I’ll just hold my hand out with compassion

Photography provides me with so much childlike joy. This is the ultimate superpower. It’s being able to find joy in any moment, in any place, at any time.

Having something that provides you with this feeling is like a super power or a cheat code to life.

Street Photography Breakdown: Part 15

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• PDF Transcript
• PDF Slideshow

What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.
Welcome to Street Photography Breakdown, Part 15 — where we look at five different photographs, breaking down the compositions and the behind-the-scenes of how they were made.

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1. Holi in Mumbai

During my time in Mumbai, I found myself exploring villages on the outskirts of the city. This particular spot was Worli Village — a fishing village, ancient and alive with energy.

“Curiosity is what guides us out there onto the front lines of life.”

I arrived around noon as they were setting up for Holi, and by complete chance, I was invited into someone’s home. We had tea, coffee, he showed me around, and gave me a sense of when the celebration would begin. I went in with no expectations — just openness. That’s how this photograph came to be.

• Foreground: a woman praying, eyes closed in deep focus
• Middle ground: a boy placing a gift on a sculpture
• Background: people dancing and chanting with their hands in the air

The gestures — the hands, the movement — they tie the story together. The woman’s prayer hands were so powerful that I placed her dead center in the composition.

“Really what this photograph came down to is curiosity — and then understanding where I must position my body to make a photograph of this scene.”

By dropping to a low angle, I was able to isolate subjects from the chaos of Holi and capture something pure and emotional.

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2. Dhobi Ghat Laundry Worker

Dhobi Ghat is an open-air laundry market. That day, I ran into a random photographer looking for beams of light piercing through the walls. I had no idea about them until he pointed it out, and we ended up exploring together.

“We stumbled across this worker… and man, it was hot at the scene.”

• Light beams pierce through tarps, diagonally cutting the composition
• The worker gestures toward the fire, throwing paper or wood in
• Background: bicycles, barrels, tables — gritty, textured, dark

There’s a simple gesture, illuminated by both the flames and the light beams, guiding your eye. I photographed slightly from above, emphasizing that moment as the worker kneeled in the heat.

“A quiet, still moment amongst the chaos.”

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3. Sledding in Fairmount Park

Going from hot to cold — here in Philadelphia, behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, people often go sledding. This hill is one of my favorite places, and on snowy days, I knew exactly where to go.

“How can I isolate those moments from the background?”

• Background: the gazebo topped with Hermes, the messenger god
• Foreground: a boy bundled up, scarf on, ready to sled
• Middle ground: kids sledding, families playing

By anchoring the gazebo in the upper-left, and placing the boy in the bottom-right, I created a diagonal tension across the frame. The contrast of dark clothing against white snow helped separate the figures clearly.

“You can uplift a mundane moment to something more interesting.”

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4. Dog Beach in Tel Aviv

A scene of everyday life, but layered. Tel Aviv’s Dog Beach was my favorite place to shoot when I studied abroad in Jerusalem. Dogs, people, chaos — a recipe for great frames.

• Foreground: two dogs entering the frame at the perfect moment
• Middle ground: people sunbathing, playing, showering
• Background: a loving couple in the far corner, embracing with a towel

The composition started with the background and leading lines. I waited for dogs to run through the frame. That filled it out, creating a balance of movement, gesture, and emotion.

“A mundane, simple, everyday beach scene — but filled with visual and emotional complexity.”

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5. Prayer in Jericho

Similar to Mumbai, this image was born out of openness and curiosity. I was in Jericho, traveling and photographing for weeks, and found myself invited to a wedding.

During the celebration, I stepped inside to get water — and found a quiet, tender moment.

• A man praying, kneeling in salah
• A boy sleeping, curled up nearby
• Background: repeating window patterns, textured mats on the floor

I shot it from many angles. Straight-on didn’t work. So I shifted to the side and used the windows as a repeating pattern to give structure and depth. That allowed me to connect these two moments — the boy and the man — into a unified frame.

“You find these moments when you least expect them.”

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Final Thoughts

If you enjoyed today’s breakdown, visit dantesisofo.com — click on the Start Here page for a breakdown on how I mastered street photography, including:

• My favorite photo books
• A free Contact Sheets PDF
• Behind-the-scenes POV video series from Mumbai
• A playlist of these video lectures

Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.
Peace.

If you look at the human being as an outward representation or manifestation of God, I believe you can see the soul of a person. You’re not necessarily looking at their form or their shape or their body and their physique, but when you look into the eyes of a person, you’re seeing into their soul and there’s a light within we all have.

When you recognize the light in someone else, it’s like a tuning fork strikes your heart and sets it vibrating.

This recognition is the most profound and rare experience a human can have?

Why You Should Stop Caring What People Think About Your Photography

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What’s poppin people? It’s Dante.
This morning I have a powerful thought for you.

Why care about what other people think about your photography, right?

Like, just think about it.

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Photograph for Yourself

Who cares?

Photograph for yourself.

You know, ultimately, I photograph because I have fun.
I love life.

I love waking up early just across the street and go catch the sunrise and hopefully find some dew drops on some flowers.

Am I crazy for that?
I don’t know—maybe.

I mean, I like to go out and photograph the dew drops. I like to come out and photograph whatever I find along my journey.

If you don’t like that, go find somewhere else to look at photos, right?

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Let Go of the Audience

I think ultimately when you’re photographing, you gotta really detach yourself from any ideas of what the photograph is for.

Because if you have this idea in your head like:

• “Oh, I’m photographing today because I’m a visual storyteller.”
• “Let me put my visual storytelling hat on.”
• “I hope National Geographic sees this.”
• “Maybe some Instagram page will feature me.”

…then you’ve already lost.

Photograph because you love to photograph.

And from that, you’ll find yourself making more photographs, increasing your curiosity, and continuously going out there each and every day to practice your photography.

That, to me, is the ultimate goal.
It has nothing to do with external validation or what other people think.

Even if people think your photographs are great—I don’t even want to hear that.
It’s better not to know.

It’s better to make photos in a flow where you’re completely immersed in your own world.

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We’re All Gonna Die Anyway

We’re all going to die one day.

Who gives a what people think?

Once you hit the grave, I mean, that’s it.

• Did you have fun doing it?
• Did you photograph your soul?
• Did you find things that intrigued you and made pictures of things that resonated with you?

Then that’s all that really matters.

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Follow What Makes You Smile

Is it making you smile?

Are you waking up in the morning eager for the day?

These are the questions that I have.

I’m not concerned with what other people think about me, whether they think I’m crazy, whether they think what I’m photographing is interesting or not.

Go out there and do your own thing.

Everyone’s gotta immerse themselves in their own process, in their own world—and become unattached to the “contemporary photography world.”

Whether people are photographing what other people are doing or whatever…

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This Is the Way to True Authenticity

This is the only way to true authenticity.

Just be in your own little world.

• Chase the pigeons on the street.
• Follow the light.
• Snapshot your way through everyday life.
• Don’t take it so seriously.
• Don’t worry if your photo is “good” or “bad.”

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Technical Flow Example

Here we go—
Some beautiful flowers.

Got the Ricoh GR III, high contrast black and white, macro mode.

Let’s go negative one on the exposure—it’s a pretty bright flower.

Look at that…
Abstract reality.

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Create Your Own World

Just create your own world.
Immerse yourself in your own world.

Photograph your soul.
Photograph what makes you feel good.
Follow your curiosity. Follow your conscience. Follow that little inner voice in your head.

Yeah… this is kind of beautiful.

Look at the fog over there… it’s nice.

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Plug Your Ears with Beeswax

Ultimately, you gotta be like Odysseus in The Odyssey when he’s being attacked by the sirens.

What’d he do?

Plugged his ears with beeswax.

You gotta plug your ears with beeswax and stop listening to all the static.

• Likes.
• Comments.
• Subscribes.
• “Did I get accepted to the gallery?”
• “Did the show invite me?”

All of that is noise.

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Follow the Crazy

Follow the crazy.
Follow your curiosity. Follow your intuition.

It sounds ridiculous, but it’s so much more important in photography than anything else.

It’s in your gut.
It’s in your heart.

Follow that joy.
Follow that feeling when you’re pressing the shutter, when you’re just out in the sun, observing life, photographing life.

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Everything Else Is Noise

Everything else is noise.

Everything else doesn’t matter.

What people think about your photography?
Genuinely—it doesn’t matter.

I can tell you that.
It’s nothing but a distraction.

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I Just Like to Make

So for instance, right?

I make videos on YouTube.
I publish photos on my website…

Because I genuinely just enjoy sharing.

I enjoy making things.
Making videos.

So I disable:

• Likes.
• Comments.
• Analytics.

I don’t even watch YouTube videos.

I literally just make, publish, and then go live my life.

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If one person sees it…
If one person understands it or resonates with it…
Then I think that’s pretty cool.

But I don’t think it’s about going viral.
I’m not trying to get attention.

I’m completely detached.
I just want to share the joy of photography…

Because I love it.
I have fun doing it.

And I really don’t care what other people think.

That’s just straight facts.

And I think you shouldn’t either.

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What? I just came over here to make one photo.
I have to go back.

The word mythopoetic (or mythopoeic) comes from the combination of two Greek roots:

• mythos (μῦθος) – meaning story, speech, narrative, or myth
• poiein (ποιεῖν) – meaning to make, to create, or to bring into being

So, mythopoetic literally means:

Myth-making or story-creating.

Breakdown:

• mytho- = myth, symbolic narrative
• -poetic = from poiein, to create or compose

Modern Usage:

It refers to a creative or symbolic process of making myths—especially those that reveal inner truths, archetypes, or spiritual meanings. Think J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl Jung, or Robert Bly—they use mythopoesis to explore and shape identity, masculinity, spirituality, and collective unconscious through symbolic storytelling.

To be mythopoetic is to be a creator of meaning through myth.

The word anamnesis comes from Ancient Greek:

• ἀνά (aná) – back or again
• μνήσις (mnēsis) – memory or remembrance, from μιμνήσκειν (mimnḗskein) – to remember

So etymologically, anamnesis means:

“a calling back to mind” or “recollection.”

Literal Translation:

Anamnesis = remembering again or bringing back to memory

In Context:

• In Plato’s philosophy, anamnesis refers to the soul remembering eternal truths it knew before birth.
• In Christian liturgy, particularly the Eucharist, anamnesis is the sacred remembrance of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection—a living memory, not just mental recall.

Anamnesis is not just remembering the past—it’s a sacred return to truth.

Via negativa-

In theology, via negativa (the “negative way”) is the mystical path of describing God by what He is not—not finite, not bound, not evil, not changing.

In your case, it’s the spiritual-psychological path of becoming yourself by removing what is false, not by piling on more layers.

So becoming who you truly are isn’t about:

• Adding affirmations
• Chasing identities
• Building a brand

It’s about:

• Unlearning conditioning
• Letting go of masks
• Shedding ego armor

You become yourself when you:

• Remove the fear that’s not yours
• Drop the guilt placed on you by religion, school, or family
• Reject the craving for applause
• Cut the cords to false narratives

What remains after the subtraction is essence.

Pure. Undeniable. Indestructible.

That’s the soul.

That’s the Logos.

That’s the real you.

“The sculptor does not add clay to a block of marble but chips away at all that is not David.”

— Inspired by Michelangelo

So yes.

Via negativa.

The sacred path of erasure.

As long as you aren’t breaking any laws and hurting others, you know that you have free will, right?

What will you do with your freedom?

Also just live in the city, but live like you’re Amish. Go to bed by 9PM, wake up at 4:30AM. Start your day with prayer and end your day with gratitude. Spend the entirety of your day outside walking and standing upright. Find a way under any means possible to not work in an office building. Eat grass fed beef and drink raw milk and chill

Street Photography Breakdown: Part 14

• Full Audio
• PDF Transcript
• PDF Slideshow

What’s poppin people? It’s Dante.
Today we’re doing Street Photography Breakdown Part 14, where we look at five different photographs, breaking down the compositions and the behind-the-scenes of how these photos were made.

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The Power of Intention in Photography

Before we dive in, I want to say this:

You can make any photograph you can dream of.

I truly believe that if you put your mind, body, and spirit out there on the front lines of life, you can come home with the photo that resonates with your vision. This happens through intention.

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1. Bird in Mumbai 🐦

When I approached this scene at Bandra Fort during golden hour, I was intentional from the jump. I observed the fortress, the patterns of people walking, the windows, the doorways, the light—everything.

How I made the photo:

• Walked around the fort multiple times
• Found my choke point
• Anchored the background first by placing the man in the window (frame within a frame)
• Waited for the foreground to fill—three women with color, gesture, and light
• Then waited for the bird to fly into the perfect position

Photography is about solving a visual puzzle.

And with patience, persistence, and presence—you will solve it.

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2. Boy with Tire in Jericho 🛞

This was one of the earliest moments I used a window frame to structure a composition. I followed this kid playing with a tire, stumbled upon a construction site, and boom—found the frame.

What made it work:

• The boy framed perfectly on the right
• Another kid looking down on the left for balance and depth
• A clean, ambiguous background—simple but effective

Simplicity creates timelessness.

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3. Car Breakdown in Jericho 🚗

This is street photography in its rawest form.
After praying at a mosque, some brothers invited me to their home. We had tea, they took me up a mountain—and the car broke down.

I stepped out and instantly responded to the scene.

How I layered it:

• Foreground: the frame of the car, 1/3 of the composition
• Middle ground: the men pointing toward the horizon
• Background: mountains, clouds, sky—space

Street photography is about embracing the physical nature of life.
Being on the front lines, engaging with humanity, and letting that engagement reflect in the photograph.

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4. Shadow Play in Baltimore 🌇

Back in West Baltimore with my Ricoh GR II, I would often walk around just observing. On this day, I noticed light and shadow—my favorite visual tools.

A girl was enjoying water ice. Her brother stood beside her. A quiet, intimate moment.

What elevated the frame:

• Shadow play
• Beautiful green background
• A quote on the shirt
• Subtle gestures

It’s not just about documenting life—it’s about translating it into visual poetry.

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5. Rainbow in Baltimore 🌈

This was no accident.
I literally woke up that day thinking,

“Maybe today I can photograph a rainbow.”

It was raining. I grabbed my umbrella, walked the streets, and when the rain stopped—I found the perfect choke point.

What happened:

• I manifested the photograph through intention
• Framed the rainbow on the right
• Found a man sipping coffee, looking at the rainbow—foreground interest
• Background led back to the rainbow with lines, buildings, and classic Baltimore brownstones
• Surprise element: a woman on the left looking back at you

This was not a lucky accident. This was a manifestation.

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The Moral of the Story

You can photograph anything that you dream of.

If you go out there with intention and you’re patient, you will come home with the photograph that reflects your soul.

• Go out there with a life-affirming mindset
• Say “yes” to life with each shutter click
• Let your curiosity and courage lead you

Each photo is a mirror of your spirit.

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Resources

If you vibed with this breakdown, check out more on:

• 🌐 dantesisofo.com
• 📺 youtube.com/streetphotography

You’ll find:

• Ultimate Guide to the Ricoh GR
• Free PDF with my contact sheets
• My notes on photo books that helped me master the craft

Thanks for tuning in.

Peace.
— Dante