Oftentimes we get caught up in location as an important factor for our photography. I believe that where you are right now is the best place to be. The mundane world around us is infinitely photographable if we open up our minds to the endless possibilities. Only then can we creatively thrive.

My lust for life is infinite. It seems like there’s limitless possibilities with life and the act of photographing allows me to stay in a continual state of becoming.

Forget about your old photos. New photos are the only ones that matter. Treat your photography as a stream of becoming. Follow your intuition.

It’s always onto the next one.

Walk outside more.

Spend more time in direct sunlight.

Lift heavy weights.

Don’t sit down during the day.

Only stand and stay in the state of movement.

Eat more red meat.

Don’t do drugs or alcohol.

Sleep for 10 hours.

Photography and fitness go hand-in-hand. The physical aspect of making photographs is very critical to consider when it comes to practicing street photography. I believe when you put your physiology first, you can then make better pictures.

Fitness can be very simple.

I believe by walking more in the outdoors, you can achieve good health without even having to lift weights. This is why photography is such a great hobby. Not only do you make art, but you also work on your fitness!

When using the Ricoh GRIII with high contrast black-and-white and the small JPEG files, I am looking for the supreme aesthetic. When I go closer and closer to the subject that I am photographing, I like to embrace the macro and utilize the exposure compensation to create a darker image. I believe that we can achieve a sublime aesthetic using this technique of lowering the exposure compensation, using automatic mode, and embracing the macro feature on the Ricoh GRIII.

I believe that a day without good sleep is not a day worth living. If you have low energy, you might as well just take a nap. Prioritize your sleep at all costs. I like to wait until the end of the day to eat my meal. Eating lots of meat makes me very tired. It’s also important to go to the gym daily, walk all day, and never sit down. Sleeping deeply is the goal.

When you’re on the street, recognize that the details are beautiful too. We don’t only have to photograph people in a traditional, candid way. Perhaps we can make more pictures if we actually open ourselves up to the endless possibilities and the multi-faceted complexities of mundane life.

Hydration is extremely critical. The simple things in health go overlooked a lot of the times because we’re caught up in living in an automatic mode without thinking much. Make sure to drink enough water when you start the day. Try to drink 2 liters before noon and keep hydrating throughout the afternoon and evening.

Treat Life Like a Video Game

You Are the Hero Character

You matter. Treat yourself like you do. Create the world you wish to live in and augment your reality through your actions. Be the main character—the hero—in your own story. Stay engaged as your journey unfolds, and embrace the role of an active participant in life. Think of yourself as the protagonist, constantly upgrading and leveling up.

“Anything that attacks you only makes you stronger. To be a warrior and the main character is a powerful antidote to this modern world.”

Open World Concept

The world is limitless. There are no borders, no walls—only endless terrain to explore. I believe thinking beyond your hometown and embracing a global perspective is crucial for creative growth. The open world is ours to conquer. When you’re out on the streets, interacting with people, you’re in the heart of this open-world experience. This isn’t about staying indoors, stagnant, like a goblin at a computer screen. Go outside, under the sun, and embrace the real world.

“When you explore the streets and interact with people, don’t take life so seriously. Video games are meant to be fun—so let life be the same.”

Level Up Each Day

Just as you’d level up in a game like Skyrim, increase your stats in real life. I believe every gamer should supplement their passion with lifting weights. The gym is a real-life experience of progressive overload. Each day, your strength can increase by +1. Compare yourself not to others, but to who you were yesterday.

“Every day you can improve yourself, like the main hero character. In the gym, treat each rep as leveling up your strength, resilience, and character.”

Consider how each interaction and each effort makes you a stronger character, just like in a video game. Your strength, speech, and skills improve as you engage with the world. Take inspiration from heroes like King Leonidas from 300—think like a warrior, raising an army within yourself, ready to face whatever life throws at you.

Interact with NPCs

The more you engage with people in your community, the more connected you become to the world around you. Interact with more NPCs, allowing yourself to be open to new quests, conversations, and experiences throughout your day. This helps you grow in “speech” and “persuasion”—skills that make life’s interactions richer and more rewarding. Whether you’re chatting with strangers at a fountain or meeting people on the street, these small encounters add depth to your life’s story.

Have Fun!

Video games are meant to be fun—so treat life this way! Embrace the spirit of play, returning to a childlike state each morning. Stay curious, courageous, and create your own hero story. Don’t get bogged down in nostalgia or routines; life is an adventure waiting to unfold.

“Build your character, explore the open world, and treat life like the ultimate video game. Just go out there and have fun in the real world—the open world.”

Take the lessons you’ve learned from gaming and apply them to life. Treat every day like a new level, a new quest. Upgrade your mind, body, and spirit, and enjoy the journey.

If you have to be indoors, I would suggest standing and having the windows wide-open. Especially if you are working at a computer, consider the keyboard and mouse as an unhealthy solution. This is where the power of AI will become interesting. Imagine a world where we can type what we think without having to raise a finger. Using voice dictation is the best current solution.

I think the more time you spend indoors, the more unhealthy you become whether physically or mentally. The air conditioner is not natural. Perhaps keeping the window open is the best option. I suppose for the winter having a heater is necessary, but wearing a warm jacket and being outside is better.

When I walk, I can think clearly and effectively. If I am sitting down inside it’s very difficult for me to do creative work. The outdoors provides infinite creative potential. I believe through the movement of your body and being outdoors, it promotes good health and better thoughts.

Photographers should take more selfies!

Typically photographers are making pictures of other people on the streets and never consider making a self portrait. This past year I’ve been exploring the selfie as a creative solution for my photography. Whenever I’m in a situation where there is nothing of interest to photograph, I decide to turn the camera on myself. This allows me to have unlimited potential as there is always an interesting subject for me to explore!

Using Procreate on the iPad is a fun way to remix photographs. Every day when I come home from my photo walks, I like to select a few photos and apply a black and red gradient map to create multiple images out of one. I believe they are useful to add throughout blog posts as they provide a cohesive aesthetic and powerful design. Perhaps it’s time to explore more the many ways of remixing images!

I’m currently writing this blog post using the voice dictation feature on the iPad and find it to be extremely elegant. Simple is better. Using keyboards is not healthy.

The future of photography is all about innovation. There’s infinite ways to make images using the modern technology that we currently have. It’s time to transcend the traditional ways of doing things and start from the ground up. In order to radically innovate and explore the medium of photography, I believe we must forget everything we think we know and tinker like a mad scientist.

I like the idea of the bystander being the reporter of the streets. Perhaps the future of media production is in the hands of the citizens of a city. The fact that we all have phones in our pockets now with cameras and Internet connection gives the power to we people.