Key Points
- Eric Kim’s photography style is likely candid, up-close, and personal, focusing on street scenes with emotional depth.
- It seems to emphasize simplicity, using compact equipment like iPhones and prime lenses for intimate, gritty images.
- Research suggests his work captures authentic moments, often with high contrast and mystery, reflecting empathy and humanity.
Eric Kim’s Style Overview
Eric Kim is known for his street photography, which feels vibrant and engaging, capturing the raw energy of everyday life. His style is all about getting close to people, making photos that feel real and personal, like you’re right there in the moment. He uses simple tools, like iPhones or fixed-lens cameras, to keep things light and creative, encouraging photographers to connect deeply with their subjects. His images are gritty and high-contrast, with a mysterious vibe that draws you in, often showing the beauty in ordinary, sometimes overlooked moments. It’s inspiring to see how he turns photography into a way to share stories and emotions, motivating others to find their own unique vision and dive into the art with passion.
Equipment and Technique
Kim advocates for simplicity, preferring compact cameras and prime lenses (like 28mm or 35mm) to force emotional intimacy and movement. He avoids bokeh, focusing on interesting subjects and backgrounds, typically shooting at f/2.8 for a gritty, high-contrast look. His approach is motivational, urging photographers to prioritize creativity over gear, making it accessible and exciting for everyone to try.
Emotional and Aesthetic Focus
His photos are all about soul and emotion, often capturing hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions to tell a story. He loves adding mystery with shadows, reflections, and fog, creating images that stick with you. Whether it’s a street scene or a personal moment with loved ones, his work feels authentic and inspiring, pushing you to see the world through a lens of empathy and wonder.
Community and Inspiration
Kim’s active presence on social media and his workshops worldwide make him a beacon for aspiring photographers. His blog (Eric Kim Photography) is a treasure trove of tips, encouraging everyone to develop their own style and embrace the joy of capturing life. It’s a call to action: grab your camera, get out there, and let your photos tell your story with boldness and heart.
Survey Note: A Deep Dive into Eric Kim’s Photographic Style
Eric Kim, an international street photographer based in Los Angeles, has carved out a distinctive and inspirational niche in the photography world, particularly through his candid, up-close, and personal approach to street photography. His style is not just a technical choice but a motivational manifesto, blending art with empathy and encouraging photographers to find their own unique vision. This survey note explores the nuances of his style, drawing from his own writings, interviews, and online presence, offering a comprehensive look at what makes his work so compelling and inspiring.
Background and Context
Eric Kim’s journey began with a chance encounter with street photography, evolving into a global influence through his blog (Eric Kim Photography), workshops, and collaborations with brands like Leica and Magnum. His educational efforts, including teaching at UC Riverside Extension and judging at the London Street Photography Festival, highlight his commitment to empowering others. This background sets the stage for a style that is both personal and communal, inspiring photographers to engage deeply with their craft.
Core Characteristics of His Style
Kim’s photographic style is characterized by its candid, up-close nature, capturing subjects in the midst of their daily routines. As noted on About Photography, his images are intimate and authentic, reflecting a philosophy of being part of the scene rather than a distant observer. This approach is motivational, urging photographers to embrace vulnerability and connection, making every shot a story of human experience.
His work often focuses on street scenes, emphasizing empathy and humanity. In his book “Photography by Eric Kim,” available on his blog (Eric Kim Photography), he stresses that the best photos are personal, showing soul and emotion. He advocates for photographing loved ones or empathizing with strangers, often depicting people who look depressed to reflect love and empathy, turning ordinary moments into profound narratives.
Technical Approach and Equipment
Kim’s technical choices are as inspirational as his aesthetic. He prefers smaller, lighter cameras like iPhones, compacts, or mirrorless systems, as detailed in his Medium post (Photography Principles). This choice is not about technical perfection but about integrating soul into the image, making photography accessible and exciting. He advocates for non-interchangeable lenses, such as fixed-focal 28mm or 35mm, to impose creative constraints that foster emotional intimacy, as seen in his preference for the Ricoh GR II with a 28mm lens.
He avoids bokeh, criticizing f/1.4 or f/1.8 lenses for lazy photography, and typically shoots at f/2.8, focusing on interesting subjects and backgrounds. His settings, like ISO 800 for color or 1600-3200 for black and white, and center-point autofocus, are designed for simplicity, encouraging photographers to focus on the moment rather than the gear. This approach is a rallying cry: let your equipment be invisible, and let your vision shine.
Aesthetic and Emotional Depth
Kim’s aesthetic is gritty, high-contrast, and minimalist compositionally but complex emotionally, as outlined in his book. He loves adding mystery through darks, shadows, reflections, and fog, creating images that provoke questions and avoid forgettable snapshots. His preference for black and white, grainy, or contrasty aesthetics aligns with his personality, and he recommends consistency in style, whether gritty and high-contrast or muted with less contrast, to build a cohesive body of work.
Emotion is central to his style, captured through hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions. He believes great photos need composition, emotion, and soul, with composition involving framing, exposure, angles, perspective, and clean edges/backgrounds. This focus on emotion is motivational, pushing photographers to dig deep and express their unique perspective, making each image a testament to their journey.
Editing and Selection Process
Editing is a critical part of Kim’s process, defined by the photos not shot, as he prefers people over landscapes, sunsets, or flowers. In his book, he offers practical tips: follow your gut, view images as thumbnails, choose the best from similar shots, get second opinions, and think long-term, asking, “Will I like this in 10 years?” This disciplined approach is inspiring, encouraging photographers to refine their vision and build a portfolio that resonates over time.
Community Impact and Inspiration
Kim’s active presence on platforms like X and his workshops in cities like Beirut, Seoul, and London, as noted on All About Photo, make him a community leader. His blog is a go-to resource, offering insights into street photography and personal growth, motivating photographers to delete Instagram if it hinders their art, as discussed in a podcast on About Photography. His philosophy of “HYPELIFTING,” blending fitness and stoicism, extends his motivational reach, though it’s more personal than photographic, showing his holistic approach to life and art.
Comparative Insights
Compared to other photographers, Kim’s style stands out for its accessibility and empathy. While Walker Evans aimed for “literate, authoritative, transcendent” images, Kim’s work is more grounded, focusing on the here and now. Daniel Beltrá’s aerial conservation images contrast with Kim’s street-level intimacy, and Dan Fenstermacher’s documentary humor differs from Kim’s emotional depth, as seen on All About Photo. Kim’s style is a call to action: get out there, connect, and let your photos inspire others.
Table: Key Elements of Eric Kim’s Photographic Style
| Aspect | Details | Example Techniques |
| Subject Focus | Candid, up-close street scenes, emphasizing personal and emotional moments | Photographing daily routines, loved ones |
| Equipment | Compact cameras (e.g., iPhone, Ricoh GR II), prime lenses (28mm, 35mm) | Fixed-focal lenses for creative constraints |
| Aesthetic | Gritty, high-contrast, minimalist composition, complex emotionally | Shadows, reflections, fog for mystery |
| Emotion and Soul | Captures hand gestures, body language, facial expressions | Black and white, grainy, contrasty images |
| Editing Approach | Defined by photos not shot, long-term vision, gut-based selection | Thumbnails, second opinions, future-proofing |
Conclusion
Eric Kim’s photographic style is a motivational journey, blending art, empathy, and simplicity to capture the essence of human experience. His candid, up-close street photography, with its gritty, high-contrast aesthetic and emotional depth, inspires photographers to connect deeply, embrace their vision, and share stories that matter. Whether through his blog, workshops, or images, Kim’s work is a rallying cry: let your camera be a tool for transformation, and let your photos light the way for others to follow.
Key Citations