Author name: Dante Sisofo

This is the number one tragedy of modern living….

Why?

People might choose to stay indoors all day for various reasons:

1. Work and Leisure: With the rise of remote work and digital entertainment like streaming services, video games, and social media, many activities that once required going outside can now be done indoors.
2. Health Concerns: Some people, particularly those with health issues, might stay indoors to avoid exposure to pollutants, allergens, or to reduce the risk of infectious diseases.
3. Comfort and Convenience: Indoor environments can be more controlled and comfortable, offering amenities like air conditioning, easy access to food, and privacy.
4. Mental Health Reasons: Anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues can make leaving the house a challenging task for some individuals.
5. Safety Concerns: In some areas, concerns about crime or safety can lead people to prefer staying indoors.
6. Weather Conditions: Extreme weather, like intense heat, cold, or rain, can make staying inside more appealing.
7. Personal Preferences: Some people simply prefer indoor activities and environments over outdoor ones.

It’s important to remember that a balanced lifestyle, including time spent outdoors, is generally beneficial for physical and mental health.

When somebody asks you what you identify as, who you are, or what you do, just tell them “Spartan”

Troll as much as humanly possible.

AOOH AOOH AOOH

Today, it’s easy to seek happiness through external means. Whether it’s the unlimited yummy food options, latest TV shows, movies, comedians, etc. My antidote to all of this hedonistic pleasure in the world is to actually subtract it all and to seek happiness from within. I find bliss in solitude and walking my own path.

Street Photography 101

1. My street photography workflow
2. 10 things I learned from practicing street photography for a decade
3. Three key traits to become a successful street photographer
4. How to conquer fear in street photography
5. Courage in street photography
6. How I improved my street photography
7. Focal length thoughts
8. Why you should get close in street photography
9. Why repetition is critical for street photography
10. Why I prefer using an LCD screen for street photography
11. How to photograph decisive moments
12. What makes a successful composition?
13. Street photography is a visual game and a physical pleasure
14. How I use layers in street photography
15. Study the street
16. Snapshot street photography
17. Mundane street photography
18. Street photographers should make selfies
19. How to photograph famous landmarks
20. Photo books are good for inspiration
21. How the kendama improved my street photography
22. Why black and white street photography?
23. What is the goal of street photography

Photography Philosophy

1. The joy of photography
2. Why your photography matters
3. Street photography as a personal diary
4. Why you should start making photographs
5. Photography is a universal language
6. To photograph is to remember
7. Photography and the stream of consciousness
8. Autotelic street photography
9. The world is our canvas
10. A photograph is an instant sketch
11. How I see the world
12. Love the process
13. Champion humanity
14. The camera as a passport
15. The gift of photography
16. Photography as an excuse
17. Be a tourist in your hometown
18. Street photography ethics
19. Why so serious?
20. Don’t please the masses
21. Don’t focus on the outcome
22. Why photography is the best art form
23. Your photographs display your lust for life
24. Photography is my superpower
25. Why all photographers should travel
26. The grittier the better
27. Why snapshot?
28. Why sublime
29. Embrace the elements
30. Uplift the discarded
31. Explore your conscious and subconscious mind on the street
32. Digital world
33. Why you should make slideshows
34. Treat everything as a potential photograph
35. What is a photograph?
36. Photographers are visual artists
37. Why photography is my superpower
38. Anybody can become a street photographer
39. To photograph is to be
40. Create more
41. Just do it

Street Technique

1. Street Photography Technique: Fishing
2. Street Photography Technique: Hunting
3. Street Photography Technique: Be a Tourist
4. Street Photography Technique: Use the LCD Screen
5. Street Photography Technique: Layering
6. Street Photography Technique: Use Reflections
7. Street Photography Technique: Go Slow

Photo Assignments

1. Photo Assignment: Make a Self Portrait
2. Photo Assignment: Shoot from the Window
3. Photo Assignment: Look up!
4. Photo assignment: Get Closer
5. Photo Assignment: Macro Mode
6. Photo Assignment: Walk in Nature
7. Photo Assignment: Document Change

Use the LCD screen on the street. Try out this technique: pretend like you’re a tourist or making a video. When I use the LCD screen, I oftentimes hold the camera out in front of me like a tourist would be photographing with an iPhone. It is a very easy technique that can actually benefit the way that you see.

More potential for play

The biggest benefit of using an LCD screen is that it allows me to make pictures from different angles much more easily than a viewfinder. I can reach up very high and photograph from a unique perspective using an LCD screen. I can also drop very low and achieve a heroic angle to uplift the subjects within my frames. I find that I can place the camera in a variety of different ways. By using an LCD screen, I surprise myself more with the photos that I make. Also, it is a much more stealthy approach that allows you to make photos with ease without disturbing the peace.

The tourist technique is a simple one. You walk around your town and pretend like you’re a tourist. I actually embrace this technique to the fullest and will enter the visitor center in my city each day. I’m always curious and read the bulletin to see what events are going on, view the different displays that showcase Philadelphia, learn some history, and just embrace being a tourist to the fullest. This, of course, is not necessary, but I find it a very fascinating way to embrace the day.

The tourist mindset

A tourist is always open and excited. To be in a state of eagerness on the street is critical for me to stay inspired. You should feel this sense of wonder and awe as if you’re seeing something for the first time when you’re making photographs. This will fuel your curiosity and allow you to make pictures every single day, no matter if you walk the same lane. Think of a tourist walking through the streets in your hometown. They’re probably having the time of their life as they are experiencing something brand new. We can achieve this mindset as street photographers by simply remaining open with a sense of child-like wonder.

Street photographers are like hunters. While we are walking through the streets, observing everyday life, it’s critical to always be prepared and ready to press the shutter before the decisive moment occurs. The hunting technique is all about movement, speed, and patience.

Look down the street

When you’re on the hunt, you must be ready before the moments you desire to photograph even occur. Look down the street and predict the movement patterns of people as they walk towards you. Watch the feet of people, observe gestures, and recognize the flow of traffic in your town. Anticipation is critical when on the hunt. Stay vigilant and always keep your head on a swivel.

Movement, speed, and patience

For what is street photography, but merely walking, observing, making photos, failing, and making some more photos. When you’re on the hunt, recognize that the more that you move, the more that you will see and ultimately shoot. You don’t have to walk with such speed, but you should photograph with intensity. I prefer to walk slowly on the street and remain vigilant and patient on the hunt. I let life flow towards me and I’m simply there with my camera, ready to pounce. I find that the compositions I create while walking and moving my physical body are more interesting. When you’re on the hunt, you’re always watching, always ready to press that shutter. Also, it’s important to remember that failure is mostly what happens when you’re on the street. You’re going to make a lot of failed photos, but in the end, the more that you remain patient on the hunt, you will be rewarded.

In street photography, the fishing technique is a way to increase your chances of making a successful composition. Essentially, position yourself on a corner, or at a particular spot in your city and wait for people to enter your frame.

Go where the action is

Find the most bustling part of town or where know there will be action. Position yourself strategically amongst the sea of people. Find your background and set yourself up in a way that will give you a higher success rate with your photography. I often like to stand near the curb of a street and find a place where people converge on a street corner. Any street corner can be the perfect place for you to start and practice the fishing technique. Personally, in Philadelphia, I use the tunnels of City Hall. At this particular location I am always certain that people will be walking through. There’s lots of tourist and locals that pass through these halls, and the light is always beautiful no matter of the time of day or weather condition. Because I know I will have a higher success rate at this location, I always make sure to practice the fishing technique at City Hall.

Pretend like your photographing the background

When you’re practicing the fishing technique, just pretend like you’re photographing the background! If you are fishing on a street corner, look up towards the architecture, and act as though you’re interested in something else. Don’t make eye contact with the people that are passing through and allow life to flow past you. You should prepare your camera so that you can be in the right position at the right time. Become one with the corner that you choose to fish upon. Recognize the different patterns that occur as people converge. With the fishing technique, it’s all about patience, understanding the location, and being ready to press the shutter!

As street photographers, we thrive in the hustle and bustle of urban cities. For a fun photo assignment, go for a walk in nature! It’s a really beautiful way to spend the day, surrounded by trees, enjoying the breeze, watching birds pass by, and just simply enjoying the fresh air.

Enjoy the fresh air and a fresh perspective

When you’re walking through nature recognize that as a street photographer, we can provide a unique perspective with out landscape shots. Treat the photos you make in nature similarly to a street shot by embracing spontaneity and speed with the way that you make the photographs. Don’t get caught up with basic notions of composition in traditional landscape techniques. Just have fun with it, and see what you can do, with a beautiful view in nature!

Macro mode on the Ricoh GRIII is fantastic! I often times find beauty in these mundane details after it rains. Looking at things from this close perspective is unlike the typical practice of making candid snapshots of people on the street. It allows you to hone in on the smallest details possible that you might overlook and appreciate the infinite potential in photography.

Get as close as possible!

Macro mode allows me to find beautiful moments that my eyes alone cannot see. Treat the camera as way for you to see things differently. Put your camera as close as possible to textures on the walls, the withering of the leaves, reflections on the ground, and anything really. I especially enjoy macro photography after it rains. It’s good to have a diverse archive of images. By embracing the macro mode on our cameras, we can achieve this. I want to display the multifaceted ways that you can see the world with a camera, and leaving out the small details would do that a disservice. So, go out there and explore macro mode. It is a very fun and liberating way to practice photography.

When you’re on the streets, don’t forget to look up! What this means is, everything above you is photographable. Sometimes we get caught up in making pictures from eye-level, or only looking at the streets in one particular way. By being open to what’s above you, you will unlock new perspectives and opportunities to make photographs.

The look up shot

I find that walking through an urban city like Philadelphia provides the perfect place for me to look up and gaze at architecture. I like to make these “look up shots” where I simply snapshot whatever is above me at any particular point in the walk. I don’t put too much thought into it, but I am simply curious about what’s up there. Usually at a corner where I see different buildings converge, interesting compositions can emerge. By remaining open to the things that are above us on the street, it should fuel you with more curiosity. The goal is to continue making more pictures. Become intrigued and inspired by the architecture above you, wherever you may be.

A fun way to photograph during a commute, is to just shoot through the window. Whether I’m taking a train, plane, bus, or riding in a car, I oftentimes make photographs directly out of the window.

Embrace movement

One thing that I find interesting when photographing out of the window, is the simple fact that the vehicle is in a constant state of movement. This allows for incremental change within the compositions that you make. Set your camera to focus at infinity, and just point and shoot.

See from a new perspective

I’m very curious about shooting through windows because it unlocks a new perspective that I can’t find on the ground. Also, it’s much more interesting to look out the window and get lost in new landscapes. Try using the shape of the window to make interesting frames and new compositions. Ultimately, making pictures on the train allows the time to pass by in a fun way while also coming home with some new pictures that I wouldn’t have made otherwise.

One very simple photo assignment I have for you is to make a self portrait. For this past one year I’ve been making many self portraits wherever I may be. Sometimes I’ll find a patch of light that catches my eye, but there’s no people to photograph on the street. What I realize is, you are a subject! In any opportune moment you find, make a selfie. I believe it’s a fun way to make pictures, and it helps me think more creatively with how I can approach my street photography

Use the light

Oftentimes when I’m indoors, life can feel like a bore. But sometimes I find myself gazing out the window and use the natural light from outside to make self portraits. It’s a very simple technique. I believe that everybody becomes aesthetically beautiful in a photograph through the use of natural light. Also, if I’m underground and walking around the subway stations, I use the various lamps on the ceilings as a spotlight. Mirrors and reflective are also fun to explore for self portraits. Ultimately, make more self portraits because it’s a fun and creative way to make pictures. If you find a lack of inspiration in life around you, turn the camera inward on yourself. Become both the photographer and subject!

My photo of the day-