Zoom into the smallest atom in your body out of the seven octillion atoms that make you, you. Then zoom out to the hundreds of trillions of galaxies in the universe.

Terraform the terrain like real life is Minecraft

BREAK THE RULES

I’ve recently been reviewing my old POV footage from my travels and my journey in practicing street photography. While going through my footage of the Chinese New Year, I remembered a moment when a lady in charge was yelling at me to get out of the way, to not be so close, preventing me from making a photograph of the dragon dance. At that moment, I just grinned and got even closer. This moment felt like a walk in the park for me, especially considering my experience on the front lines photographing conflicts between Israel and Palestine at one point.

How did I gain access to photographing these places throughout my journey?

By breaking the rules.

Take the Road Less Traveled

I took the road from Jerusalem to Jericho in 2017. Upon arrival, my friend and I encountered a checkpoint, greeted by flames and rising smoke at the border. There were cars backed up, a traffic jam, and nobody was permitted to enter Jericho. We hopped into a stranger’s car, who then drove us to an area by the border, far away from anybody. Standing atop a hill, looking out towards the clashes occurring, we checked if the coast was clear. Slipping through the barbed wire fence, we hopped the border from Israel to Palestine and began running downhill, entering the nearby refugee camp as quickly as possible. We strapped on our reflective construction vests—our pretend photojournalist clothes—as we marched through the alleys. When we arrived at the front lines, we were in the heat of the action. I remember hiding behind a small dirt hill, ducking as we were being shot at, making photos as young men used slingshots and threw rocks at the Israeli soldiers. Eventually, I mustered up the courage to get closer and closer, finding myself at the front lines, hiding behind a concrete barrier. It was then that I made one of my greatest photographs of all time, capturing a masked man gazing towards me, with the fiery scene in the background.

How did I make this photograph?

While the composition, moment, color, layers, and story are strong, these elements have nothing to do with how I made the photograph. I made this photograph through courage, audacity, and being bold. I believe that anybody can make a photograph, but not everybody can become courageous. The best photographs are a reflection of your courage and your lust for battle, by positioning yourself on the front lines of life.

Be Bold

The best photographs result from being bold, by taking a risk. So, when I was in Chinatown photographing the New Year celebration, I knew I had to be bold, to simply not listen, to take a risk, and to break the rules. When I first started practicing street photography, around 17 or 18 years old in high school, I would run around Philadelphia with a disposable camera, photographing only with flash, not asking for permission. When I first started shooting, I was immediately inspired to be as audacious and courageous as possible with a camera because I knew that overcoming the fear of photographing strangers was the most critical hurdle to overcome in order to get better at street photography. I spent a lot of time photographing this way, embracing confrontation, photographing aggressively, and frankly being a nuisance on the streets. I’m glad I got that bug out of me early on because it taught me to let go, to be bold, reckless, and to break the rules of social norms.

Become a Creative Barbarian

When we photograph, we aren’t just creating, we’re conquering with each press of the shutter. By always carrying the camera with me, I am in a perpetual state of production and creativity, photographing endlessly throughout the day. I am always in a flow state, recognizing the world as my canvas, which keeps me in this Dionysian frenzy, conquering the day. I thrive in the chaos, the unknown, the unpredictable nature of the streets.

Treat the street as your arena, the battlefield, and conquer the world through photography.

Harness the Power of Nutrition

Some simple thoughts on nutrition, health, diet, fitness, etc. Firstly—stop counting calories and weighing yourself.

• Person A: eats 2000 cal of Oreos
• Person B: eats 2000 cal of red meat

Which person is going to have better health?

Obviously person B, who is eating red meat. However, maybe this isn’t so obvious, especially for previous generations, who have been taught that saturated fat is bad for you. We are now learning that these fats are very good for us and are necessary to store energy in our body. The most essential nutrients to consume are both fats and protein.

There is no such thing as essential carbohydrates, and you would not develop a deficiency disease from not consuming carbohydrates. So, you do not need to eat carbs at all, as your body will naturally produce sugar. Sugar is addictive, and something to avoid.

Increasing your intake of meat products, such as beef, lamb, and even eggs or butter, will increase your vitality, energy, and satiate you more than following a standard American diet, which warns you of cholesterol and eating red meat sparingly.

60% of adults’ calories and 70% of children’s calorie intake today are from ultra-processed foods, which have become a staple of the standard American diet and lead to metabolic disease.

Around the same time that we learned that saturated fats were “bad” for us, cigarette companies started to produce these ultra-processed foods from companies such as Kraft Foods, General Foods, and Nabisco. Many of these companies are responsible for producing breakfast foods that we were programmed to eat since we were kids, constantly being preached that you must eat three square meals a day, and that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For breakfast, in the United States, many people consume ultra-processed food. When this is the first meal of your day, you’re essentially telling your body to be addicted, to be a consumer, to become dependent on eating more food. You will actually become hungry later in the day if you eat this way. So much of our food has become poison, similar to tobacco and cigarettes. Avoid the poison, and consume more natural, animal-based protein.

Stretch Your Legs

Every morning, find a nice patch of sunlight on the grass and practice some simple yoga to stretch your legs. The simplest stretch of all, by reaching for my feet, by touching my toes, I am stretching my legs and strengthening the most important part of my body. I believe our legs are the most critical, as they move us through the world. My goal in life is to basically be standing and walking all day. Why? Very simple. I am a photographer, and a photographer must be able to move throughout the entirety of the day in order to make photographs. Because of this, I focus on stretching my legs by touching my toes, reaching for my heels, stretching my calves, doing the pigeon pose, downward dog, and pistol squats. Also, by wearing my weighted vest in the morning and walking, I’m increasing the strength of my posture, my legs, and my feet, with barefoot shoes on.

Think about it, our legs and posture are critical to focus on. My favorite lift in the gym is simply picking up two heavy dumbbells, 80 pounds on both sides, and walking with them, with my chest open, shoulders back, and head upright. When I walk in the morning with my 40-pound weighted vest, this is what I focus on for one hour, as soon as I wake up—simply walking with intention, strengthening my core, and focusing on my posture and legs. I want to have the ability to walk with a strong gait throughout the entirety of the day, with vigor and vitality. By waking up, stretching my legs, and strengthening my posture, I am focusing on these very simple fitness goals.

Uncage Yourself

“Society tames the wolf into a dog. And man is the most domesticated animal of all.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

We’re currently living in a zoo utopia, where we prefer the air conditioning, the four corners of a room, cubicles, and the comfortable cushion of a chair. Let’s go beyond these cages, and be a free, undomesticated wolf. Man has become domesticated like a dog, docile, and weak, eliminating our will to power. Anything that stems from weakness, that causes a decrease in vitality, is something that we must avoid at all costs.

What is the quickest way to decrease your vitality?

Sitting down. Anytime I spend on my butt, I feel my body start to shut down; I start to yawn, and become tired or weak. This is not a great feeling, and something I must avoid, and you should too. If you are in an office, we must be more critical about these spaces. These are the spaces that domesticate us, that tame us, making us weak. These spaces are atomizing us, like animals in a zoo. If you’re in one of these positions, stand at your desk, and don’t sit down. I work from home, I invested in a standing desk, and made a home gym, because I recognized how much this mode of working zapped away all of my physiological energy.

Why does this matter so much?

If we desire to become creative barbarians, to break the rules, to be bold, fueled with courage, we must increase our vitality and avoid weakness at all costs. He who has the most strength in his legs shall conquer the streets.

Download full resolution image here

Download full resolution image here

Bitcoin operates on a public ledger known as the blockchain. Here’s a breakdown of how Bitcoin uses this public ledger:

1. Blockchain Structure: Bitcoin’s blockchain is a sequential chain of blocks, where each block contains a list of transactions. These blocks are linked together in chronological order.
2. Transparency: The Bitcoin blockchain is public, meaning that anyone can view the entire transaction history from its inception to the present. This transparency helps ensure that transactions are verifiable and can be audited by anyone.
3. Immutability: Once a block is added to the blockchain, the information it contains is considered permanent. Changing the data in a block would require altering all subsequent blocks, which is computationally impractical. This immutability ensures the integrity and reliability of the transaction history.
4. Decentralization: The Bitcoin blockchain is maintained by a distributed network of nodes (computers) around the world. Each node has a copy of the entire blockchain. When a new transaction is made, it is broadcast to the network and must be verified by the nodes before being added to the blockchain. This decentralized nature prevents any single entity from controlling or manipulating the ledger.
5. Consensus Mechanism: Bitcoin uses a consensus mechanism called Proof of Work (PoW) to validate transactions and create new blocks. Miners (participants in the network) compete to solve complex mathematical problems, and the first one to solve it gets to add the new block to the blockchain. This process ensures that transactions are verified and recorded in a secure manner.
6. Security: Bitcoin’s blockchain is secured through cryptographic techniques. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, which links them together securely. This makes it extremely difficult for anyone to tamper with the blockchain without detection.

Overall, Bitcoin’s public ledger provides a transparent, immutable, and decentralized way of recording and verifying transactions, ensuring trust and security in the system.

June 11, 2017 – Shu’fat Refugee Camp
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I love life!

The term biophilia comes from the Greek roots:

• “bio-“ (βίος): This part of the word means “life” and is derived from the Greek word “bios.”
• “-philia” (φιλία): This suffix means “love” or “affection,” stemming from the Greek word “philia,” which implies a fondness or deep appreciation.

The word was popularized by the psychologist Erich Fromm in the 1960s, who used it to describe a psychological orientation of being attracted to all that is alive and vital. Later, the term was further developed and expanded by biologist E.O. Wilson in the 1980s to describe the inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature and other forms of life.

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“I’m going to photograph the rainbow. I’m speaking it into existence. Somebody’s going to leap in front of it in a glorious position, and I’m going to photograph it right now. I’m going to be patient and wait here because I believe that I’m going to capture this image with all of my heart. I’m going to sit inside of this water until it happens.”

A Life of Otium

How can we design a life of maximal physicality, and NOT productivity?

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Chopping Trees

Yesterday, I was chopping a tree down at work. It was extremely rewarding, using a saw for the first time, hacking at these big logs, and taming a wild tree that seemed to have not been taken care of for at least a decade. I weeded the entire land, took all of the vines and ivy that were strangling the branches out, got up on a ladder, shaped the tree, elevated it, and made it look extremely beautiful. I was thinking about Minecraft, and in the beginning of the game, you immediately start punching trees so that you can get wood and make tools. It made me think about why it’s such a good game and the fact that it’s all about building, creating, and doing things in an open world. There’s a reason why it’s the number one most sold game of all time. Minecraft was always my favorite video game. I could spend hours and hours grinding and playing this game. The reason being, there is just endless terrain to explore, dungeons to conquer, and things to craft and create. Time would pass by in the blink of an eye, and you could wind up spending eight hours a day playing this game without even realizing that the day just passed by. This is how I felt yesterday, as I worked diligently through physicality, physical labor, for eight hours. We could just live real life like Minecraft, or a video game, where we have the ability to terraform, to transform things, to create anew.

What is Your Vocation?

Of course, photography is my number one vocation, my calling, my purpose in life. However, maybe my new goal is to become the greatest horticulturist the city of Philadelphia has ever seen. I find great joy in horticulture—tending plants, landscaping, gardening, chopping trees, clearing land, watering, pruning, and shaping bushes and trees. While I was volunteering on a kibbutz in Israel, I worked as a gardener and seriously enjoyed it. Using my body in the real world provides me with a sense of purpose that I cannot find in modern cities. Perhaps the best way to live life in a modern city is to find work that requires you to be physical, standing upright, in an open space where you can walk all day, stand all day, and actually do things with your physical body. Physical labor actually seems to be the most virtuous path for a man in the city, and I know for a fact that I personally cannot just sit down for eight hours in Zoom calls, working from home, or in an office, taking orders. To me, physical labor is merely physical pleasure or leisure. When you’re filled with vitality and power, physical labor is actually extremely easy and leisurely. I find that while working an office job could technically be an “easier” path, there are fewer headaches with physical labor. I don’t need a phone, to be constantly on call, or to check my email, etc. I can simply show up and get straight to work in solitude, working on projects that actually bring meaning to life. To me, anything that’s happening in a digital world is quite meaningless. I don’t find joy at all in sitting at a computer anymore. Maybe if they allowed you to play Minecraft in these offices for work, it would actually be fun, but unfortunately, this is not the case, so I must play Minecraft in real life, haha. Most office jobs are like playing RuneScape, just tapping, tapping, tapping, grinding, grinding, grinding—so boring.

Choose Otium

In classical antiquity, in ancient Greece and Rome, otium was a period of leisure, the opposite of negotium, which refers to work or business. For instance, I’ve actually worked on the Joe Biden campaign, in politics, both as a field organizer in 2020 and as a photojournalist for the DNC in 2016. What I’ve realized after these experiences is that I could not continue down that path. The greatest thing about me is that I’m very adaptable, able to organize people, gather volunteers, speak publicly, be political, and work within various capacities. I’m great with strangers, other people, working in teams, etc., but I prefer peace and solitude. I’ve decided to just choose otium, the path of least resistance. I do not desire a life of stress, of constant pressure, deadlines, and having to be on call. I’d rather sacrifice a higher salary for more freedom. I do not need prestige, awards, applause, or any sense of social obligation, social status, or reputation in my life. I do not need or seek fame or fortune. I choose the simple path, one that aligns with nature, spirituality, philosophical reflection, and physical leisure. This is why I’ve decided to opt out of negotium, to opt out of modern life, societal norms, or ideas of what success looks like. I’ve purposely chosen perpetual otium and encourage you to consider how to maximize otium in your life.

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Public Transportation

One thing that I seriously do not desire in life is to own a car. The city of Philadelphia is the greatest city in the United States of America because it is so walkable. You can literally cover the entire city in a day by foot, making this the greatest environment for street photography. The fact that I don’t need a car is so liberating. A car just winds up owning you, and these possessions tie you down. If anything, it’s just more of a headache—to get it out of the parking spot, to fill it up with gas, to pay for insurance, etc. To sit in traffic seems to be the ultimate nightmare. I even decided to stop riding my bike to work because of how dangerous it is. Even these other bikers are the problem. One time, I was waiting at a red light, and a biker wanted to pass through the red light, disobeying the traffic laws. As I sat there on my bike, he flipped me off with the middle finger, calling me an asshole. I just stood there, waiting for the light to turn green. I had multiple flat tires because of all the glass everywhere, and it just became more of a problem than a solution to transportation for me. Since taking the bus, my life has become 10 times easier and even more productive in terms of my photography. I have a perfect view of the skyline every single morning, giving me the ability to make a perfect landscape photo out of my window of the city, which never ceases to put a smile on my face. Not to mention, the bus gets me exactly where I need to be and picks me up right outside of my house. It’s just so easy, convenient, and reminds me why I seriously do not need a car. The other great thing about the bus is that I can stand, chat with locals, and be around other people in the physical flesh. I just like observing people in general. For instance, yesterday, while I was on the bus, this really big guy who needs an electric wheelchair to get around kept bumping into the button that tells the bus to stop. It just kept going off over and over again and was kind of funny. The bus driver had to stop and told him to move his chair over a bit. As this was happening, the man behind me sighed loudly because his phone was ringing. It always cracks me up how people sigh, moan, and groan when they get a phone call. He had a bag of chips in his hand beside him, munching as he spoke, talking in a muffled voice, basically shouting at the top of his lungs. You couldn’t even understand a single word he was saying because of the amount of chips in his mouth as he chewed. Maybe modern society is becoming like the real-life Wall-E movie? These small observations and things I see are just hilarious to me, and another reason why I love the bus, haha.

Ultimately, a life of walking, standing, and moving is my goal, and the bus helps me achieve this. I find so much more freedom without a car and have actually never owned a car in my entire life. I can only count maybe 5 to 10 times that I’ve ever driven a vehicle in my life, and honestly, I wouldn’t mind keeping it that way. If I ever really need a car in a pinch, I can always just call an Uber, like it’s real-life GTA, baby.

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Why Eat?

Eating food is for suckers?

This is the craziest thought yet—where food is a scam, merely poison, and not something worth consuming throughout the day. Just think about it, most of the food in the center of a grocery store is just processed junk. I see these advertisements all the time for Amazon, prepackaged meals, or these microwavable meals that are prepackaged and perfectly made for you to pop into a microwave. They’re all centered around the idea that we no longer have time to make food, because we are too busy at work, being productive, to the point where we can no longer focus on our health?

This is the denial of our physical bodies, the denial of our pursuit of productivity, such a slave mentality, and it makes absolutely no sense to me. Packaged meal plans and convenient food options are all such a hunk of junk. Start fasting, eat more meat, get good sleep, and you’ll realize that you seriously don’t need any of these things. It’s so consumerism-driven to the point where we are the ultimate consumers, just eating and munching our ways through life, snacking throughout the day like squirrels. Think like a lion, feasting on the kill and then chilling out, filled with vitality and power. Let’s be more like lions and less like the hyena or the squirrel that eats the scraps.

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Be Playful

When you’re on the street practicing street photography, be more playful. Say hi to strangers more, smile more, and spark up conversations with security guards. What I’ve realized is that these dudes who are always outside always have a smile on their faces—they’re just enjoying the day, outside, in the fresh air. Also, get to know the local musicians that play outside. Shout out to Rome, always in the tunnel of City Hall. When you get to know the people in the streets, you feel more connected to your city and have less pressure when it comes to street photography.

Creative Flow State

Our goal is to photograph as much as humanly possible.

The solution: a compact, digital camera that can fit in your front right pocket. This means, no matter where you are—whether at work, running errands, or making a dedicated effort to practice street photography—you always have the ability to create something. What this does for you is it puts you in an abundant flow state of creativity. I believe you can only achieve this flow state when you have your tool in your pocket at all times. When you’re always ready with a camera, the world becomes your canvas, and there’s endless potential to create. Whether you’re working physically or creating visually, the act of creating, doing, and making is what brings life meaning. Enjoy. Enter the flow state of creativity, and fuel your lust for life.

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How to Enter a State of Rausch?

So, you want to become intoxicated, in a state of frenzy, or ecstasy?

Let’s get drunk off life itself, without the need for any external stimuli such as drugs or alcohol. The real drug is black espresso that I prepare in the evening—four shots to be exact—leaving them in my fridge overnight so that when I wake up, the first thing I do is slam all four shots and head outside my door. This puts me in a frenzy, an ecstatic state, where I treat the coffee like a creative stimulant, so that I can write these fun blog posts and film silly videos with my GoPro. Ultimately, I believe that you can become drunk off of life itself, through basking in the sunlight, being physical, working out, and running off of that adrenaline high.

Increase Your Energy

The fastest way to increase your energy is to drop to the ground right here, right now, and do 10 to 25 push-ups. When I do a set of push-ups, or any physical exercise, I feel alive, and I can feel my energy increase instantaneously. The endorphins and adrenaline that rush through your body when committing to physical exercise are unlike anything else you can experience in this world. To increase your energy is extremely simple—just don’t sit down. The second I sit down, I feel my muscles relax, my body shut down, and I begin to yawn. However, if I hit the gym, do some push-ups, pull-ups, or random pistol squats throughout the day, I increase my energy and recognize that being physical is the fastest way to increase your energy—not sitting down and thinking about it. The sun, fresh air, and deep sleep are all vital. Stop using your phone, and just to damn bed. Raw energy is built in bed and through sleep—at least eight hours. I also recommend doing a morning walk right away as a great way to start the day, specifically on a nature path if you can choose one. Strap on a 40-pound weight vest from Rogue, and simultaneously walk while training your body. This is my newest training routine, simply walking with a weighted vest, and I honestly find this to be the best. As a street photographer, having strong legs and a strong posture is essential to stand upright and walk endlessly throughout the entire day. However, if I do feel the need to rest and recharge my energy, I’ve found that taking a 15-minute nap, randomly out in a grass patch under a tree, is the quickest way to boost my energy and actually works. Your body is the battery—make sure it’s fully charged, and by the end of the day, your battery should be at one percent, fully depleted, ready for deep sleep.

Everything Is Effortless

When you’re full of vitality, everything becomes effortless. Even the hardest physical labor becomes leisure. Just enjoy yourself, stop trying so hard, and stop subscribing to notions of “discipline” that I believe actually become more of a slave mentality. You shouldn’t have to remain disciplined. You should move through life with strife, but without effort, because you’re just so full of power and energy. Let’s think more critically about how we can align ourselves with nature more and become the most vital, most alive, most powerful versions of ourselves. With this power will flow our creativity through photography. Let’s become one percent more curious and courageous each day. These are the goals!

Dante Sisofo’s life philosophy revolves around several key principles:

1. Biophilia: He has a profound love for life in all its forms, believing in the deep connection between humans and nature. This biophilic perspective emphasizes finding beauty and purpose in the natural world.
2. Balance and Unity: He values balance and unity, often symbolized through his bright purple outfits. This reflects his belief in maintaining equilibrium in all aspects of life.
3. Legacy and Contribution: Dante aims to leave a positive legacy through art, photography, and ideas. His focus is on contributing to the world in meaningful ways and sharing his experiences and thoughts.
4. Embracing Abundance: He believes in giving more than taking and focusing on the abundance of life. He seeks to find paradise in everyday choices and surroundings.
5. Learning and Growth: Emphasizes continuous learning and maintaining a beginner’s mindset. He values direct experience and personal exploration over traditional or formal methods.
6. Connection to Nature: Advocates for spending time outdoors and engaging with the physical world. He finds solace and perspective in nature, contrasting with the constraints of urban environments.
7. Critique of Modern Life: Critical of modern technology and societal norms, he feels that they often exacerbate mental health issues and lead to a sense of disconnection. He views nature as a remedy for these problems.
8. Art and Creativity: Sees art as a vital means of expression and exploration. He believes in the transformative power of creativity and its role in making life meaningful.

Dante’s life philosophy is a blend of reverence for nature, a commitment to personal growth, and a desire to make a positive impact through creativity and contribution.

Dante Sisofo’s health philosophy is centered around a holistic and nature-oriented approach. It includes:

1. Diet: Emphasizes a red meat-only diet, avoiding breakfast and lunch to focus on fasting. This is part of a broader belief in the health benefits of consuming red meat exclusively.
2. Exercise: Advocates for a comprehensive daily routine involving full-body workouts, yoga, and exercises like the farmer’s walk. The routine is designed for long-term muscle building and overall physical strength.
3. Lifestyle: Values outdoor activities, exposure to sunlight, and minimal reliance on technology. Prioritizes physical movement, such as standing and walking, and prefers wearing barefoot shoes to stay connected to nature.
4. Mindset: Believes in the interconnection between physical strength and mental well-being. Advocates for a return to nature and physical activity as a remedy for modern life’s negative impacts on mental health.

Overall, Dante’s philosophy integrates diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices with a deep appreciation for nature and simplicity, aiming to achieve a balanced and healthy life.

Dante Sisofo’s photography philosophy centers on the following principles:

1. Joy of Process: Dante emphasizes enjoying the act of taking photographs rather than focusing solely on the outcome. He believes that the process of capturing images should be fulfilling and engaging.
2. Curiosity and Exploration: He values curiosity and sees photography as a way to explore and understand the world. This curiosity drives him to capture candid, spontaneous moments that reflect life’s essence.
3. Beginner’s Mindset: Dante approaches photography with a mindset of continual learning and openness, preferring to learn through direct experience rather than formal education or external influences.
4. Street Photography Focus: He has a particular passion for street photography, finding beauty and interest in everyday scenes and interactions within urban environments, especially in Philadelphia.
5. Embracing Spontaneity: Dante values the unpredictable nature of street photography, allowing for a more organic and authentic representation of life.
6. Not Taking It Too Seriously: He encourages not taking photography too seriously, focusing instead on the enjoyment of the craft and the creative freedom it offers.

These principles shape Dante’s approach to photography, helping him capture moments with authenticity and creativity.