by ERIC KIM
1) Photography isn’t “taking” — it’s
claiming
The camera is not a polite instrument. It’s a flag you plant into reality. Prince reminds me: the photograph is an assertion of power, not a request for permission.
2) The world is already a photograph
Billboards, Instagram, surveillance, ads, screens—everything is image-first now. So the photographer’s job shifts: not “capture something rare,” but reframe what’s everywhere until it becomes unavoidable.
3) Context is the real darkroom
The meaning isn’t only in the pixels—it’s in the placement. Crop, sequence, caption, scale, series, book, wall. Prince teaches: you develop the photo by how you stage it.
4) Appropriation is a mindset: steal from life, not just from images
Don’t copy style—hunt structure. Steal gestures, moods, power dynamics, archetypes. The way strangers hold a cigarette. The way money looks on a wrist. The way boredom sits on a face.
5) “Original” is overrated —
signature
is everything
There are a million street photos. The question is: can someone see yours and say, instantly, that’s you? Prince is a lesson in branding, voice, and obsession.
6) The photograph is a weapon against “nice”
Nice photos are harmless. Harmless photos are forgettable. Prince trains my eye to aim for the uncomfortable truth: the tacky, the seductive, the vulgar, the awkward—aka the real.
7) Your subject matter is your confession
Prince basically says: what you photograph reveals what you worship. Bikes, cowboys, jokes, girlfriends, consumer fantasies—those aren’t “themes,” they’re psychological fingerprints.
8) Repetition creates myth
Shoot the same idea 1,000 times. Don’t “move on.” Go deeper. Prince repeats motifs until they become icons. As photographers, repetition is how we build a universe.
9) The audience reaction is part of the image
If people argue about your photo, your photo is doing work. If people scroll past it, it’s dead. Prince teaches: the photograph isn’t finished until it collides with the viewer’s ego.
10) Scale and presentation can turn a whisper into a riot
A 4×6 print is a whisper. A massive print is a confrontation. A tight book edit is a spell. A gallery grid is a machine gun. Prince teaches: the format is part of the photograph.
If you want, I’ll spin this into a full blog post with a ferocious intro + a closing “Prince-inspired” manifesto for street photographers.