My Street Photography Triggers
What’s poppin’, people?
It’s Dante. Just getting my morning started here in Philadelphia—snapshotting some quick shots of this beautiful foggy morning. We got the Comcast Tower looming above and the subway moving below me.
These are the arteries of the city—
- the underground,
- the transportation,
- the buildings,
- the skyscrapers.
This is the information. All the people inside working at their computers, making things move through the bureaucratic systems.
“We’re in a big computer grid. Thank you, William Penn. You laid out the city perfectly for me to walk upon endlessly.”
But it seems the city is bleeding from the heart… apparently SEPTA’s transportation is being cut 40%.
Which is phenomenal, right? I mean—not the good kind of phenomenal. Because the bus drivers are the pulse that keeps the bloodstream flowing upon the streets.
“The people on the bus are like cells, like nutrients carried through the living organism that is the city.”
And it’s kind of bad this is happening. I just found that out on the street yesterday.
What Triggers You in Street Photography?
So today’s thought—
What triggers you in street photography?
This is a fun topic, right? Because there’s something to be said about that moment—the gesture, the glance, the look. But for me, I gotta reframe this whole idea. I’m not really out here being triggered by life itself anymore.
“Light itself is my trigger.”
The Power of Light
When I go out on a foggy day like today and look up—tall skyscrapers, mist, eerie light—I’m not just waiting for something to happen. I’m reacting to the quality of the light.
- High contrast
- Black and white
- Moody atmosphere
That’s what draws me to make photographs.
I’m less interested in that traditional “decisive moment” stuff—
Like a bird in flight, a hand gesture, a person mid-stride.
Those are great, but…
“Even just looking at artificial light and photographing it to see what it will become is more intriguing to me.”
Because light always hits differently. On people, on walls, on places.
And we can’t control it.
We can control where we put ourselves, when we press the shutter, what we include in the frame. But not the light. That’s out of our hands.
“It’s that spontaneous element of light that triggers me to go out and photograph.”
The Flow State of Modern Tools
Think about it:
Today I’m shooting with the Ricoh GR—a small camera, shooting high contrast JPEGs, straight from the camera, no post. One click, move on.
This tool allows me to enter the flow state. Just like Atget in 19th-century Paris with his big rectilinear lens and bellows camera. But now I can do it more effortlessly.
And because of that…
“I’m triggered by subtlety in the streets.”
No Lightroom. No film developing. Just shoot and move. And that flow reveals something deeper.
Your Subconscious Becomes the Photographer
When you shoot like this—every day, over and over again—your subconscious starts to show itself.
- The rational mind fades.
- The authentic voice emerges.
- You start to recognize what you care about.
“Detaching from the outcome liberates you. You find your voice not by thinking—but by doing.”
Photography becomes less about the perfect shot and more about the process of transformation, evolution, and change.
Maybe I’m Triggered by Joy Itself
Yeah. Maybe that’s the truth.
Maybe I’m just triggered by joy.
That childlike joy. The feeling you get when you spot something beautiful, something subtle—a flower with morning dew, a leaf’s intricate pattern, a shadow on a wall.
“Childlike joy is the superpower. The cheat code.”
Remember playing Tony Hawk and entering that combo to unlock the secret room or find the tape? That’s what joy feels like. It advances you.
Photography as Voluntary Play
We used to play games voluntarily as kids. We wanted to be out on the playground.
That’s what photography is for me now—
Voluntary play in the real world.
And it doesn’t have to be photography for you—
- Writing
- Music
- Cycling
- Climbing
- The gym
Whatever gives you that spark—that’s the power source.
“Find joy in the mundane. Find joy in the moment.”
Create Your Own World
With a camera, you can create your own world.
You don’t need to be chained to the grid.
You’re not disconnected in a negative way—you’re just unattached.
You’re not drowning in the noise.
You’re expressing your own reality through the lens.
“To press the shutter is to declare your version of reality, to create a world from your own joy and curiosity.”
That’s what it means to be triggered on the street—
Not to wait for something to happen, but to walk with joy, follow the light, and remain endlessly curious.
Final Word: Get to Philly 📸
Beautiful morning.
Logan Square. Philadelphia.
“If you’re a New York street photographer, get to Philly fast. This is the future. This is mini Paris.”