Kim's Street Photography Seminars

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ktmrider

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Am not sure where to put this but the question is has anyone done one of Eric Kim's street photography seminars? What did you think?
 
I haven't, can't afford to. I think they are overpriced. I have watched video's of his street seminars. They remind me of Meet Up photo groups. Many of those who have taken the seminar that I have read about were satisfied.

Myself I would rather spend my money with Chris Crawford. He teaches one on one according to what I have read in the past on his website. much cheaper & I guarantee I'd learn so much more.
 
"I first heard about William Eggleston through my good friend and talented street photographer Charlie Kirk about a year and a half ago."
-- Eric Kim Blog, April 1, 2013
 
I took Eric Kim's workshop in December 2011. Our group was fortunate in that Kim had three co-instructors: Bellamy Hunter (Japan Camera Hunter), Charlie Kurk (more than just a Street Photographer), and Alfie Goodrich (professional photographer in Tokyo).

The old advice still applies: you get out in proportion to what you put in. I liked the fact that there were multiple instructors rather than one-big-name. In my experience, I was happy to pick-up a couple of points, try something different (for me), and connect with individuals that - four years on - I am still in regular contact with... in that sense it was similar to a good business seminar.

You might want to check out Charlie Kurk (who was mentioned in a previous post), I know he does virtual workshops (internet and Skype).

Would I recommend a photo workshop... in general yes, but maybe for different reasons: you can't learn post process in a photo workshop (take a separate course if that's your interest), multiple instructors means you're not stuck with one point of view, spend time with the workshop members as they often have a lot to offer (for the most part they are local after the instructor is down the road), and actively participate in the review sessions... looking at the work of others and understanding the critiquing process is a key aspect of any good workshop.

Here's one from that workshop

clh04.jpg


Have fun...
 
"As street photographers, we tend to gravitate towards finding the extraordinary moments in life. We want to find the craziest-looking characters, the strangest gestures, and moments that seem quite surreal." is quite the generalisation and one I don't think many of my contemporaries ascribe to. Indeed, my colleagues don't look for the 'wow' but just photograph life as we see out. banal or otherwise.
 
ktmrider said:
Am not sure where to put this but the question is has anyone done one of Eric Kim's street photography seminars? What did you think?
Click to expand...

I think the offerings of the Leica Akademie would be a better alternative.
 
Ben Hogan said something along the lines of you learn it "in the dirt". Some took this meaning that you just need to practice a ton.
What became clear was yeah, Hogan worked in the dirt, but it was all about process. He took a playful attitude- huh, I just saw someone do this, does it work? Hmm, that felt interesting, does it work under pressure? Keep what works and discard what doesn't.

Regarding any of these workshops, I can't imagine they would be inspirational. That they'd somehow get you to put time in inthe dirt. You either are interested and curious and want to be around people or not.

But maybe they can help with your process or an approach you can play around with?

Personally, I'm skeptical about throwing cash at something like this. It'd be way more interesting to me to take a playful attitude, figure out what or who I like and what their approach might have been, and see if it works for me. And then iterate.
 
Spend the absurd amount of money that Kim charges and use it to travel. Travel, buy photo books, and shoot photos. Traveling and photo books are where real skill, talent, and knowledge develop, not in a day with Eric Kim.
 
ktmrider said:
Am not sure where to put this but the question is has anyone done one of Eric Kim's street photography seminars? What did you think?
Click to expand...

Check Eric Kim's photography, see if you like what you see, spend some time with his work. A photographer's skill or lack of it are apparent in his photos.
 
I led a group around on a street photography walkabout, last year during a photography festival here. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work too - teaching is hard and you not only are concerned that everyone who took the time to show up is getting something out of their time with you, but you also are forced to really think more deeply about photography.

For some people, a seminar like this would be very helpful. For others, they wouldn't get anything out of it and it would hinder them getting to where they need to go..same person running it, same event. It all boils down to "Know Thyself"

I will say this: you'll never go wrong spending time and money just getting out there and making pictures.
 
Ya know. The comments about "you get what you put in" and "connect with the fellow attendees" and "do the reviews/critique" are the key comments. My wife has attended a few different workshops of various kinds. Some better than others, but they're all part of her accumulated experience. One or two of the instructors left her lukewarm, but she enjoyed the workshop anyway because she was there to learn as much as she could, and she interacted with other like-minded photographers. How can that be bad? When the instructor was good, it was just that much better.

I like some of Kim's work, but I really don't know much about his approach. More importantly, I don't know how much his workshop costs, but a few negative comments wouldn't necessarily influence my decision to attend, or the amount of fun/learning I have. But, for any workshop (from any instructor) there is a cost:benefit equation that must reconcile. If Kim is too spendy, then I say spend your money elsewhere.

As an aside, one of my wife's favorite workshops was with a rather talented, but unknown, photographer who rallied up a workshop on a shoestring budget. The attendees enjoyed it much. That was in Portland OR.
 
from what I've seen and read in the past, Eric's workshop is not so much about technique but more so about giving confidence with street shooting and pointing the camera to a stranger.
 
Hsg said:
Check Eric Kim's photography, see if you like what you see, spend some time with his work. A photographer's skill or lack of it are apparent in his photos.
Click to expand...

All previous comments aside, the skill of the photographer may have very little to do with teaching success.

The professor, most important to me, in art grad school, was not an artist, but a writer Udo Kulterman.

In fact if you listen to the crits by photographers linked by Eric Kim... well you decide.

Udo Kulterman Bibliography:
http://www.ranker.com/list/udo-kultermann-books-and-stories-and-written-works/reference
 
photomoof said:
All previous comments aside, the skill of the photographer may have very little to do with teaching success.

The professor, most important to me, in art grad school, was not an artist, but a writer Udo Kulterman.

In fact if you listen to the crits by photographers linked by Eric Kim... well you decide.

Udo Kulterman Bibliography:
http://www.ranker.com/list/udo-kultermann-books-and-stories-and-written-works/reference
Click to expand...

I had never heard of Udo Kulterman and sadly there is no english wikki article about him.
 
Hsg said:
You can watch Costa manos of magnum critique eric kim in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IGGX-vHjO4
Click to expand...

You gotta hand it to the guy, he's himself posted the review of his work up on YouTube even though Costa Manos isn't very appreciative (yet), and it helps other viewers of the video to learn from it.

To my eyes, it's a sort of coherent body of work, even though many images need improvement. That's something he's got on many people already.


Would I spring for the workshop? Nope. I think I might have learnt more from watching the video just now, and listening to Manos ;)
 
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