Make Photographs That Bring You Pure Joy

What’s poppin’, people? Dante.

So today’s thought is to make photographs that bring you pure joy.

When I look back at the photographs I make, there’s an emotional quality that I resonate with, subjectively.

I think that we should get rid of these old-school, basic notions that you need to be objectively and emotionally detached from your work to determine what’s good or what’s bad, and all these kinds of ideas.

Photography as a Fuck Yes to Life

My radical thought is this:

Treat photography as the ultimate fuck yes to life.

And when you make photographs this way, in the spirit of play, not trying, not contriving, sort of just responding intuitively throughout your life, when you go back and you look at your work, they’re going to make you smile.

The photographs are going to bring you joy.

Because you’ll be able to relive those memories and the experiences you’ve had through the emotional quality that the photographs provide.

Embrace Play

So yeah, just treat photography as a fuck yes to life.

Disregard all these basic old-school notions.

Just embrace play.