{"id":70231,"date":"2017-11-21T08:26:15","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=70231"},"modified":"2017-11-21T08:26:15","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:26:15","slug":"why-small-is-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/21\/why-small-is-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Small is Beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Small<\/p>\n

Bigger is worse.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Your New Street Photography Bag: SAIGON SATCHEL<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Announcing SAIGON SATCHEL<\/strong><\/a> from HAPTICLABS<\/em><\/a>: One of 18 in Existence. Sleek, Strong, and Innovative camera bag to accompany you on your future street photography adventures.<\/p>\n

\n

Why bigger is worse<\/h2>\n
\"Blue
Blue Mercedes Benz eye. Berlin, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I can’t speak for you, but I’ve been brain-washed by the American “Bigger is Better” culture.<\/p>\n

For example, when it comes to cars — bigger is better (SUV).<\/p>\n

Or, with food — bigger is better (‘Jumbo’ sizes at McDonalds).<\/p>\n

Or, with money — bigger is better (the more zeroes in your bank account, the better).<\/p>\n

\n

More is less.<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy with red scarf. Berlin, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We think that more will bring us more.<\/p>\n

For example,<\/p>\n

More possessions, more happiness.<\/p>\n

More travels, more joy.<\/p>\n

More friends, more popularity.<\/p>\n

But in reality — more is often less.<\/p>\n

\n

Do we really want a bigger bank account?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I know with traveling, the more shit I carry with me, the more miserable I am.<\/p>\n

With more money, comes more problems (as Biggie Smalls said, “Mo money, mo problems.”)<\/p>\n

\n

Why I prefer small<\/h2>\n
\"Flash.
Low perspective composition. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Abstract<\/p>\n

In photography, the smaller my camera, the more likely I am to carry it with me, and the more likely I am to shoot pictures.<\/p>\n

And for me, the more pictures I make, the happier I am.<\/p>\n

\n

Smaller houses<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy working on her translation work. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Cindy and I lived in Kyoto for about a month, we lived in a tiny airbnb. But for me, I preferred the smaller size for the apartment. Why? Less needing to move around, and less time wasting trying to access things.<\/p>\n

And less movement meant more creative focus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy color with a flash in Kyoto airbnb, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Smaller cameras in street photography<\/h2>\n
\"\"
CINDY X HENRI WRIST STRAP<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’ve also found,<\/p>\n

\n The smaller your camera, the less intimidating you look when you’re shooting street photography.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And also the smaller your camera, you can get closer to your subjects, and shoot candid pictures of people without them noticing.<\/p>\n

\"Selfie<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man with face mask and billboard, shot with flash on RICOH GR II. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Yakiniku
Yakiniku grill. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Umbrella
Umbrella and flash in color. Kyoto, 2017. Ricoh GR II and flash, shot through clear umbrella.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman
Woman and dots. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Walking
Walking woman. Kyoto street photograph, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Kyoto
Kyoto Silhouette, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kyoto
Shot through the reflection of an aluminum espresso machine. Kyoto selfie with Cindy. Reflection, 2017. Orange and Blue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy journaling by river in Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"ERIC
ERIC KIM SELFIE in broken mirror. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Why I am anti-DSLR<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Kyoto,
Woman standing in front of Zara. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy behind a red curtain, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153about to\u00e2\u20ac\u009d come into contact with you.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tokyo
Low angle suit. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DSLR’s are great cameras — if you are doing commercial work.<\/p>\n

For the streets, stay light and nimble. The smaller you are, the quicker you can move, and the more agile you are in the streets.<\/p>\n

\n

Smaller is cheaper<\/h2>\n
\"Portrait
Portrait of Cindy at Traveling Coffee. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kyoto
Kyoto Eric Kim Selfie, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Also, usually smaller cameras are usually cheaper. For example, the RICOH GR II<\/a> is small, compact, and only around $600.<\/p>\n

My idea: spend less money on your camera, and more money on experiences. More money on books<\/a>, not gear. More money to attend workshops, and meet other passionate photographers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Insecurity<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I know in the past, the reason I wanted a bigger camera was because I was insecure about my photography, and I thought that by having a bigger camera, I would feel more ‘pro’ and have other people acknowledge me as being more ‘pro.’<\/p>\n

But in reality, the bigger my camera, the more miserable I was.<\/p>\n

The bigger my camera, the more strain I had on my neck, and the more pain.<\/p>\n

Another example: when I had my first DSLR (Canon Rebel XT, I tried to make it look bigger by adding a zoom lens, a battery grip, and a flash). It was true that when others saw my big camera, they said: “Wow your camera is so pro!” but nowadays, I’m seeking to subtract the superfluous from my photography and life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like Leonardo da Vinci<\/a> once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

\n

ERIC KIM STRAP<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ERIC KIM STRAP: JUST SHOOT IT<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

HENRI WRIST STRAP<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"HENRI<\/a><\/p>\n

HENRI WRIST STRAP<\/a><\/strong>: Never Miss the Decisive Moment.<\/p>\n

\n

How to apply the ‘small is beautiful’ philosophy to your photography and life<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy in blue Yukata. Uji, Kyoto 2017. Low Perspective.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. With traveling, travel with a smaller bag.<\/li>\n
  2. With your photography, opt to use a smaller camera.<\/li>\n
  3. When buying a new car, seek to buy a smaller car.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep your expenses small, to enjoy more freedom, flexibility, and profits in your life<\/li>\n
  5. Keep your inner-circle small, to enjoy deeper relationships with your close friends and family.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Sunset
    Sunset over Uji, Kyoto 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Small, simple, and meaningful — this should be our trifecta in our photography and life.<\/p>\n

    Keep it simple,
    \nERIC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Bigger is worse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70075,"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-70231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/KakaoTalk_2017-11-19-22-33-56_Photo_2.jpeg?fit=2400%2C1980&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70231","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=70231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70232,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70231\/revisions\/70232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}