Eric Davidove
Eric Davidove, a native of Hollywood, California, currently calls the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area home. As a passionate street photographer, he has dedicated himself to documenting the essence of urban life since 2015. After unexpectedly losing his job, he found himself with a lot of free time and high levels of stress. He made the decision to take out his camera and explore the city, capturing photos and finding a fun, healthy distraction from his job search. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Eric also shares his expertise as a yoga instructor and takes pleasure in caring for other people’s canine companions. Drawing inspiration from his background as a street mime, his photographic style adeptly captures the idiosyncratic, light-hearted, and often ironic moments of everyday existence. Through his adept use of colour, light, and form, Eric endeavours to immortalize those fleeting instances that might otherwise go unnoticed. His photographs are renowned for their whimsical and amusing nature, consistently eliciting smiles from those who view them.
As a street photographer, he roams the city streets searching for authentic and unscripted moments, eschewing preconceived ideas or project plans. Instead, he allows his instincts and subconscious to guide his artistic vision, capturing the raw and spontaneous beauty of everyday life. He finds the process of meditative street photography and being present to be highly enriching and fulfilling.
“My photos were varied when I started as a street photographer. Over time, my photographic voice has become more defined, consistent, distinct, and recognizable.”
Recently, Eric joined the Candid City Street Photography Collective, a community of talented photographers based in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area.
He usually avoids using clichés like juxtapositions, silhouettes, body parts, or photos of people jumping or diving into water.
“I want my photos to inspire people to pay more attention when they’re out and about. To be present without wanting to be somewhere else, without being in their head or lost in thought. That’s when life is more real.”
Eric's photography has achieved widespread recognition. It has been chosen for international and national competitive exhibitions, received awards, and featured in publications.
He belongs to the ranks of Progressive Street photographers.
“A memorable street photograph is one that immediately grabs and keeps my attention. A photo that cannot be easily copied by another photographer, that I don’t mind viewing over and over again, and one that is innovative and unique.“
“My photo project is a collection of candid moments. The moments are fleeting, inconsequential, and appear to be hardly real. They would have been gone instantly, like a dream that vanishes soon after waking, had it not been for me and my camera.”
Most of my photos tend to be stronger with content and weaker with form. I want to bring more form into my photos whilst maintaining some content strength.
I've used Sony ASPC and full-frame cameras with prime lenses, but I switched to the Leica M11 with a 35mm prime lens and now also have a 28mm. It provides an analogue camera experience and is lighter and smaller, making it less conspicuous for street photography. I prefer natural light for outdoor daytime shooting and want to improve my flash skills for events. I'm also interested in night photography with artificial lights and believe the Leica M11 will perform better in low-light conditions. I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to processing photos. I aim to do as little editing as possible and only make necessary adjustments. My workflow involves basic adjustments such as white balance, exposure, highlights, shadows, contrast, and noise reduction. I may occasionally crop my photos. My goal is to achieve a natural look in my photos where the edits are not easily noticeable.
