We the new peripatetics
Ricoh GR IV Monochrome vs GR III — Red Filter, Street Philosophy & A Wild Day in Philly
Ricoh GR IV Monochrome vs GR III — Red Filter, Street Philosophy & A Wild Day in Philly
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
The Monochrome Report is in. It has returned.
Red filter back. Activated.
Returned from the repair center just a day ago. Got to use it one time so far — so good. They reproduced the issue using the GR World app (which I don’t even use), so we’re just gonna move on and let this thing chug.
My GR III? Still running after hundreds of thousands of shots. Even the GR II still alive.
Back in Philly — Straight Into the Chaos
I came back to Philadelphia two days ago and immediately went to Kensington.
I hopped on the Market-Frankford Line, landed in North Philly — gritty, raw, real.
I believe in photographing everything.
Not just joy.
But pain. Suffering. Complexity. Humanity.
Life is not one-dimensional. Why should your photography be?
I ended up talking with people on the corner. Just being human. That led to portraits.
That’s the thing:
Photography is a byproduct of how you engage with life.
If you’re curious, playful, open — life gives you moments.
Life Is a Video Game
Life is a video game.
You’ve got unlimited respawns.
So why are you scared?
Go into the gray zones on the map. The places you’re unsure about.
That’s where the treasure is.
That’s where the photos are.
Stop playing safe. Go explore the map.
From Kensington to Center City
Same day:
- Kensington streets
- Greek parade
- Graduation ceremony
- Benjamin Franklin walking like a boss
- Pigeons flying through Center City
When the pigeons flew?
I didn’t think.
I just moved and shot.
Photography is physical. Not intellectual.
With the Ricoh on a wrist strap, it becomes part of your body.
You move → you shoot.
The Portal, The Weirdness, The Day
Saw one of those portal screens — like a FaceTime to another city.
Felt surreal. Like a black mirror.
Then:
- Block party
- Dance energy
- Mall models
I told two women:
“Is this a contest? Because you’re gonna win.”
They laughed.
Click.
That’s the photo.
Energy creates images. Not settings.
Chinatown — 50mm Crop Mode
Switched to 50mm crop.
Tap twice. Boom.
Now I’m isolating subjects. Removing noise.
My setup:
- 50mm crop
- Underexpose by 2 stops
- Multi-segment metering
I used highlight-weighted for 3 years…
But multi-segment?
Way more fluid.
Less friction = more instinct.
GR IV Monochrome — First Impressions
Now we switch.
Same recipe:
- High contrast
- Maxed out
- Small JPEGs
But…
There’s a difference.
More shadow detail. Better feel.
Snappier. Faster. Stronger.
The monochrome just hits different.
Street Skateboarding Mindset
I treat photography like street skating.
The city is a skatepark.
- Curbs
- Railings
- Light
- Shadows
- Gestures
Everything is a spot.
You don’t go out saying:
“I’m only doing one trick.”
No.
You flow.
You adapt.
You play.
Photography is landing tricks on reality.
Red Filter = Superpower
The red filter?
Game changer.
Crushes skies. Deep contrast. Mystery.
And it’s built into the camera.
No accessories. No fluff.
Use the tool as-is. That’s the magic.
A1 — The Street Philosopher
Ran into my guy A1.
Street artist. Wild energy.
Before he saw me — I dropped and did push-ups.
We start talking Bible stories. Genesis. Isaac. Rebekah.
Then a girl shows up…
With a squirrel puppet.
Then a camel puppet.
Gives him water.
Everything aligned.
This is what happens when you’re open to life.
Evening — Schuylkill River Trail
Now we slow down.
Nature. Light. Sunset.
I walk this same path every day.
Same sculpture.
Every day, I shoot it.
Why?
Training instinct.
Like tutorial mode in a video game.
Composition Is Physical
I saw a man balancing on a railing at sunset.
At first — horizontal frame.
Too much empty space.
Then I adjusted.
Vertical.
Filled the frame.
Stayed in the scene until it ended.
Don’t leave the scene. Let the scene leave you.
Then I did it myself.
Climbed the rail.
Walked it.
Fell off.
Sent him the photo later.
Final Thoughts — Go Outside
I ended the day at the cliff. Watching the sunset.
And I realized:
Life is wide open.
There’s so much to see. So much to photograph.
When you’re inside — your soul fades.
When you’re outside — you come alive.
Be a human first. Photographer second.
The Philosophy
- Stop thinking
- Start doing
- Follow instinct
- Stay curious
Your next photo is your best photo.
Not the perfect one.
The next one.
Return to Day One
Wake up empty.
Forget what you know.
Go play.
Return to that childlike state.
That’s where the magic is.
Red filter on.
Go explore.
Peace.
Get Closer: The Secret to Better Photos with the Ricoh GR
Get Closer: The Secret to Better Photos with the Ricoh GR
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Check out that beautiful photograph I just made of a leaf.
Today I’m thinking about photographing details, textures, and putting the Ricoh GR in close proximity to surfaces.
The Superpower of Getting Close
The superpower of the Ricoh is simple:
You can get extremely close.
There’s a macro feature—click up on the D-pad—and suddenly you unlock a whole new way of seeing.
Pair that with exposure compensation, underexpose for the highlights, and you start to create something different.
When you get close, the world opens up.
Light, Texture, and Wabi-Sabi
Right now I’m photographing a leaf.
A tear in the leaf. Imperfection. Texture.
That wabi-sabi aesthetic.
Underexpose the highlights, crush the shadows—and something beautiful happens.
It’s liberating.
Slow Down and Look
Most people walk past this path every day.
They’re not looking at:
- Cobwebs
- Leaves
- Textures
- Small details
We live fast lives.
But it’s a luxury to slow down.
And when you slow down, you start to see.
There’s Always Something to Shoot
Shoutout to Dimitri in Seattle from the Flux community.
Man’s out with his wife and kids, running errands, in a toy store—and still photographing.
Still finding things.
He got close to an advertisement and made something interesting out of it.
That’s the mindset.
Wherever you are—there’s something.
Frictionless Photography
This whole practice is about removing friction.
- Ricoh GR
- High contrast black and white
- P mode
- JPEG
- Everything baked in
No decisions.
Just shoot.
When you get home?
Nothing to do except select and publish.
Build Your Archive
Go out every day.
Make a few frames.
That’s it.
Brick by brick.
Over time, you’ll build an archive.
And inside that archive?
There will be photos you’re proud of.
Don’t Worry About Location
Location doesn’t matter.
You can be anywhere:
- City
- Suburbs
- Middle of nowhere
There’s always something.
You don’t need a perfect place—you need awareness.
Stop Trying to Impress
Don’t photograph for:
- Trends
- Other people
- Validation
Photograph for yourself.
Only make photos you want to exist.
Cultivate Instinct
This is what it’s really about.
Instinct.
Remove the friction:
- No thinking
- No overanalyzing
- Just shooting
Eventually, it becomes effortless.
You enter the flow state.
Photography as a Ritual
Photography isn’t just about the final image.
It’s a daily ritual.
A way of engaging with life.
A way of noticing.
A way of being present.
You exist outside the passage of time when you’re in it.
Enter the Stream
Photography is endless.
It’s a stream.
You don’t arrive—you just keep going.
- Try macro
- Shoot landscapes
- Photograph people
- Make self-portraits
Don’t limit yourself.
Final Thought
Play.
That’s it.
Stop taking it so seriously.
Go out there, get close, and see what happens.
The road is endless.
Just start today.
FRONTLINES OF LIFE
Frontlines of Life
A seven-year photographic journey through the frontlines of everyday life.
Frontlines of Life presents the first seven years of street photography by Dante Sisofo, spanning from 2016 to 2022. Made across Baltimore, Philadelphia, Israel, Napoli, Zambia, Mumbai, and Mexico City, the photographs capture fleeting moments of everyday life as they unfold in public space.
Sisofo began photographing while studying art in Baltimore, where the streets became his training ground. His curiosity soon led him beyond the United States—studying in Jerusalem, photographing in Jericho, and later living with a Palestinian family after graduating. In 2019, he joined the Peace Corps and lived in a rural village in Zambia, an experience that deepened his understanding of people, culture, and daily life.
Moving through streets, markets, neighborhoods, and villages, Sisofo documents the spontaneity of human experience—moments of play, tension, loss, and belief that emerge and disappear without warning. Scenes of childhood, conflict, ritual, and quiet observation unfold side by side, revealing a world where joy and struggle coexist.
These photographs were not staged or constructed. They were made through walking, observing, and responding instinctively in real time.
The images in this book represent the first chapter of Sisofo’s work in color—an early period of exploration, travel, and discovery that shaped the foundation of his photographic vision.
For Sisofo, street photography is a way of placing oneself in the frontlines of life—fully present, attentive, and open to whatever may appear.
