May 4, 2026 – Philadelphia










What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
So I wanted to make this video for Dimmitri—you were talking about culling, editing, and all that kind of jazz. I wanted to show you how incredible the small JPEG workflow with the iPad Pro is.
Honestly, any iPad can do this.
I make a folder for each day that I photograph.
Today is April 26th, 2026.
I already have the USB-C to SD reader plugged into the iPad, SD card loaded. I import everything directly into that day’s folder.
We’re talking about ~200 JPEGs importing fast. Like, no friction.
And once it’s done, the folder just pops up at the top of the albums. Everything is organized chronologically.
Simple.
Now I go through the photos and make my initial favorites.
I don’t overthink this.
I tap the thumbnail → hit the favorite icon → move on.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about moving fast.
I’m not sitting there going back and forth between two images. I just pick one and keep it pushing.
You can usually tell which photo is stronger just from the thumbnail. You see the composition, the edges of the frame—it’s obvious.
These photos were made on a walk through Kensington and Center City in Philadelphia.
I wasn’t even “seriously” shooting—just on a call, talking, making snapshots.
Then I got on the train and went straight into chaos.
And yeah, I know people might ask why photograph gritty scenes like that—drug use, rough environments, all that.
But for me:
It’s my duty to document humanity in the entirety of the city.
Philadelphia has beauty—parks, nature—but also these intense, raw environments.
I don’t shy away from that.
Of course, I’m mindful—concealing identities when needed. But people were open. I even showed them my book Flux, and they were rocking with it.
So I made the photos.
After the first pass, I go into the Favorites folder.
I already have a monthly folder ready—April 2026 selections.
Now I go through the favorites and drag anything that stands out into that monthly folder.
This is the second layer of filtering.
Still fast. Still intuitive.
If I have multiple frames of the same scene, I don’t waste time.
I highlight them, send them to ChatGPT:
“Which photograph is the keeper? File name.”
And it tells me.
Nine times out of ten, it confirms what I already felt.
I believe in technology. I believe in speed.
Photography doesn’t need to be slow and painful.
This helps me move forward instead of getting stuck.
Now I go into the monthly folder and make another round of selections.
From there, I drag the best images into a yearly folder (2026).
These are the photos I’ll:
But let’s be clear:
These are NOT final selections.
They’re just part of the daily rhythm.
The real selection happens later.
Months later. Years later.
When I’m making a book, that’s when I go deep—cutting it down to 50–60 images.
That’s a different mindset entirely.
Right now?
This is just practice. Daily movement. Staying in rhythm.
Once I have my final daily selects (usually around 10–15 photos), I bring them into Lightroom.
I keep a massive Ricoh GR black and white album—thousands of images.
Everything syncs to the cloud.
Everything backed up.
Everything organized.
From there:
And then?
Move on to the next day.
No overthinking. No dragging it out.
Just shoot → select → publish → repeat.
This is the system.
Fast JPEGs.
iPad workflow.
Minimal friction.
One camera. One aesthetic. One workflow. One rhythm.
That’s it.
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Today I want to share with you some thoughts on how adopting a frictionless workflow has completely transformed my photography.
When you have a frictionless workflow, photography becomes effortless—and then inevitably, the flow state emerges.
And the flow state is one of the peak human experiences you can achieve.
Photography for me has become a way of being, more than just a way to express myself creatively.
It’s how I:
So what I’ve done is remove all decisions from the ground up.
“I stay tried and true to one camera, one lens.”
I slip the Ricoh GR in my front right pocket, live my life, and photograph what I find.
No more hunting.
I don’t make dedicated trips to go shoot.
I don’t block time.
Photography is now integrated into my everyday life.
The goal is simple: stay in a state where I’m always ready to notice.
Because the flow state emerges when you’re laser focused—and you can’t hesitate.
On a practical level:
So all I’m left with is:
light and shadow
This isn’t an aesthetic decision.
It’s a technical one that removes friction:
Black and white isn’t about style.
It’s about eliminating noise.
“Style arises when you no longer hesitate and cultivate instinct.”
When everything is stripped away, all that’s left is:
There’s been a shift:
From:
To:
Because it’s so effortless now, I’m in a perpetual flow state.
Clicking the shutter becomes part of life.
I’ve been practicing for over a decade.
And I realized:
Photography can actually get in the way of living.
So I removed everything unnecessary.
Now I can:
All the technical stuff?
Secondary.
What matters to me is:
“The photographs you make from this state reflect your inner world.”
This is a visual diary.
Something:
The goal isn’t:
The goal is:
“Making something for the sake of making something.”
That’s the autotelic state.
This process has made photography joyful again.
It gives me:
I literally go to sleep excited to wake up and shoot again.
You’re a human first.
Photographer second.
So wake up with enthusiasm.
Go live your life.
Photography will follow.
Effortlessly.
If you want to avoid burnout…
Remove more.
Strip everything down.
Stay with:
And it becomes inevitable:
You will create.
If this resonates with you, join me in this practice.
Otherwise…
I’ll be out on the streets.
In the spirit of play.
Every single day.
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Today I want to share my personal way of publishing photography on my own website. I don’t use Squarespace—I use my own WordPress.org blog where I create a stream of images. A stream of consciousness approach to sharing.
I just want to show you behind the scenes of what it looks like and how I publish daily.
I don’t believe you should use Instagram.
I believe you should own your own domain.
The way that I share is within a stream. As you scroll, you see images I’ve published for the day. You’ll also see the most recent YouTube video, blog posts, and then more photos.
Each day:
This workflow has given me discipline:
It’s simple.
I open Safari. I’ve got tabs ready:
Everything I need is right there.
Let’s say I was at Hollywood Beach yesterday.
I create a post:
Hollywood Beach, 2026
Then:
That’s it.
The blog becomes:
a canvas, a diary, a notebook
You can share anything instantly.
Not dependent on gatekeepers.
Not dependent on platforms.
Sometimes I just write something simple:
people are more happy at the beach
Publish it.
Later?
It evolves over time.
On my site, I built a timeline archive.
Over 13,000 photographs from 2022 to 2025.
You can:
There’s even a verification feature:
It’s nerdy. But I did it anyway.
You can filter by camera:
There’s:
I haven’t missed a day in 3.5 years.
This approach is liberating.
Photography is:
an endless stream of becoming
By publishing daily:
No:
Just pure expression.
Everything is chronological.
So I can go back and:
Each book:
I give myself room to:
That’s where creativity happens.
Every day:
Repeat.
Consistency compounds.
The archive builds.
And because:
The process is effortless.
On my site:
Everything is integrated.
I built a full system called:
Living With the Ricoh GR
Inside:
Members get:
You can literally:
plug and play your own platform
Owning your platform changes everything.
No noise.
No pressure.
No algorithm.
Just:
I encourage you:
Join the Flux community.
Let’s build something real.
Peace.
The revolution is not in the street, nor on stickers plastered across the city.
The revolution exists in over 9,000 exahash of cryptographic hash power—
in digital sovereignty,
in pure autonomy,
in the silent force of a decentralized network that cannot be stopped.

Identity — etymology
The word identity traces back to the idea of “sameness.”
- From Latin idem → “the same”
- From Late Latin identitas → “sameness, oneness”
- From Medieval Latin / Old French identité → carried into English as identity
So at its root:
Identity = that which remains the same
The tension (and why it’s interesting)
There’s a built-in paradox:
- Identity implies sameness, continuity, stability
- But real life (and your whole Flux philosophy) is constant change
So the deeper question becomes:
What is the “same” thing in a being that is always changing?
Is it:
- memory?
- pattern?
- behavior?
- perception?
Or is “identity” itself just a construct we impose to stabilize chaos?
Tie-in to your “Hive Mind” piece
Your collage almost challenges the word itself:
- If identity = sameness
- Then a hive mind is identity taken to the extreme
→ everyone becoming “the same”Which flips your earlier Bitcoin idea too:
- Hive mind → forced sameness
- Bitcoin (in your framing) → sovereign individuality within a shared protocol
That’s a much more interesting axis than just politics.
If you wanted a one-line version for your style:
Identity comes from idem — “the same.”
But nothing stays the same.That’s where it gets philosophical.
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
If you’re new to the channel, I’m here to share my ideas about photography—finding meaning in the practice and developing a consistent habit of photographing daily.
One of the biggest things that prevents us from shooting every day is depending on novelty. We think we need something interesting out there before we can make something meaningful.
But the truth is…
What actually guides me is inner curiosity.
On a recent trip to Miami, I spent two weeks basically stuck around a golf course. There was a mall nearby. That’s it. Nothing “special.”
And yet—I made some of my favorite images.
Why?
Because I tapped into a childlike curiosity.
It’s not about the place. It’s about how you see.
I wasn’t just looking at landscapes or people. I got close—macro close. Insects. Textures. Light. Patterns. Everything.
We think:
But when you depend on external conditions, you stagnate.
When you cultivate curiosity, photography becomes inevitable.
Boring photographers make boring photos.
That sounds harsh—but it’s real.
If you wake up sluggish, disconnected, uninterested…
you’re not going to create anything meaningful.
Your energy, your curiosity, your willingness to engage with life—
That’s what creates photographs.
Not the location.
Not the gear.
Not the moment.
How you feel internally will always reflect in your photography.
So instead of chasing “good photos,” focus on:
For me, photography is about:
That’s the practice.
The photo is just the byproduct.
The camera isn’t just a tool.
It’s a key.
It unlocks:
It gives you a reason to go out and experience life now.
The mall is “boring,” right?
But when I walk through it with curiosity:
And suddenly…
I’m creating something meaningful.
You don’t need an interesting place. You need an interesting perspective.
Stop hunting for photos.
Start exploring.
Instead of asking:
“Where can I find something good?”
Ask:
What will the camera see today?
That question changes everything.
Because the camera doesn’t see what your eyes see.
It interprets:
And when you review your photos later—you’re surprised.
Stop trying to:
Instead:
Embrace play. Embrace mistakes. Embrace randomness.
That’s where the magic is.
I keep it minimal:
I’m not overthinking composition.
I’m snapshotting my way through life.
And when I review the images?
I’m surprised.
That surprise fuels curiosity.
Curiosity fuels consistency.
Consistency builds the practice.
Forget “good photos.”
Measure this instead:
Am I more curious today than yesterday?
That’s the game.
Go slow.
Let life come to you.
Be present. Be open. Be curious.
And just show up with your camera.
Every day.
Because when you do that…
Everyday life becomes your material.
If you want to go deeper, join the 7-Day Photography Challenge.
I’ll see you in the next video.
Peace.
The word “firmament” has a really interesting lineage—it carries both linguistic and philosophical weight.
📜 Etymology of
Firmament
- Latin: firmamentum
→ meaning “support,” “strengthening,” or “foundation”
→ from firmare = “to make firm, strengthen”- Latin root: firmus
→ meaning “strong,” “stable,” “solid”- Greek (earlier influence): στερέωμα (stereōma)
→ meaning “solid structure,” “firm body”🌌 How the Meaning Evolved
When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), the Hebrew word:
- רָקִיעַ (raqia) → “expanse” or “spread-out surface”
was translated as stereōma (a solid structure).
Later, in the Latin Bible (the Vulgate), this became firmamentum.
⚡ The Key Shift
- Original Hebrew idea → an expanse / sky / something stretched out
- Greek + Latin interpretation → a solid dome or structure holding up the heavens
This is why “firmament” in English often carries the sense of a solid sky or dome, especially in older cosmology.
🧠 Big Picture
Firmament = “that which has been made firm.”
A structure imagined to hold or support the heavens.