erickim

Every Sunday, we bring together a collection of easy-reading articles from analytical to how-to to photo-features in no particular order that did not make our regular daily coverage. Enjoy!

Why do photographers need to market themselves? In a phrase: so that you don't starve to death. No, but seriously. Otherwise, you risk ending up like Vincent van Gogh who (in the words of Steven Pressfield) “produced masterpiece after masterpiece and never found a buyer in his whole life.”

In nearly every industry, the Web has enabled a cadre of Internet-famous individuals, who on the merits of their marketing prowess have gained massive followings without necessarily acquiring the skills that has traditionally defined an “expert.”

I’ve been really into Spartan culture lately. I’m impressed with their physical fortitude, their obedience and duty to the state and their frugal lifestyle, and I find myself wondering what kind of Spartan attributes we could apply to photography.

One of my passions in life is travel. I love to travel, experience new cultures, try new foods, meet new people and, of course, take photos while I’m traveling.

I recently had the great pleasure of shooting fashion photography for the first time with Suede Brooks (model), fellow photographer Bil Brown (he arranged it all), as well with stylists and makeup professionals, and Cindy (creative director, and lighting assistant).

If you’re like me, you might have a hard time staying inspired in your photography. Here are 7 tips that have personally helped me.

Hey streettogs, if you want to learn some practical tips and techniques when shooting on the streets, check out the video above, or read more to see all 15 tips.

One of the most toxic feelings that a photographer (or human being) is to feel envy. Apparently envy is a trait that is deeply embedded in us, even as babies. But why is it that we feel envy, what are we envious about, and what can we do about it?

I teach a lot of street photography workshops for a living. I’m always wondering, “How can I best empower my students, help them build their confidence, and ultimately make better images?” Honestly, the most important way for a photographer to make better images is to build their social skills.

I just finished reading Karl Marx’s “Capital” and “The Communist Manifesto”—and I was so amazed to see how modern a lot of his ideas are.

I think one of the biggest things I took away from his book is the idea that we are being estranged from our labor—that we no longer have the control of the “means of production”, and what that means is that we no longer have the ability to have control over what we produce.

To me, creativity is all about cross-pollination of ideas in novel ways.

Often we feel like we need reasons why we take photos. We need a purpose; a sense of direction. But my tip for today is this: photograph for photography’s sake.

I have these utopic dreams of a “perfect” camera. I want a camera that makes photos that are ultra-sharp, yet soft, affordable, yet fits in my front pocket, yet has tons of megapixels, yet can zoom to see anything but wide enough to shoot interiors.

One interesting distinction I find in speaking “American English” and with “European English” is how we differentiate between “taking” and “making” photos.

You never know when a good photo opportunity will present itself to you. Always be prepared.

I am addicted to G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I always want to buy new stuff -- the newest iPad (Epic), cars (Mustang), phone (iPhone 6s or Nexus 6P), clothes (hipster $200+ raw denim), coffee makers ($500+), and tons of other stuff in my Amazon gift list. Here are some practical tips that have helped me (partially) combat G.A.S.

If you want to get a deeper insight into street photography and take better photos, I feel it is very important to study the work of the street photographers who came before us and paved the way for the rest of us. Not only that, but reading the quotes and words by these influential street photographers is a great way to train your mind to take better photos as well.

Here are some of my favorite street photography quotes that are concise, inspirational, and have influenced me in one way or another.

Early on in my street photography career, I went on YouTube and searched for some inspiration on other street photographers. I came across the work and approach of Bruce Gilden, who absolutely blew me away. He would photograph people at very close proximities (about an arm's-length away), while shooting with a flash on a 28mm lens.

I recently stopped into the Costco in Mountain View, California with 164 rolls of Kodak Portra 400. You should’ve seen the look of the staff -- it was a look of confusion, awe, and amazement.

They were surprised that all that film I brought in was all shot by me. They were also partly worried that they would have to process all of it. I reassured them by telling them to take their time. I wasn’t in a rush. After all, I had been sitting on my film and letting them “marinate” for nearly a full year.

Wow... Where do I even begin? I would say that “The Decisive Moment” by Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the most beautiful photo books I have ever handled, and it is a book that brings me extreme joy and happiness (you can see all the photos from the book for free over at Magnum Photos).

Street photography is one of the most difficult forms of photography out there. Not only do you have to rapidly compose, frame, and approach strangers, but you have to do so with the risk of “injury.” They might injure you verbally (threaten to break your camera, give you a dirty look and call you a creep, or curse at you) or they might injure you physically (try to grab your camera, hit you, shove you, etc).

Dear Mr. Kim,

I read a blog post of yours titled "Advice to Aspiring Full Time Photographers" reposted on PetaPixel.

It’s filled with lots of exciting tidbits like:

“I think being a full-time photographer is overrated.”

The best camera in street photography is the most expensive one.

If I gave myself advice in street photography if I started all over again I would tell myself, “Eric, buy yourself the most expensive camera out there for street photography. You are a newbie and not very good at shooting street photography. You are nervous. You don’t know any technical settings. You are afraid. You aren’t inspired. You don’t have any good work. Buying a really expensive camera will make you great.”

The folks over at F8 Photography recently got a chance to sit down with well-known, love-him-or-hate-him street photographer Eric Kim. And whatever your opinion of the successful street shooter, the advice he offers in this short video interview about fear, book recommendations, and figuring out the 'why' behind your photography is well-worth 4 minutes of your Saturday.

Dear Eric,

You are 18 years old. You just got a point and shoot digital camera from Mom as a high school graduation present. You are super excited, as you never had a camera before. A lot of exciting things will happen in your life surrounding photography. I wanted to write this letter to you and give you some advice I wish I knew. This is coming from your 26-year-old-self.

There's something inspirational about watching a seasoned photographer work at his craft -- whether it's a studio photog who molds light to his will or a street photographer whose demeanor and results both scream professionalism.

Jack Simon falls under the latter of those categories, and in the video above, fellow street photographer Eric Kim takes us behind the scenes with Simon as he walks the streets of San Francisco.

Whenever I look online for information or advice relating to street photography, Eric Kim’s name regularly surfaces. I’ve been reading his blog for a couple of years and in that time; I’ve watched his career and online prominence grow.

In comparison to other areas of photography, there’s relatively little advice online about street photography. But a number of photographers like Eric are helping to tackle this problem as well as build a solid and much-needed community for street photographers.

Street photographer Eric Kim has always believed in the value of 'open source.' Usually a term reserved for software and code, open source is a development model that promotes free public access and redistribution rights for a product.

Much of what Kim has put out into the world -- be they videos or ebooks -- he's made available in the same way: use, alter and share as you'd like. And now, he's adding his photos to the list of things the public has almost unlimited access to.

Street photographer Eric Kim recently found himself in New York, and on his last day there he visited Kane's Diner, a spot that all his NYC friends insisted he must go before he left. After a meal of steak, eggs and conversation with his friendly waiter, he decided he would get his courage up and ask the waiter if it would be ok to take his picture.

Fortunately for us, he was able to attach his GoPro to the hot shoe on his Ricoh GR and capture the entire experience -- from momentary hesitation through impromptu photo shoot -- in the above POV video.

Many photographers get nervous when the talk turns to street photography. There are step-by-step plans laid out for those who want to get over their fear of street photography, and entire articles dedicated to using telephoto lenses when taking candid street shots so you're less likely to invade someone's personal space even as you're photographing it.

But on the other side of this spectrum are photographers like Bruce Gilden and Eric Kim, who make no apologies about getting in their subjects' faces and practicing what might be called "invasive street photography." And if you've ever wondered where this cringe-worthy technique was invented, you need look no further than the above video of photographer Mark Cohen.