just shoot it:<\/p>\n