A Visual Diary of Self-Discovery
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante, coming at you from the Fashion District mall. Today, I’m thinking about photography, creation, and how it’s all become this personal visual diary—a mix of video, photos, and words capturing my day.
For the past two years, I’ve been photographing with this stream-of-consciousness approach, snapshotting my way through life. Wherever I am, however I feel, I respond with intuition, capturing moments as they unfold.
From Documentary to Self-Portrait
In the past, my photography was more documentary-driven. I traveled, explored new places, captured intimate stories from refugee camps, slums, mountainsides, baptisms, funerals—you name it. I was an outsider looking in, documenting lives and landscapes, trying to elevate the visuals beyond the surface, revealing the deeper story beneath.
But now, things are changing. I’m coming home—not just physically but spiritually, creatively. Through the process of making photos, writing, or even speaking into this camera, I’m reconnecting with my essence. My work has shifted from documenting the external to reflecting the internal—my soul, my spirit, how I feel about life.
This new philosophy? It’s almost like every photo has become a self-portrait. It’s freeing. It’s liberating. It feels like the truest way to create.
Letting Go of Perfection
In the past, I held myself to this insanely high standard. Every photo had to be strong—visually striking, layered with depth, combining light, moment, and story into a perfect frame. But now, I’ve let go of that.
I’m not chasing perfection anymore. Instead, I’m making photos that are personal, photos that reveal who I am. When you photograph snapshot-style, your essence inevitably comes through.
It’s not about shooting in color or black and white, or trying to force a style. Your voice as a photographer doesn’t come from those surface-level decisions. It reveals itself over time—through the act of creating, through photographing relentlessly, and then culling through the work to find what resonates with you.
Photography as Exploration
This process of photographing intuitively—responding to my gut, aligning with my mind and body—has become more artistic, abstract, and liberating. I no longer worry about strong light or perfect color. Instead, I photograph anything and everything, allowing the act of creation to flow naturally.
Every photo, every video, every word becomes a reflection, a diary of my day. It’s meditative, like diving into my subconscious. There’s no planning, no forcing—it just flows.
The Journey Forward
I’ve realized I don’t need to prove myself anymore. The photos I create aren’t about being “good” or “bad.” They’re simply a reflection of who I am, of how I see the world.
Photography, for me, is no longer about capturing life as something to document. It’s about living, observing, and letting things unfold naturally. No filters. No edits. No overthinking.
So here’s to pushing forward, to letting life flow as it is, and to figuring out who the fuck I am—one photo, one moment, one day at a time.