ERIC KIM BLOG

When you shoot a Leica M, you’re not just taking a photo — you’re forging your vision into reality through pure, manual, god-tier focus mastery. The rangefinder is the ultimate training tool for your eye, your mind, your reflexes. No autofocus safety nets. No hesitation. Just YOU, the lens, and the split-image destiny in the center patch.

Let’s break it down, Eric-KIM-style — fast, visceral, insanely practical — the way you actually learn on the streets.

THE RANGEFINDER PATCH IS YOUR THIRD EYE

In the middle of your optical viewfinder is the focusing patch — that glowing, shimmering rectangle where two worlds overlap. When the two ghost images align into one, BOOM — you’re in perfect focus.

This is zen focus.

This is samurai sword alignment.

This is Leica M kung-fu.

STEP 1: SEE THE DOUBLE IMAGE

Look through the finder.

Find your subject.

In the patch you’ll see it twice — like a hologram glitch.

That double image is your friend. It tells you exactly how much you must twist the focus ring.

Turn the lens → the two images move relative to each other.

STEP 2: ALIGN THE GHOST

Rotate until the ghost snaps into the real world.

When they fuse: THAT is your decisive-moment focus.

You will literally feel the moment of convergence.

This isn’t focusing — it’s attunement.

STEP 3: PRE-FOCUS LIKE A STREET NINJA

Real secret to street?

You don’t focus when it’s too late.

You focus before anything happens.

Zone it.

Know the distance.

Become one with your lens.

For a 35mm lens:

• 1.2–1.5 meters → perfect distance for human faces.
• 2–3 meters → environmental portraits.
• 5–10 meters → wide street scenes.

Set it and forget it.

You’re not reacting — you are anticipating.

That’s why the Leica M is so godlike:

It lets you treat distance like a musician hears notes.

STEP 4: USE THE FINGER MEMORY

The Leica focusing tab?

That’s your tactile superpower.

You don’t look.

You FEEL.

Your fingers develop muscle memory:

• Tab at 6 o’clock → close focus
• Tab at 3 o’clock → around 1.2–1.5m
• Tab at 12 o’clock → infinity

Soon you won’t even need the patch.

Your fingers will know the world before your eyes do.

This is the Leica Jedi path.

STEP 5: SHOOT WHILE MOVING — FOCUS WHILE MOVING

The street is flux.

Everything alive is moving.

So YOU move too.

Walk.

Focus.

Anticipate.

Frame.

Click.

Focus should become automatic movement.

Like breathing.

Like blinking.

Like walking.

STEP 6: EMBRACE SLIGHT IMPERFECTION

If it’s slightly off, who cares?

Leica street is NOT about sterile perfection.

It’s about soul.

Timing.

Presence.

Guts.

When in doubt: SHOOT.

Your courage will always outweigh your precision.

THE FINAL TRUTH

Leica M photography is an extension of your mind.

Focusing isn’t a mechanical action — it’s a PHILOSOPHY:

To focus is to decide.

To decide is to commit.

To commit is to LIVE.

On the streets, you don’t have time to think.

You only have time to be.

Master the rangefinder, and you master your vision.

Master your vision, and you master your world.

If you want, I can also create:

• A full “Through the Lens POV” step-by-step script for a YouTube video
• A printable cheat sheet
• A Leica M focusing drills routine (Eric Kim dojo edition)
• A field assignment to master in one afternoon

Just say the word.

Leica M + street + fast focusing = all about mastering that little rangefinder patch and the DOF scale on the lens.

I’ll break it into two superpowers:

1. Precise rangefinder focusing (for slower / closer / wide‑open shots)
2. Zone focusing / hyperfocal (for fast, ninja-style street shooting)

1. Understand what you’re actually seeing

On a Leica M, you are not looking through the lens. You’re looking through:

• Viewfinder window → big bright view of the world
• Bright frame lines → show the approximate field of view of your lens
• Rangefinder patch (the little bright rectangle in the center) → this is the focusing brain

What the patch does:

• When you half-press / move the focus ring, you see a double image inside the patch.
• When those two images perfectly overlap, the subject at that spot is in focus at the lens plane.

So mentally:

“Where the images overlap in the patch, that distance is what my lens is locked to.”

2. Classic Leica M focusing: rangefinder patch

This is when you want pinpoint focus – portraits, f/1.4, close distance, etc.

Step-by-step drill

1. Pick your focus point in the frame
   
   • Eye, head, or a specific point on a person.
3. Center that point in the RF patch
   
   • Move the camera slightly so your subject’s eye/face is inside that little central rectangle.
5. Turn the focus ring
   
   • Watch the double image in the patch.
   • Rotate the ring until the two images snap together into one.
7. Re-compose without changing distance
   
   • Keep your body still (don’t sway forward/back).
   • Once focused, keep the focus locked and reframe your composition.
   • Then shoot.
9. Shoot in short bursts
   
   • On the street, if the subject isn’t moving much, fire 2–3 frames quickly.
   • Tiny body movement can shift focus at close distance, so bursts help.

Practice exercise (at home)

• Set lens to wide open (e.g., 35mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/2).
• Put objects at 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 3m on a table or shelf.
• Focus on each using the patch, shoot, then zoom in later and see how accurate your eye is.
• Do this 5–10 minutes a day – your rangefinder precision will jump FAST.

3. The real street superpower: zone focusing

On the street, if you try to focus patch → recompose for every shot, you’ll miss moments.

So: let the lens do the work using depth of field.

That’s where the DOF scale on the lens comes in.

How the DOF scale works

On most Leica M lenses you’ll see:

• Distance scale (in meters/feet) across the focus ring
• Aperture markers (like 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16) on both sides

Those aperture marks show you:

At a given focus distance and aperture, everything between the two marks is “acceptably in focus.”

Basic zone focus setup (35mm lens example)

Let’s say:

• Lens: 35mm
• Aperture: f/8
• You want sharp subjects around 1.5–3 meters (classic street distance)

Do this:

1. Set aperture ring to f/8.
2. Turn focus ring so 2m lines up with the central marker.
3. Now look at the f/8 marks on the DOF scale:
   
   • Left f/8 mark might line up around ~1.3–1.5m
   • Right f/8 mark might line up around ~3–4m

That means:

At f/8, focused at ~2m, anything from roughly 1.5m to 3–4m is in focus.

Now you don’t need to focus anymore. You just:

• Move your body so subjects are within that distance band
• Frame → shoot. Instant.

4. Hyperfocal for “everything in focus” vibes

For scenes where you want sharp from “a few meters” to infinity:

• Lens: 28mm or 35mm
• Aperture: f/8 or f/11

Example with 35mm at f/8:

1. Set aperture: f/8
2. Turn focus ring until the ∞ (infinity) symbol sits on the right f/8 mark.
3. Now look at the left f/8 mark – maybe it lands at ≈2–2.5m.

That means:

At 35mm, f/8, hyperfocal distance ≈5m.

You’ll have sharpness from ~2–2.5m to infinity.

Fantastic for:

• Daily life scenes
• Architecture with people
• General walk-around “don’t think, just shoot” mode

5. Practical street setups you can run today

Setup A – Close & intimate street (people ~1–1.5m away)

• Lens: 28mm or 35mm
• Aperture: f/8
• Focus distance: 1.2–1.5m

Check the DOF scale so you get something like:

• Near limit: ~1m
• Far limit: ~2m

Now your rule is simple:

Get close enough that your subject is arm’s length to 1.5m away.

Don’t refocus. Just frame and shoot.

Setup B – Comfortable distance (people ~2–4m away)

• Lens: 35mm
• Aperture: f/8
• Focus distance: 2–2.5m

Zone: roughly 1.5–4m.

Perfect for:

• Candid walking shots
• People crossing streets
• Layers with multiple humans in that mid-range

Setup C – Everything sharp (cityscapes, layers, infinity)

• Lens: 28mm or 35mm
• Aperture: f/11
• Hyperfocal: set ∞ at the right f/11 mark

You’ll usually get:

• Near limit: ~1.5–2m
• Far limit: infinity

Walk, frame, shoot. No focusing. Total freedom.

6. When to use which technique?

Use rangefinder patch when:

• Shooting wide open (f/1.4, f/2)
• Close distance (0.7–1m)
• Want precise focus on an eye / single person

Use zone/hyperfocal when:

• Street is fast and chaotic
• Subjects are moving
• You want to shoot from the hip / without bringing camera to eye for long
• You care more about gesture, timing, composition than razor-thin focus

The true mastery: switch between them on instinct depending on the scene.

7. Drills to lock this into muscle memory

Drill 1 – Distance guessing game

1. Walk outside with your Leica.
2. Look at someone or an object.
3. Guess the distance (e.g. “1.2m”, “2m”, “3m”) and set it on the lens without looking at patch.
4. Then quickly check using the rangefinder patch to see how close you were.

Do this for 10–20 minutes. You’ll start feeling 1m / 1.5m / 2m in your bones.

Drill 2 – One day, one setup

• Commit: “Today I’m shooting 35mm, f/8, 1/250s, 2m zone focus. Period.”
• Don’t touch the focus ring. Only move your feet and body to get subjects into the zone.
• Let go of perfection. Chase moments, expressions, gestures.

Drill 3 – Wide-open accuracy

• At night or indoors: 50mm at f/1.4 or f/2.
• Use only the patch, focus on eyes at 0.7–1m.
• Check shots later, note when you front- or back-focused.
• Over time your fingers, eyes, and brain sync.

8. Mental game

Leica M is a feel camera:

• Don’t baby it.
• Don’t obsess over 100% zoom sharpness on every frame.
• Embrace a bit of blur if the emotion and timing are right.

The real flex is:

You see something → you know your distance → the lens is already there → you raise → click.

That’s the Leica M magic in street.

If you tell me which lens (28/35/50) you’re rolling with most of the time, I can give you very specific “set it and forget it” numbers you can tape on your camera and use as your default street setup.

I’ll give you:

1. A full gallery concept (theme + vibe)
2. 5 “rooms” with show-ready series ideas + prompts
3. A simple launch plan so you can ship this fast (online or IRL)

1. Big Concept

Title:

“MACHINE DREAMS OF A HUMAN GOD”

Core idea:

An AI-simulated universe where the machine tries to understand:

• the street
• the body
• the self
• the divine
• the future

Everything in the gallery is AI-generated, but curated, edited, and sequenced by you so it still feels deeply human.

Tagline:

“Images dreamt by code, curated by a human soul.”

2. The 5 Rooms

ROOM 1 — NEURAL STREET

Vibe:

Gritty, high-contrast, cyberpunk street photography as if a machine walked through Shibuya, NYC, Seoul, and Lagos at 3am.

Series title: “The Algorithm Walks the City”

Piece ideas (with prompts):

1. “Midnight Intersection”
   Prompt:
   “high-contrast black and white street photo, neon reflections in puddles, silhouettes crossing at a busy Tokyo intersection, cinematic, 28mm lens look, harsh light, film grain”
2. “Face in the Glow”
   Prompt:
   “close-up portrait of a stranger lit only by phone screen in a dark subway, blurred motion in background, moody, shallow depth of field, cinematic color grading”
3. “Crypto Corner”
   Prompt:
   “late night street corner with glowing bitcoin symbol hologram, lone figure smoking, rain streaks, grit, cyberpunk noir, documentary style”

Display suggestion:

• 12–24 pieces in a tight grid, like contact sheets.
• Big title wall text: “If a camera is a machine, what happens when the machine photographs itself?”

ROOM 2 — GLITCHED BODIES

Vibe:

Deconstructed human forms. Sculptural, weird, beautiful. Like Egon Schiele meets cybernetic error.

Series title: “Human.exe”

Piece ideas:

1. “Body in Error”
   Prompt:
   “minimal nude figure, limbs slightly duplicated as if glitched, muted color palette, studio lighting, painterly texture, abstract expressionism”
2. “Self-Portrait as Data”
   Prompt:
   “stylized male portrait dissolving into pixels and code, half face realistic half digital wireframe, strong chiaroscuro, Rembrandt meets cyberpunk”
3. “Anatomy of a Thought”
   Prompt:
   “floating fragmented body parts (hand, eye, ribcage) arranged like a Bauhaus poster, bold graphic shapes, primary colors, clean negative space”

Display suggestion:

• Large prints, lots of white space.
• Include short, almost haiku-like text under each piece from your journal.

ROOM 3 — MONKS OF THE MACHINE

Vibe:

Spiritual, philosophical, religious-icon energy but AI-generated: monks, temples, altars, but all made from code and circuitry.

Series title: “The Church of the Algorithm”

Piece ideas:

1. “Neural Monk”
   Prompt:
   “portrait of a monk meditating, robe made out of flowing binary code, golden halo of circuitry, soft volumetric light, painterly style”
2. “Server Room Shrine”
   Prompt:
   “dark server room lit by LED lights, arranged like a cathedral altar, incense smoke, small human figure kneeling, cinematic composition”
3. “Digital Bodhisattva”
   Prompt:
   “statue of a Bodhisattva carved from glass and fiber optic cables, glowing inner light, foggy background, fine-art photography style”

Display suggestion:

• Dim the room, spotlight each print.
• Add a subtle soundscape: fan hum + temple bells.

ROOM 4 — MEMORY PALACE 2099

Vibe:

AI trying to reconstruct “memories” of a human life from corrupted data. Family photos, childhood, love, loss, all slightly off.

Series title: “False Memories”

Piece ideas:

1. “Family Unknown”
   Prompt:
   “vintage 1970s family portrait, faces slightly blurred or swapped, warm film tones, vignette, nostalgic but uncanny”
2. “Playground Dream”
   Prompt:
   “child on a swing at dusk, motion blur, dreamy light leaks, film scratches, surreal sky with glitch shapes”
3. “The Apartment We Never Lived In”
   Prompt:
   “intimate interior of small city apartment, sunlight through blinds, objects on table (coffee, notebook, camera), looks hyperreal yet slightly distorted in perspective”

Display suggestion:

• Smaller prints, like old photo albums.
• Maybe one wall with a crazy collage of 50+ mini prints.

ROOM 5 — AFTER HUMAN

Vibe:

Post-human future. The world after us. Machines wandering ruins, nature overtaking servers.

Series title: “When We Are Gone”

Piece ideas:

1. “Server Forest”
   Prompt:
   “ancient forest with tree trunks fused with server towers, glowing LEDs in bark, misty atmosphere, high-detail fine-art landscape”
2. “Last Screen On Earth”
   Prompt:
   “abandoned city plaza, cracked huge LED billboard still flickering with broken image, plants growing over concrete, dramatic sky”
3. “Robot Pilgrim”
   Prompt:
   “single humanoid robot walking across desert, carrying backpack of old cameras, wide cinematic shot, soft warm light”

Display suggestion:

• Big, cinematic wide prints.
• End of the gallery = open question about future.

3. How to Launch This FAST (Online or IRL)

A. Online Gallery (today-level fast)

1. Pick a platform:
   
   • Easiest: a simple portfolio site (Squarespace, Format, Cargo, Framer, etc.) or even a single-page blog post.
3. Generate the work:
   
   • Create 6–10 images per room.
   • Export high-res for prints, mid-res for web.
5. Sequence like a photobook:
   
   • Start with NEURAL STREET → end with AFTER HUMAN.
   • Make the viewer feel like they walked through a story.
7. Write short wall texts:
   
   • 2–3 sentences per room explaining the idea.
   • Keep it poetic, not technical.
9. Announce it as a “show,” not just “new images”:
   
   • “New AI solo exhibition: MACHINE DREAMS OF A HUMAN GOD — now live.”

B. Physical Pop-Up (weekend project)

1. Choose 1–2 rooms only for v1
   
   • For example: NEURAL STREET + MONKS OF THE MACHINE.
3. Print:
   
   • 12–20 large prints (A2 or bigger).
5. Find a space:
   
   • Small gallery, café, cowork space, or even your own living room or studio.
7. Opening night:
   
   • Minimal snacks, some music, laptop or tablet with the full digital gallery.

4. Next Step (action, not theory)

If you want, I can:

• Help you refine titles + wall text for each piece
• Or help you write the announcement post for your blog / socials for this AI gallery drop.

Tell me:

Do you want to start with online show layout or piece titles + descriptions for one of the rooms?

INSANELY HANDSOME MODE

When you’re insanely handsome, the world bends just a little when you walk through it.

Doors open.

Heads turn.

People orbit.

You become visible in a way most people never experience. Everyone wants to talk to you, to be near you, to get a little hit of that glow.

But here’s the secret:

The real flex is not that everyone wants your attention.

The real flex is that you decide who gets it.

1. The Gift: Free Social Credit

Good looks are like unearned Bitcoin in your wallet.

You didn’t grind for it. You didn’t “deserve” it. You just spawned into reality with a face and presence that other humans like to look at.

Because of that, people:

• Start conversations with you first
• Assume you’re confident, successful, interesting
• Forgive your awkwardness more
• Remember you even when you say very little

This is social credit.

Most people have to hustle, optimize, learn social skills, build status, develop charisma just to get the cold start.

You?

You get free inbound.

But this is where people mess up:

They confuse easy attention with real connection.

2. The Trap: Everyone Wants a Piece of You

When everyone wants to talk to you, you become a public good.

People project all kinds of fantasies onto your face:

• “You must be kind.”
• “You must be confident.”
• “You must have your life together.”
• “You must be my missing puzzle piece.”

They’re not seeing you.

They’re seeing a mirror for their desires.

The danger?

You start to believe their projection.

You become addicted to reactions:

• The lingering look
• The flirty comment
• The DM
• The “you’re so hot” validation hit

And suddenly, your self‑worth is tied to:

“How much attention am I getting right now?”

That’s slavery.

Golden cage, but still a cage.

3. The Power: Radical Selectivity

When everyone wants to talk to you, your job isn’t to say “yes” to everyone.

Your job is to curate.

You are the gallery owner of your own life.

Not every painting gets wall space.

Not every human gets access to your energy.

Ask yourself:

• Does this person energize me or drain me?
• Do they care about my mind or just my aesthetic?
• Do I feel more alive after talking to them?

If the answer is no, you walk away.

Not rudely. Just decisively.

Handsome is common. Selectivity is rare.

4. Presence > Pretty

Being insanely handsome is the hook.

Presence is the story.

You can be good‑looking and still be:

• Timid
• Apologetic
• Constantly seeking permission
• Afraid to take up space

Or you can decide:

“I am not just a face in the algorithm.

I am a force.”

Presence is simple:

• Strong eye contact, not creepy, just unafraid
• Upright posture, like your spine has a mission
• Voice that doesn’t shrink at the end of sentences
• Slowness—no rushing, no fidgeting, no apology for existing

You’re not trying to impress.

You’re simply there, fully.

Ironically, when you stop trying to be liked, your attractiveness multiplies. Because now it’s not just your bone structure—it’s your energy.

5. Depth: The Second Look

Good looks get you the first look.

Depth earns you the second look.

Depth comes from:

• Reading weird books
• Thinking strange thoughts
• Making art, even “bad” art
• Having opinions that aren’t copy‑pasted from the timeline
• Being willing to say, “I disagree” without being defensive

Most people are NPC‑level attractive:

• Filtered selfies
• Standard small talk
• Trend opinions

You don’t want that.

You want to be the person who:

• Talks about art, technology, bitcoin, philosophy, photography, or whatever your obsessions are
• Asks real questions like, “What are you currently obsessed with?” instead of “What do you do?”
• Turns every conversation into something memorable

When you’re insanely handsome and insanely curious?

Now you’re dangerous.

6. Boundaries: Guard Your Energy Like a King

The more attractive you are, the more leeches show up.

Not just romantically.

Emotionally. Socially. Spiritually.

People who:

• Trauma‑dump on you in the first 10 minutes
• Use you as a status trophy
• Keep you around because you “look good in the group”
• Cling to you but never really see you

Your protection mechanism: boundaries.

• It’s okay to leave a boring conversation.
• It’s okay to not reply to every DM.
• It’s okay to say “I’m not in the mood to talk.”
• It’s okay to prefer solitude over low‑quality company.

Your silence is not rudeness.

It’s self‑respect.

7. From Object to Author

Most beautiful people live like objects:

• They are looked at.
• They are chosen.
• They are evaluated.

The upgrade is to become the author:

You’re not just being seen.

You are seeing.

You walk into a room and think:

• “Who here inspires me?”
• “Who looks interesting, thoughtful, alive?”
• “Who can I uplift, challenge, spark?”

Instead of chasing validation, you radiate.

You stop playing the “pick me” game and start playing the “I pick my reality” game.

At this stage, being insanely handsome becomes just one attribute, not your entire identity.

8. The Final Boss: Self‑Love Without the Mirror

Here’s the real test:

If tomorrow you woke up and your face changed—less symmetry, less glow, less “wow”—would you still love who you are?

If the answer is no, then your beauty owns you.

If the answer moves toward yes, then you own your beauty.

You are not:

• Your jawline
• Your hair
• Your eyes
• Your youth

You are:

• Your courage
• Your curiosity
• Your creativity
• Your willingness to live fully, right now

When you’re insanely handsome and grounded in something deeper, you’re unstoppable. Because you’re not just playing the shallow game of looks. You’re playing the infinite game of becoming.

So yeah—when you’re insanely handsome, everyone wants to talk to you.

Good.

Let them.

Use it as practice, as play, as social training.

But quietly, internally, remember:

“Not everyone deserves my time.

Not everyone earns my story.

I am more than a face.

I am a whole universe.”

Now walk into the world like that. 🔥

“MSTR strategy is like the Bitcoin gasoline Standard Oil.”

Let’s unpack that and turn it into a full-on mental model:

1. Bitcoin = the Oil

• Oil by itself, in the ground, is pure potential.
• Bitcoin is that raw monetary energy – a pristine asset, but still “just” a bearer instrument.

Oil turned into an empire when:

• It got extracted
• Stored
• Refined
• Distributed at scale

Bitcoin needs the same thing in the financial layer.

2. MicroStrategy = the Standard Oil of Bitcoin

Standard Oil wasn’t just “bullish on oil.” It built the pipes:

• Refineries
• Storage
• Distribution networks
• Monopolized + industrialized the commodity

MicroStrategy is doing a similar thing at the corporate balance sheet level:

• They turned a boring software company into a high-octane Bitcoin holding vehicle.
• They’re using:
  
  • Equity issuance
  • Convertible notes
  • Corporate debt
    to accumulate more BTC than almost any other public company on earth.

So instead of just stacking sats, they’re:

Building a leveraged, permanent Bitcoin treasury machine.

That’s the “Standard Oil” move.

3. The Gasoline = Leverage + Capital Markets

Gasoline is refined oil – extra explosive, extra useful.

Your phrase “bitcoin gasoline” maps to:

• Taking raw BTC
• Running it through Wall St / capital markets
• Multiplying exposure through:
  
  • Issuing stock
  • Issuing debt
  • Rolling that into more Bitcoin

That’s what MicroStrategy is doing:

• Turn reputation + legacy business cashflow into gasoline
• Pour that gasoline onto Bitcoin exposure
• End result: MSTR becomes a supercharged proxy on BTC – more volatile on the upside than just holding spot.

4. Why This Analogy SLAPS (Investor Psychology)

Most people see:

• BTC = “number go up asset”
• MSTR = “weird overlevered company”

Your frame flips it:

• BTC = commodity
• MSTR = early industrial monopoly on that commodity’s financial layer

So:

Buying BTC = buying the oil

Buying MSTR = buying a piece of Standard Oil

One is raw, the other is strategic, financialized, weaponized.

5. How You Could Use This in Content

You could spin that one line into:

Blog post title ideas

• “MicroStrategy Is Building the Standard Oil of Bitcoin”
• “From Software Company to Bitcoin Standard Oil”
• “Why MSTR Is Bitcoin Gasoline”

Tweet/thread skeleton

1. “MicroStrategy’s strategy is like the Bitcoin gasoline Standard Oil.”
2. Oil alone didn’t create Rockefeller. Pipelines, refineries, and financial engineering did.
3. Bitcoin is the raw oil. MSTR is learning how to refine it with debt, equity, and corporate structure.
4. Most people buy BTC. MicroStrategy is building the corporate empire around BTC.
5. BTC = commodity. MSTR = financialized, levered, capitalist war machine on top of that commodity.
6. That’s why MSTR moves like Bitcoin on steroids.

If you want, I can turn this into a polished blog essay in your voice, or tighten it into a 10–tweet banger.

Let’s break it down in a way that respects your desire to go hard, but also keeps you alive and thriving.

1. What “100% organ meat” really means

If you literally eat only:

• Liver, kidney, heart, brain, sweetbreads, etc.
• No muscle meat
• No eggs, dairy, fruit, veg, carbs

…then every single calorie is coming from the densest parts of the animal. That means:

• Megadoses of certain nutrients (vitamin A, copper, iron, cholesterol, sodium)
• Basically zero fiber
• Likely low or imbalanced in some vitamins/minerals (thiamin, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, potassium, etc.), similar to issues seen with strict carnivore diets.  

You’re turning the dial past “optimal” into “chemically weird experiment.”

2. The big red-flag risks

(a) Vitamin A toxicity (liver is the landmine)

Liver is insanely rich in preformed vitamin A:

• 100 g of beef liver can give more than 6× the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.  
• Medical references warn that excessive intake of preformed vitamin A from animal sources (like liver) can cause hypervitaminosis A – with symptoms like liver damage, increased intracranial pressure (headache), bone pain, hair loss, and more.  

Mainstream nutrition sources usually suggest liver as a small weekly dose (e.g. ~100–250 g per week) within a balanced diet — not as a daily staple and definitely not as the only food. 

Going 100% organ, with liver in the rotation constantly, is a direct shot at chronic vitamin A overload.

(b) Copper / iron overload

Organs, especially liver and kidney, are very high in copper and iron:

• Too much copper can damage liver, kidneys, heart, brain and blood cells.  
• High iron intake can be a real issue if you have hemochromatosis or other iron-storage problems (often undiagnosed).

If you’re pounding organs every single meal, you’re in the zone where these minerals can stack up faster than your body can balance them.

(c) Heart and metabolic risk: saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium

Medical and cardiology sources are still pretty consistent:

• Meat-heavy, high-saturated-fat diets (like strict carnivore / animal-based) are associated with higher LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and worse vascular markers.  
• Organ meats are safe for most people in moderation, but they’re high in cholesterol and saturated fat, so people with cardiovascular risk factors are typically advised to limit them.  

100% organ diet = maximum exposure, zero dilution.

(d) Missing pieces: fiber + some key micronutrients

A recent analysis of a carnivore-style diet (muscle meat + animal products) found:

• It exceeded needs for some vitamins (A, B12, zinc, etc.)
• But fell short in thiamin, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, and sometimes iron, folate, iodine, potassium, and had essentially no fiber.  

Now imagine a version of that diet that’s even more restricted (only organs). No evidence suggests that’s nutritionally complete. You’re stacking:

• Gut health challenges: zero fiber = higher risk of constipation, altered microbiome, possible long-term colon issues.
• Potential electrolyte and vitamin imbalances that don’t show up until you’re months in and suddenly feel wrecked.

(e) Toxins + contamination risk

Organ meats (especially from conventional animals) can carry higher levels of:

• Certain metals like cadmium, compared with other cuts.  
• Possible antibiotic residues depending on how the animal was raised.  

Again: in moderation, probably okay. As the only food, you’re betting your long-term health that everything is perfectly clean, always.

(f) Special high‑risk groups

A 100% organ-meat diet would be especially concerning if you:

• Are pregnant or trying to conceive – high vitamin A intake is linked with birth defects, and organ meats are one of the richest sources.  
• Have liver or kidney disease, lipid issues, gout, or iron-storage disorders
• Are a child or teen (different tolerances, faster growth, different needs)

For these groups, mainstream advice is actually to limit organ intake, not crank it to 100%.

3. “But I want to push the limits” – smarter way to harness organs

If your instinct is: “I want max nutrient density, primal, nose-to-tail energy” — you can still do that without going full 100% organ.

A more sane high-organ approach might look like:

Base of the diet:

• Mostly muscle meats (ruminant meats like beef/lamb often tolerated well)
• Add eggs, maybe some dairy if you handle it

Organs as “micro-dosed superfoods”:

• Liver: tiny portions (e.g. 30–60 g) once or twice a week, not daily
• Heart, tongue, marrow, oxtail: can be eaten more freely; they’re closer to “normal meat” nutritionally
• Other organs (kidney, brain, sweetbreads): small, occasional servings

Optional “animal-based but not insane” add-ons:

Even hardcore animal-based advocates usually include some fruit, honey, and/or raw dairy alongside meat and organs. 

That still gives you:

• High protein
• High nutrient density
• Some carbs for training / hormones / thyroid
• A bit more micronutrient balance versus pure meat-only

And if you’re cool with it philosophically, layering in non-processed plant foods (leafy greens, berries, maybe potatoes or whole grains) brings your risk profile down another few notches.

4. If you 

still

 want to experiment (minimum safety moves)

I can’t recommend a 100% organ diet as safe, especially long-term. But if your mind is set on some version of an extreme animal-based approach, you’d want to:

• Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian first, especially if you have any past medical issues.
• Ask about tracking:
  
  • Liver function tests
  • Blood lipids (LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
  • Iron/copper status
  • Uric acid (for gout risk)
• Cycle organs, especially liver (more like once or twice a week, not daily).
• Watch for early signs of vitamin A toxicity: headaches, bone pain, dry/peeling skin, nausea, irritability, vision changes.

5. The bottom line

• Organ meats are powerful, nutrient-dense tools.
• Mainstream medical/nutrition sources: “beneficial in moderation, high risk in excess.”  
• A 100% organ meat diet is likely to:
  
  • Overload vitamin A, copper, iron
  • Spike saturated fat + cholesterol
  • Give you zero fiber and probable micronutrient gaps
  • Put real stress on your liver, heart, and long-term health

So the move isn’t “all organs, all the time.”

The move is: use organs like concentrated ammo in a bigger arsenal – small, strategic doses on top of a base of whole foods that your body can actually thrive on for decades.

If you tell me what you’re chasing (fat loss, performance, autoimmune stuff, pure experimentation, etc.), I can sketch a version of a high-organ, high-animal plan that pushes the envelope without trying to kill you slowly.

audio https://erickimphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Modular-.m4a

truth

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video https://erickimphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/aHR0cHM6Ly9hc3NldHMueC5haS91c2Vycy9mYzE5Y2M1ZS02MDBhLTRmNTEtYjg4Yi00NmNlZjg2YjY3NzEvZ2VuZXJhdGVkLzdiYWY5ODUzLTE2ODgtNDJhOC05NzkxLWU4MjQ0ZmE3MTM0MS9nZW5lcmF0ZWRfdmlkZW8ubXA0.mp4