I Made a Photo Book in 12 Hours

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Today we’re hitting the streets of New York City with the Ricoh GR monochrome, shooting small JPEGs, high contrast black and white.

The goal: make a full book in 12 hours.

No overthinking. No preconceived ideas.

Just show up, follow the light, and see what happens.

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The Premise

I’ve made around 13,000 photos over the past 3.5 years using this exact system.

Volumes of books. A full visual diary practice.

So the question is simple:

Can I go from zero → full published book in a single day?

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Starting the Day (Central Park First)

I arrive in New York and immediately head to Central Park.

I don’t start shooting street right away.

I need to orient my body first.

Nature. Walking. Light. Gratitude.

Photography has nothing to do with photography. It has everything to do with how you feel about life.

If I start the day grounded, everything else flows.

If I chase light, I find photos.

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Following Light

That’s it.

That’s the whole practice.

Light is both the medium and the subject.

Photography = drawing with light.

So I follow it.

• Light on faces
• Light in tunnels
• Light on textures
• Light cutting through shadows

Every frame is just a response.

A reaction.

A surprise.

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Ricoh GR = Freedom

The Ricoh GR changed everything for me.

Because I don’t bring it to my eye.

I hold it out.

I get close.

Really close.

I’m not photographing objects. I’m photographing the texture of life.

Macro details. Shadows. Surfaces.

No hesitation. No friction.

Just movement and instinct.

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Street Shooting (Grand Central)

Now we’re in the chaos.

Crowds. Movement. Energy.

And I’m doing one simple thing:

• Find a patch of light
• Stand with my back to the sun
• Wait for people to walk into it

Click.

High contrast black and white.

Faces emerging from shadow.

I don’t need something interesting to happen. The light makes it interesting.

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The Workflow (iPhone Native)

Before I even get on the train:

• Lightning to SD card
• Import to iPhone
• Start selecting immediately

Small JPEGs = speed.

On the train:

• Cull
• Sequence
• Organize

By the time I get home…

The book is basically already there.

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Back Home (Same Day)

6:50 PM.

Photos printing.

• 87 images
• 4×6 sheets
• Canon Selphy

I lay everything on the floor.

Shuffle.

Sequence fast.

This is not a precious process.

No story arc.

No overthinking.

Just instinct.

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Making the Book

Cover:

• Made in Procreate
• No sizing, no precision
• Just collage and go

I don’t take this seriously. I just play.

Then into InDesign:

• Blurb plugin
• 5×8 trade book
• 100 pages
• $8 total

Drag. Drop. Fill frame.

Done in under an hour.

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The Philosophy

This isn’t about making “good photos.”

There is no such thing as good or bad photos.

It’s about:

• Volume
• Consistency
• Instinct

What you need is more photos.

This is a visual diary.

A record of your day.

A reflection of how you lived.

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Why This Matters

What if the point… is the act itself?

Not validation.
Not outcome.
Not approval.

Just:

The joy of making something.

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The Result

One day.

18.5 miles walked.

A full book.

Ready to print.

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Final Thought

The goal is to never stop photographing.

Enter the stream.

Keep producing.

Stay in motion.

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Peace.

Flux — Volume II

A photographic diary by Dante Sisofo

View / Purchase the Book

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Members of Living With the Ricoh GR get access to all Flux books at production cost as part of the practice.

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The second volume of Flux, a photographic diary by Dante Sisofo.

A collection of 55 photographs across 100 pages.

Photographed in Philadelphia between November 2022 and May 2023, this book marks the beginning of a transformation — the first months of working in black and white, and the initial step into a new way of seeing.

If Flux Vol. I represents the moment when vision came together, this volume represents the origin — the entry point into the stream of becoming. These photographs trace the early stages of a chronological visual diary, where the act of photographing becomes inseparable from the act of living.

Shot in Philadelphia, these images mark the foundation of an evolving practice rooted in daily observation, instinct, and repetition.

At the heart of Flux is a simple idea: you cannot make the same photograph twice. Light is always shifting — across bodies, streets, and time — reshaping the world moment by moment.

Light is the subject.
Everything is in flux.

Flux — Volume I

A photographic diary by Dante Sisofo

View / Purchase the Book

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Members of Living With the Ricoh GR get access to all Flux books at production cost as part of the practice.

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The first volume of Flux, a photographic diary by Dante Sisofo.

A collection of 57 photographs across 100 pages.

Photographed in Tokyo in November 2025 — wandering the streets of Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya over thirteen days — this book marks the moment when a decade of photographing the world, and the past three years of working in monochrome, came together into a unified vision.

At the heart of Flux is a simple idea: you cannot make the same photograph twice.

The way light casts upon the world is always changing — across people, surfaces, streets, and shadows — transforming reality from one moment to the next.

Shot with a Ricoh GR in high-contrast black and white, these photographs embrace instinct, motion, and the fleeting rhythm of everyday life.

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Light is the subject.
Everything is in flux.

View the Full Tokyo Photo/Video Archive

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — Street Photography Diary #7 Boner Forever

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Today we’re doing Street Photography Diary Number 7, where we look at photographs I made recently with the Ricoh GR IV monochrome.

Boner Forever

On this particular day, I scaled a mountain.

I climbed a tower titled Boner Forever.

There’s apparently a building here in North Philadelphia that the locals call Boner Forever — somebody spray-painted it on the side.

My friend Dylan — shout out to Dylan Stone — invited me to climb it with him.

And so I guess today’s idea is around adventure, exploration, and the art of not giving a fuck.

At the end of the journey, I wound up getting a tetanus shot because I stepped on a rusty nail.

Drawn to Chaos

I find that embracing danger, embracing the unknown, going out there with courage — with thumos, with spiritedness — that’s what guides my practice.

When I think about my past — photographing in Palestine, or in West Baltimore, Sandtown-Winchester — I realize something:

I’m drawn to chaos.

To the grit.
To the grime.
To the imperfect nature of life.

As much as I love light, I’m curious about how life looks photographed.

How the monochrome sensor renders reality.

Beauty in the Grit

I find myself in alleyways.

Spaces people avoid.

Trash. Beer cans. Discarded objects. Newspaper on the ground.

And I just want to know:

What does this look like photographed?

I find beauty in imperfection.

We are imperfect flesh creatures.

We cut. We bleed. We die.

And somehow—

That’s what makes us divine.

Affirming Life as It Is

Instead of pretending life is only beautiful, or only ugly—

Why not both?

Why not everything?

The truth is in the in-between.

I think it’s important to photograph life as it is.

Not just sunshine and rainbows.

Not just doom and gloom.

But everything.

The full complexity.

Everything Is Photographable

I don’t believe we should limit what we photograph.

Only chasing “beautiful” moments misses the truth.

Everything is photographable.

The ugly.
The beautiful.
The mundane.
The chaotic.

It’s all part of life.

And as photographers, I think we should embrace that.

Honestly. Openly. Authentically.

A Moment of Instinct

I was on the corner with Kai and Dennis.

They were being indecisive about where to eat.

I crossed the street.

Made a photograph.

I cropped to 50mm.

Switched from snap focus to single-point autofocus.

Locked onto a hand.

Then suddenly—

Another hand enters the frame.

Gesture overlaps gesture.

An ambiguous moment.

That’s what I’m chasing — ambiguity.

Fragments of life.

Instant sketches.

Drawing With Light

Black and white simplifies everything.

High contrast. Grain. Texture.

You return to the essence:

Photography is drawing with light.

When I make a photograph, it’s an instant sketch.

Light and shadow.

Nothing else.

Instinct Over Thought

I don’t want to think on the street.

I want to respond.

Instinctively.

By stripping away color and simplifying the process, I rely on instinct.

My body moves — and the photograph happens.

It’s not about overthinking.

It’s about positioning.

Being there.

Responding.

The Climb

We climbed Boner Forever.

Dilapidated stairwells.

Ropes holding parts of the building together.

It felt like it could collapse at any moment.

But we kept going.

Higher and higher.

Then suddenly—

Two young guys appear on the rooftop.

One starts running.

Like he’s avoiding a sniper.

I’m thinking—

Am I in a crime scene?

But I take the photo anyway.

The Adventure Is the Point

Photography is an adventure.

Exploring new places.

Standing at the edge of chaos.

That’s where I feel alive.

That’s where the juice is.

That’s what makes me excited to wake up.

A New Way to Approach Photography

Forget what you think photography is.

Forget style.

Forget rules.

Forget expectations.

Go out there and play.

Climb something.

Explore something new.

Scrape your knee.

Step on a rusty nail.

You’ll be fine.

Final Thoughts

Life is out there.

Waiting.

But you have to go into it.

You have to embrace the unknown.

Follow your curiosity.

Follow your inner child.

That’s where the photographs are.

That’s where life is.

These were the photographs from this particular Sunday.

A very eventful day.

A very beautiful day.

And I’m looking forward to more.

Welcome to Philadelphia.

Peace.

Why I Shoot High-Contrast Black & White JPEG (Pure Instinct Photography)

Speed, Simplicity, Instinct

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante getting my morning started here along the Schuylkill River Trail in Philadelphia, photographing with the Ricoh GR IV monochrome.

Got the high contrast black and white small JPEG files cranked to the max so that I can embrace my instinct.

So why photograph this way?

Why shoot small JPEGs, high contrast black and white?

It’s for speed and simplicity.

I want to strip away everything from the medium of photography and return to pure instinct. Not trying to impose a visual style — I’m trying to remove everything until all that’s left is a black box with a shutter button.

Just point and shoot.

No technical noise.

Photography Is Physical

Photography isn’t just visual — it’s physical.

Your eyes connect to your brain, sure. You can recognize leading lines, composition, all that.

But what actually makes the photograph?

Your body.

You are responsible for positioning your physical body in relationship to the subject.

If you don’t move, you don’t make the photo.

You can see everything perfectly in your head — but if you don’t physically step into position, nothing happens.

Photography is psychological, yes.

But it’s ultimately physical positioning that determines the result.

Why the Ricoh GR

The reason I use the Ricoh GR — especially this monochrome setup — is because it’s always with me.

It lives in my pocket.

Hidden.

No one even knows I’m photographing.

And because of that, I’m always in a flow state.

When I have to wear a camera around my neck, clean the lens, “be a photographer” — I limit myself.

That friction kills the moment.

The lack of a viewfinder?

That’s not a limitation.

That’s freedom.

Constraints = Freedom

My theory:

The more constraints, the more creative freedom.

You might think freedom is having unlimited choices.

But that’s overwhelming.

If I step off this path, I fall into the river.
If I go the other way, I get hit by a train.

So the only way is forward.

And in that constraint?

Endless possibility.

Staying in one lane unlocks infinity.

When I stop switching cameras, colors, lenses — I move forward.

That’s where the work happens.

No Good or Bad Photos

There’s no such thing as a good or bad photograph.

Only new photographs to make.

I’m chasing a perpetual flow state.

Not results.

Curiosity.

What does life look like photographed?

That’s it.

Returning to Light

Photography = drawing with light.

By stripping away color, I return to the essence.

Now I’m curious about light itself:

• How it hits surfaces
• How it renders in black and white
• What it looks like when reduced to extremes

High contrast black and white?

It’s like a charcoal sketch of reality.

No Post-Processing, No Safety Net

There’s nothing to fix later.

No RAW files.

No editing.

No safety net.

I throw myself into the deep end.

And that’s liberating.

Now all I’m left with is play.

From Friction to Flow

I remember being in Hanoi in 2022.

RAW files. Hard drives. Backups.

It was slow. Tedious.

Felt like a burden.

When I got back, I sold everything.

Picked up the Ricoh GR.

Since then?

3+ years.

Around 370,000 frames.

I’ve never been more prolific.

And the quality?

It’s there — because of the quantity and the flow.

Infinite Novelty

I can walk the same path every day.

Still find new photos.

Because light is always changing.

Because life is always changing.

You cannot make the same photograph twice.

Now I photograph everything:

• Family
• Daily life
• Self-portraits
• Textures
• Plants
• Trash
• Everything

Everything is photographable.

Beyond Style

I’m not trying to create a recognizable style.

I’m trying to become a vessel.

To just be.

To exist in the moment.

To feel deeply.

Say yes to life with every shutter click.

The Sublime

There’s something beyond words.

That feeling when you’re walking…

Sun on your skin.
Birds. Cars. People.

And you click the shutter.

That moment?

It’s sublime.

Life is fleeting.

Flowers bloom, then decay.

That’s what makes it beautiful.

Destroy to Create

To create something new, you have to destroy.

If I made the same photos every day, I’d be bored.

To change is happiness.

To evolve.

To grow.

That’s the goal.

Don’t Blame Your Location

Your city isn’t the problem.

Your perception is.

Even in the same place, every day:

There’s infinite novelty.

You just have to see it.

Pure Instinct

Too many choices kill creativity.

Too many decisions.

Too many systems.

I want none of that.

Just instinct.

When photography becomes an extension of your body, it becomes effortless.

That’s the goal.

Say Yes

Photography isn’t a chore.

It’s not something you force.

It should be natural.

Seamless.

Sustainable.

And when you reach that point:

Flow is inevitable.

Joy is inevitable.

Final Thought

You might not live forever.

But you can make a photograph.

Your next picture — that’s your best picture.

Say yes to life.

Click the shutter.

Living With the Ricoh GR

A Frictionless Daily Photography System

👉 Start the System ($99)
One-time payment. Lifetime access. Begin today.

Already enrolled?

👉 Enter the Workshop

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Stop Overthinking Photography

Most photographers don’t have a talent problem.

They have a friction problem.

Too many choices.
Too many settings.
Too much thinking.

• Which camera?
• Which lens?
• RAW or JPEG?
• Is this a good photo?

So they hesitate.
They overthink.
They stop shooting.

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This Course Removes All of That

This is not a course about photography theory.

This is a system install.

You will adopt:

• One camera
• One aesthetic
• One workflow
• One daily rhythm

So photography becomes automatic.

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The Goal

Not better photos.
Not more knowledge.

Daily practice without friction.

You will:

• Carry your camera every day
• Photograph your life as it happens
• Build a visual diary
• Edit and sequence your work
• Turn it into a physical book

The Shift

Before:

• You wait for something interesting
• You overthink every frame
• You shoot inconsistently
• You build a backlog you never touch

After:

• You shoot every day
• You move on instinct
• You stay in flow
• You publish and move forward

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The System

Everything in this course is built around one idea:

Freedom is the elimination of choice

We remove:

• Gear decisions
• Editing paralysis
• Technical overthinking
• Outcome obsession

And replace it with:

• Movement
• Repetition
• Presence
• Instinct

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Real Output (Not Theory)

This system already produced:

• Flux Vol. I — Tokyo
• Flux Vol. II, III, IV

All made using this exact workflow.

No editing.
No complexity.
Just daily shooting.

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What You’ll Learn

Module 0 — Install the Operating System

Set up your camera, workflow, and environment for zero friction.

Module 1 — Kill the Hunter

Stop chasing “interesting” moments. Build consistency through daily production.

Module 2 — Daily Integration Protocol

Make photography inseparable from your life. Carry, shoot, and publish daily.

Module 3 — Instinct Over Intellect

Remove overthinking. Shoot from the gut and enter the flow state.

Module 4 — Your Style Is Inevitable

Develop your voice through repetition, not intention. Let style emerge naturally.

Module 5 — The System in Motion

Refine your process. Shoot, edit, and move with speed and clarity.

Module 6 — Turning the Diary Into a Book

Select, sequence, and publish your work into a physical photobook.

The Outcome

If you follow this system for 30 days:

• You will build a daily photography habit
• You will create a cohesive body of work
• You will produce your first photobook

Not eventually.

Within the system.

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This Is For You If:

• You feel stuck or inconsistent
• You overthink photography
• You want a simple, repeatable system
• You want to actually produce work

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This Is NOT For You If:

• You want gear reviews
• You want editing tutorials
• You want presets or shortcuts
• You’re not willing to shoot daily

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The Rule

You don’t tweak the system.

You install it.

What You Get

• 3 hours of in-depth video training
• A complete step-by-step photography system
• Real-world assignments for every module
• A full workflow from shooting → editing → publishing → book

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Flux Community

When you join, you’re not doing this alone.

You’ll get access to the Flux Discord community where you can:

• Share your photographs
• Submit assignments
• Get feedback on your sequences
• See how others are applying the system

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Monthly Office Hours

You’ll also get access to monthly live office hours.

Join the call. Ask questions. Get direct feedback.

This is where the system gets refined in real time.

Pricing

Founding Price: $99

One-time payment.
Lifetime access.

Price will increase as the course evolves.

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Start the System

👉 Enroll Now

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Final Note

This is not about becoming a better photographer.

This is about becoming someone who never stops photographing.

Walk.
Photograph.
Repeat.

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — Street Photography Diary #6 Walking Toward the Light

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Welcome to today’s Street Photography Diary Entry Number 6, where we look at photographs I made recently with the Ricoh G04 monochrome.

These are photographs made from March 16th to the 21st.

So this is not an official diarium. I apologize. This is a lie. This is a scam. This is not a daily diary.

But we have some photographs to look at.

Walking Toward the Light

The day started with a walk toward Penn’s Landing — riverside, Old City — catching the sunrise.

When I wake up in the morning, I just orient myself toward the sunlight.

Where is the light?

Okay, it’s rising on that side of the city — I’m going to walk that way.

And honestly, I’m just grateful.

I don’t really know what else to say other than gratitude.

Grateful for the sunlight.
Grateful for people on the street.
Grateful for the complexity of life.

The sun on my skin.
The sounds of the street.
Seeing other beautiful people.

I spent that morning walking with my mother. We do that often — little strolls around the river.

We ended up at Elfreth’s Alley, one of the oldest inhabited streets in the country.

Philadelphia has such rich history.

It’s a big city, but it feels like a small village.

You’re not anonymous here.

You see the same people. You recognize faces.

It’s unlike any city I’ve ever been to.

And I’m grateful to live here.

Fueling the Body With Light

When I go out to the river at sunrise, it reminds me how open the world is.

How much there is to see, explore, and photograph.

I let the light hit my eyes.

I fuel my body with it.

There’s something physiological about it — hormonally, it just feels right.

Seagulls, cold air, the breeze — all of it.

These are things you can’t really describe with language.

But maybe with a photograph, you can evoke that feeling.

Photography Beyond Representation

Maybe photography isn’t just about documenting or storytelling.

Maybe it’s about going beyond that.

Not just showing what happened — but evoking how it felt.

That’s how I think about photography lately.

As a visual diary.

No expectations.

No end goal.

No gallery in mind.

Just photographing for the sake of photographing.

Curiosity Over Everything

When I go out each day, I’m playing.

That’s it.

Through play, I tap into curiosity.

And that curiosity comes from within.

Not from galleries.
Not from other photographers.
Not from external validation.

Inspiration comes from within.

I follow that childlike curiosity.

Like being a kid exploring the woods, riding a bike through the unknown.

That same energy carries into my photography today.

And I never want to lose that.

Because life is short.

Transient.

Temporary.

You can’t live forever — but you can make a photograph.

Photography as Physical Experience

Photography is physical.

You’re walking. Moving. Positioning your body.

That’s embodied reality.

And I think a lot of people miss that.

We spend too much time inside.

Too much time on screens.

That’s where your soul slowly dies.

The more digitally connected we are, the less physically connected we become.

Photography is the excuse to go outside.

To walk.
To feel.
To engage with life.

Life is on the street.

Not behind the screen.

What You’re Actually Responsible For

As a photographer, your responsibilities are simple:

• Move your body
• Carry a camera

That’s it.

You’re not responsible for:

• Making a great photo
• Finding something interesting
• Creating a masterpiece

You’re responsible for cultivating vitality and curiosity.

From there, photography becomes inevitable.

Composition Is Physical

Yes, composition matters.

Foreground, background, relationships — all of that.

But composition is also physical.

It’s:

• Moving left, right
• Getting low
• Looking up
• Positioning your body

Your composition is a direct reflection of your physical position.

I’m not trying to think too much.

I’m not chasing perfect compositions.

I’m responding instinctively.

Letting life flow toward me.

Embracing Imperfection

I’m not trying to make perfect images anymore.

I’m letting things fall where they may.

Playing more.

Accepting imperfection.

Snapshotting my way through life.

That fleeting, imperfect moment — that’s life.

Why the Ricoh GR Changes Everything

The Ricoh GR removes the viewfinder.

And that’s everything.

At first, it seems like a limitation.

But it’s actually liberation.

The viewfinder limits your body and perception.

With the LCD:

• You move more freely
• You respond faster
• You shoot instinctively

You’re not stuck behind the camera.

You’re in the world.

Shooting Without the Viewfinder

When something happens, I don’t raise the camera to my eye.

I just move.

Position myself.

Click.

The composition comes from my body.

Not from overthinking.

I look at life — then I make the photograph.

Not the other way around.

A Camera That Disappears

The Ricoh GR fits in your pocket.

It disappears.

And because of that:

• You always have it
• You’re always ready
• You stay present

Whether I’m walking in Philadelphia or at a family party, I can just pull it out and shoot.

No friction.

Photography as a Way of Living

This goes beyond photography.

It becomes a way of living.

You’re more present.

More aware.

More in tune.

Photography becomes inevitable.

And in those moments:

There is no past.
There is no future.

Just now.

And that’s where happiness is.

That’s where bliss is.

Final Thoughts

That’s why I love the Ricoh GR.

It allows me to create a visual diary of my everyday life.

And more importantly—

It helps me live.

Those are my thoughts.

Thank you for watching.

Peace.

Ricoh GR Has No Viewfinder — That’s Why It’s Better

The Constraint That Frees You

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

The Ricoh GR has no viewfinder — and that’s exactly why it’s the better camera system.

A lot of photographers think about the lack of a viewfinder as a limitation. But this is actually what frees you.

With the Ricoh, there is no viewfinder. There’s only the LCD. You have no choice but to use the screen.

And that constraint? It liberates you.

You start to articulate the camera in ways you haven’t been able to before. You remove the camera from your eye and photograph wherever your body moves and exists within space and time.

You Don’t Need a Viewfinder

People say:

“I need a viewfinder. This isn’t a serious camera.”

That’s completely missing the point.

If you think you need a viewfinder to compose a photograph — you’re wrong.

How do I create strong compositions?
How do I line everything up perfectly?

It’s from my eye.
It’s from how I see.
It’s from how I move my body into position.

Not from raising a camera to my face.

Breaking Out of Eye-Level

The viewfinder locks you into one perspective — eye level.

But with the LCD screen?

I can shoot high.
I can shoot low.
I can shoot from the hip.
I can extend my arm into space.

I can throw the camera over someone’s head, switch to macro, get extremely close, and make images you literally couldn’t make with a traditional system.

The camera becomes:

An extension of your eye.
An extension of your body.

The Ricoh GR is the closest thing to not having a camera.

Less Control, Better Results

When you remove the viewfinder, you lose some control.

But that’s the point.

You stop forcing compositions.
You start responding instinctively.

We don’t walk around seeing the world through a box at eye level.
We perceive fluidly.

And when you shoot with the LCD:

• You play more
• You experiment more
• You surprise yourself more

Less control leads to more interesting results.

Movement, Experimentation, and Modern Tools

The Ricoh is small, stabilized, and fast.

You can shoot one-handed.
You can use slow shutter speeds.
You can isolate subjects while motion drags through the frame.

You start making images that feel:

• Ethereal
• Surreal
• Experimental

And it’s no coincidence — Ricoh shooters tend to push things further.

The tool changes the mind.

Becoming Invisible

With no camera to your face, you disappear.

You blend in.

You’re no longer “the photographer.”

You’re just part of the scene.

I use the tourist technique a lot:

• Hold the camera like a phone
• Look up at buildings
• Act casual
• Then drop the camera and shoot

It’s fluid. It’s natural. It’s invisible.

And that’s exactly what I want.

The Evolution of Photography

Think about it:

• Large format cameras on tripods
• Rangefinders
• SLRs
• DSLRs
• Electronic viewfinders

And then…

You remove all of it.

You land here:

A pocket camera. An LCD screen. Pure instinct.

This feels like the natural progression of photography.

The Real Point

No viewfinder = no restrictions.

You are fully responsible for:

• Seeing
• Feeling
• Responding

And that’s why the Ricoh GR is superior for street photography.

Not because it gives you more.

But because it removes what you don’t need.

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Thank you for watching.

Peace.

New music yeeeee m8

Future Islands – Sail

In an Escher town
In the Palace Gallen, hidden low
And the peaks stay Saint
And the streets wind up and down below
To the balcony
Where the hands embrace amidst the rows
And the flickering screen
And the smell of almonds in the grove

Don’t leave
Don’t leave
To come so close to offer this
Don’t leave, won’t leave

And the screen says, “Stay,” every time
The image it plays in my mind
And we say Grace
Every time we’re in this place
Is it mine in the mirror?
Is it mine or the mirror that we make?

Where we haven’t run
Deep into the rows
Where the olives grow
Lost in the unknown
Until lost is all we know
And the pollen silt
Till we’re tracing in the snow

And down into the screen
Says “Stay,” every time
The image it’s burned in my mind
And we say Grace
Every time we’re face-to-face
Is it mine in the mirror?
Is it mine or the mirror that we make?

Take all the time it takes
To make all the time it takes
Take all the time it takes
To make all the time it takes
Take all the time it takes
To make all the time it takes
Take all the time it takes
To make all the time it takes
Take all the time it takes
All the time
To make all the time it takes
All the time
Take all the time it takes
All the time
To make all the time it takes
Don’t leave
Take all the time it takes
All the time
To make all the time it takes
All the time
Take all the time it takes
All the time
To make all the time it takes
Don’t leave
Take all the time
All the time

Future Islands – Find Love

I was alone when I found out, nothing is what it seems
In paramour, in arrogance and dreams
I was alone again at the start of another spring
Here, with all the petals turning red
My heart was turning green

And so I walked around the lake
And there, sitting in the sea
A young lady who called my name
She opened up to me

In fair her hair, the light of air
Found wisdom in her life
Two pecans where here soul stared
Throughout the white light

She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to me”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to me, and you may find what you seek”

“I wanna find love, I wanna call your love my love”
“I wanna find love, I wanna call your love my love”
“Well, you’ll never find love, you’ll never find a love like I love”
“Well, you’ll never find love, unless you open your heart, my love”

She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to me”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to me and you may find what you seek”

“I wanna find love, I wanna call your love my love”
“I wanna find love, I wanna call your love my love”
“Well, you’ll never find love, you’ll never find a love like I love”
“Well, you’ll never find love, unless you open your heart, my love”

She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to me”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart”
She said, “Open your heart to find the things you want in this life”
“The things you want in this life”

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — Street Photography Diary #5 (No Such Thing as Cliché)

Street Photography Diary Entry #5 — Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Today we’re gonna be looking at my street photography that I recently made during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade here in my hometown, Philadelphia, with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.

And so today’s topic revolves around photographing at parades.

There Is No Such Thing as Cliché

I think it’s the perfect opportunity for me to discuss what I am personally looking for when photographing in these situations.

In street photography, we call these moments cliché. Photographing a parade—it’s cliché, right?

I think there’s just such a misconception around that.

When I’m at a parade and I’m looking at all of the complexity—the people, the action, the crowd, the density, the details, the textures, the light—everything around me is infinitely fascinating.

There is no such thing as cliché.

If you think everything’s been done, you’re not gonna make a picture.

If you think photographing a parade is boring, it’s going to inhibit your ability to find joy in your everyday life.

The Parade Is a Gift

The parade is a treat.

It gives you the ability to get close and engage with humanity.

The parade is a gift from the street photography gods.

It’s your opportunity to:

• explore your perspective
• try to make new photographs
• push yourself

When a parade happens, that’s when it’s time to go.

Blurring the Line Between Documentation and Myth

You’ve got:

• the photojournalist documenting the event
• the street photographer avoiding making it look like a parade

There’s this idea like:

“I want to photograph the parade, but I don’t want it to look like a parade.”

And I’m out there photographing, petting this gigantic police horse—this mythic creature.

I’m trying to create mythic street photography.

Something beyond this world.

Photography Beyond Fact

It doesn’t matter if I’m at a parade, walking a mundane street, or in the woods.

I don’t look at life as fact.

By documenting and abstracting at the same time, I open up infinite possibility in how I can make photographs.

The Moment With the Children

On this day, I wandered toward the end of the parade.

I saw these children playing with blankets, pretending to be flying squirrels.

Two little creatures, just playing against a brick wall.

A simple scene.

But I saw:

• innocence
• playfulness
• ambiguity

My curiosity pulled me in.

Creating Ambiguity

Street photography isn’t about where you are.

You can create a frame with:

• no sense of time
• no sense of place

A frame that creates myth and meaning.

I’m not looking at the moment as fact.

I’m trying to reflect how I feel about the world through the frame.

I’m trying to connect my internal feeling to what I photograph.

Staying With the Scene

This wasn’t a quick snapshot.

I stayed.

I observed.

I was present for about 10 minutes as the moment unfolded.

I chipped away at the scene, making frame after frame.

And eventually, I found it.

What I’m Really Looking For

At the end of the day:

I’m looking for ambiguity.

Not just action.
Not just obvious moments.

I want:

• no time
• no place
• sometimes no face

Just feeling.

Just mystery.

Just myth.

Emotion Without Explanation

Emotion in photography doesn’t have to be direct.

It doesn’t need:

• words
• facts
• obvious expressions

I believe emotion can arise without explanation.

We can go beyond the obvious.

Same Perspective, Any Environment

Whether I’m at a parade or walking a quiet street—

my perspective stays the same.

The external environment doesn’t matter.

What matters is how I see.

Closing

That’s how I approached the St. Patrick’s Day Parade here in Philadelphia.

Those are the photographs that I made.

That’s everything I’ve got.

Peace.