Eric Kim’s Raw Street Photography Style
Eric Kim (b. 1988) is a Korean-American street photographer known for his candid, up-close style and philosophical approach. Trained as a sociologist at UCLA, Kim turned to photography around age 18 when a chance scene at a Los Angeles bus stop (a young man leaning against a pole, engrossed in a book) “moved” him and prompted him to snap a photo . This vivid encounter – his heart “pumping” and adrenaline flowing – hooked him on street photography . Kim soon began shooting regularly (initially on 35mm film with a quiet Leica rangefinder) and in 2009 launched his popular street photography blog to share lessons he learned from those early experiments . His sociology background shaped his focus on capturing social behavior and the “beauty and ills of society,” including themes like excess, wealth and urban life .
Personal Philosophy and Approach
Kim’s philosophy emphasizes emotion, authenticity, and personal expression. He repeatedly describes photography as putting one’s “soul” and “heart” into an image . In Kim’s words, street photography is “putting human emotions, perspective, and soul into an image… writing with light” . He calls photography a meditation on life, reminding himself that “everything you photograph will eventually perish” – an awareness that drives him to “find beauty in the ordinary and mundane” . Above all, Kim insists street work must be personal and empathetic: “What matters the most is whether I can relate to a photograph with my soul… whether I can empathize with a subject in a photograph” . He urges photographers to “shoot with your heart, not with your eyes,” seeking genuine connection rather than technical perfection .
Kim also champions a democratic, rule-free vision of street photography. He openly states there are “no rules” and that anything seen in public can be street photography if it’s meaningful to the shooter . Any camera (even a smartphone) is acceptable – “all tools are legit” – and street shooting should be for oneself, not for likes or social media . This mindset of openness and sharing extends to how he teaches: Kim has made all his blog content and even his high-resolution photos freely downloadable . This “open-source” ethos reflects his belief that photography should be accessible to anybody, fostering community rather than exclusivity .
Visual Style and Techniques
Kim’s visual style is direct, high-energy, and emotionally raw. He favors close-range shooting with wide-angle or standard primes, making himself part of the scene rather than a distant observer . His photographs often feature ordinary people in spontaneous moments, with bold compositions and a dynamic, “in-your-face” vantage . Critically, Kim deliberately processes images to maximize “rawness.” He teaches that raw street photos have more contrast, deeper blacks, and strong emotional content . In his words, rawness means “your soul imputed into your photos,” with crushed blacks and intense chiaroscuro to heighten mood . Key elements he cites include:
- High contrast (crushing blacks) and dramatic light/dark patterns .
- Strong emotional content, focusing on moments and subjects that moved him personally .
- Personal subject matter, photographing people and scenes he cares about to maximize empathy .
- Immediate impact, aiming for images that hit the viewer “in the heart” .
Unlike classic mid-century street B&W, Kim also embraces color and complexity. By the mid-2010s he noted a shift in the genre toward more layers, colors, and emotional complexity (influenced by photographers like Bruce Gilden and Alex Webb) . He himself shoots both film and digital: for many years he preferred 35mm film for its organic quality and longevity , and as of 2015 often used a Leica MP loaded with Kodak Portra 400 (a warm, film aesthetic) . By 2016, however, Kim publicly began favoring in-camera JPEGs for immediacy, even arguing that shooting JPEG is “somewhat similar to shooting film” because it forces decisive capture . Gear-wise, he sticks mostly to prime lenses (especially 35mm) to stay portable and “unthreatening” to subjects .
Kim’s shooting style can be very direct: he often approaches strangers with a smile and snaps a photo at close range . He explains that the candor of not asking permission helps capture people “as they truly are.” He couples this bravado with charm – complimenting subjects after shooting – which usually defuses tension . Even so, he acknowledges that his approach is “much more aggressive and in-your-face than other street photographers,” leading to occasional negative encounters . He accepts this risk as part of achieving the authentic, raw emotion he seeks in images.
Key Projects and Collaborations
Kim’s body of work includes projects and collaborations that reflect his raw, sociological vision. His first major series was “Suits” (2011–2014), a critique of corporate culture shot on Portra film (35mm focal length) . In Suits, Kim photographed men in business attire as a metaphor for the “imprisonment” of soul-sucking 9-to-5 jobs . He describes Suits as his “best photography project so far,” a form of visual sociology that examines human behavior through candid images . This project earned him a Magnum scholarship (with David Alan Harvey and Constantine Manos) and led to his Provincetown “Old Colony” series (2015) produced during that workshop 【37】. Both projects illustrate how Kim’s sociological education directly informed his art: he asks questions about happiness, group behavior, and capitalism, then uses his camera to explore them .
Beyond personal series, Kim has collaborated widely. He has contributed to the Leica blog and done major brand campaigns (e.g. Samsung Galaxy) . His work has been exhibited in Leica stores (Singapore, Seoul, Melbourne) and featured in juried shows. He has taught street workshops on five continents, partnering with organizations like Magnum and Invisible Photographer Asia . Educational endeavors – from a UC Riverside extension course to free eBooks and video tutorials – form a central part of his influence . Through books (like his Street Photography guide) and blog, Kim shares assignments and tips under the banner of “open source street photography”, encouraging others to remix and learn from his materials .
Evolution and Influence
Over time, Kim’s style and philosophy have continued to evolve while remaining true to raw expression. He notes that street photography has become more liberal and expansive: modern street togs mix color, unconventional subjects, and hybrid genres, and Kim himself no longer worries whether a photo “counts” as street, only whether it “makes me feel it in my heart” . In a 2015 interview he observed that the community has shifted from strict B&W snapshots to humanistic photographs with layers of meaning. He strives to keep growing artistically, saying he tries to think of himself “as an artist…building a sense of vulnerability through my work” . This ongoing quest for authenticity means he constantly experiments – whether playing with color vs. black and white, or challenging himself to convey raw emotion. As Kim admits, achieving that “raw sense” of feeling in a photo is very difficult, a challenge he approaches with humility .
In summary, Eric Kim’s distinctive style is the product of his background, influences, and conscious practice. Grounded in sociology and honed through relentless street shooting, his work merges bright spontaneity with deep reflection. By putting “soul” and emotion at the core of every frame , Kim has crafted a raw aesthetic that resonates with viewers worldwide. Through interviews, blog essays and books, he continues to articulate this approach – urging photographers to embed their souls in images, to seek truth in ordinary moments, and to embrace street photography as a personal, open-ended journey .
Sources: Insights are drawn from Kim’s own blog and interviews , analysis of his work , and key press features .
