Dante Sisofo’s personal philosophy emphasizes authenticity, introspection, and a commitment to living a life aligned with one’s inner values. Drawing from his diverse experiences and reflections, he underscores the importance of listening to one’s conscience, embracing childlike curiosity, and striving for personal growth.
1. Listen to Your Inner Voice
Sisofo believes that one’s conscience serves as a guiding force, akin to a divine presence, leading individuals toward righteous actions.
“When you obey and listen to your conscience, everything just seems to work out effortlessly.” — Everything Done Under the Sun
2. Embrace Childlike Curiosity
He advocates for reconnecting with one’s inner child to foster creativity and a sense of wonder in everyday life.
“You gotta really be in tune with your inner child—that little kid inside you that just wants to come out and play.” — Everything Done Under the Sun
3. Live Transparently
Sisofo encourages living as if all actions are visible, promoting integrity and self-awareness.
“Maybe it’s most wise to assume that everything done in the dark will come to the light eventually.” — Everything Done Under the Sun
4. Create Personal Ethical Frameworks
He emphasizes the importance of developing one’s own set of ethics, especially in creative endeavors like photography.
Drawing from his Peace Corps experience in Zambia, Sisofo reflects on the strength of community and the fulfillment found in simplicity and shared purpose.
“Every day, I saw the strength of their community: Mothers carrying sticks on their heads, with babies on their backs; Fathers building churches and homes; Sons making bricks for construction; Daughters sweeping floors and preparing meals. Human thriving is possible. The families in Zambia showed me this truth.” — What I Learned as a Peace Corps Volunteer
6. Value Integrity Over Material Wealth
Sisofo critiques the pursuit of material wealth without inner fulfillment, emphasizing the importance of spiritual richness over external possessions.
“A goblin with gold is still just a goblin—with endless desire but no contentment, peace, or joy. So choose the source, not the surface—live like the lion, dig like the well, and let your spirit overflow.” — The Well of Love
7. Seek the Sublime in the Mundane
Sisofo finds profound meaning in everyday experiences, encouraging others to do the same.
“The most mundane situations…are enough for me to feel an emotional response to the world around me.” — The Sublime
8. Align with the Divine
He believes in striving towards a higher purpose, connecting daily actions with spiritual growth.
“Aligning myself vertically, towards the divine, I find so much more rich meaning and fulfillment in my life.” — The Sublime
For a deeper exploration of Dante Sisofo’s philosophies and writings, visit his official blog.
Dante Sisofo’s photography philosophy emphasizes a profound connection between the act of photographing and the experience of life itself. His approach is rooted in curiosity, authenticity, and a commitment to capturing the essence of everyday moments.
🎨 Core Principles of Sisofo’s Philosophy
1. Curiosity and Exploration
Sisofo views photography as a means to explore the world with an open mind. Maintaining curiosity allows photographers to discover beauty in the ordinary.
“At my core I am an adventurer. My lust for life and exploration runs through my blood. Each day when I wake up, I’m excited to conquer something new.” — Dante Sisofo Quotes
2. Love for the Process
Photography is not about the end result but about the act of seeing, walking, and becoming.
Sisofo encourages a childlike openness to experimentation and joy in the unknown.
“You must embrace your inner child, and the spirit of play. A child is curious, courageous, and always open to trying new things.” — Street Photography Philosophy
4. Authenticity Over Validation
Rather than trying to impress other photographers or chase social media likes, Sisofo stresses inner alignment.
“Don’t worry about impressing other photographers with your photography. Maybe it’s better if non-photographers enjoy your work.” — 100 Street Photography Tips
5. Photography as a Visual Diary
Each photo documents not just the world but the photographer’s own internal journey.
“These days, I treat photography as a visual diary of my day. It’s no longer just about documenting the world around me but about photographing my soul.” — Why I Switched to Black and White Street Photography
6. Engagement with Life
Photography as an act of being fully present. The camera heightens attention and spiritual awareness.
“The camera allows me to exist in the present moment, right here, right now. Maybe you can’t live forever, but you can make a photograph.” — Street Photography Philosophy
7. Photography as a Universal Language
Photos cut through all boundaries, providing a shared visual language across cultures.
“Photography is a universal language, something that transcends language barriers, and is readable to all people.” — Street Photography Philosophy
8. The Camera as a Passport
Sisofo believes the camera is a key that opens doors to life, meaning, and connection.
“The camera is a passport, or a key, that unlocks the doors to the multifaceted complexities and experiences in life.” — Street Photography Philosophy
What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante. Today we’re doing Street Photography Breakdown, Part 10, where I share with you five different photographs from five different locations throughout the world — breaking down the compositions, the stories, and the philosophy behind how I work.
Giving you the information I wish I had when I first started getting into street photography.
1. The Playground in Mumbai
So here, with example number one, we’re at a playground in Dharavi, Mumbai.
When I enter a new location, I like to explore openly — no preconceived ideas, no expectations.
“I go with the flow. I go down one alley, I go down the next. I get invited into a home, I drink some coffee, I move to the next location.”
I discovered this spontaneous playground scene — so many children playing, so much energy. It felt like one of those dream scenes. I had to create order from the chaos.
I noticed this boy — the king of the playground — standing on top of the monkey bars. I dropped to a low angle, centered him in the frame, and used the blue sky as a backdrop to isolate and emphasize.
Key decisions I made:
Low angle to frame the sky.
Use of feet in the foreground for layering.
Framing the yellow bars as leading lines.
“There are some very simple decisions that a photographer must make in order to create a complex layered frame.”
The blue sky became my stage. The children in the far background added depth. I embraced the chaos, and something beautiful emerged.
“Seriously embrace the chaos openly… go forward with curiosity and courage, and you will find yourself in these situations you can only dream of.”
2. The Dogs of Mumbai
This next one — a layered composition of dogs along the promenade at sunset.
There were dogs jumping off ledges, laying in the street. I could sense the possibility.
I chose one dog as my anchor — strong in the foreground, filling 1/4 of the frame, gazing at its owner.
Then, layer by layer:
A man looking back at the dog owner.
A third dog sleeping on a bench.
A woman next to another dog.
A dog on a ledge behind her.
All composed against a misty skyline, creating clean foreground, middle ground, and background separation.
“I seek to create something that’s visually beautiful and easy to read as a filled frame.”
The gesture of the hands, the bench as a line, the fog in the distance — all work together.
“You don’t want to just clutter a million different things going on. You want to synthesize the moment with the composition.”
3. Coffee and Pigeons in Jericho
This photo came from a spontaneous solo adventure to Jericho.
I had left a kibbutz in the north of Israel — packed my bags at night and rode all the way to Jericho. No plan. Just instinct.
“I knocked on the door of a hostel and got free room and board in exchange for cleaning floors and making beds.”
I lived alongside a Palestinian family. Slept in mosques. Ate pigeon and rice off the same plate with brothers every day.
That photo — I’m drinking strong black coffee on a pigeon coop rooftop. I noticed the scene unfolding, but I only had one person in the shot. So I plugged in my own hand to anchor the foreground.
“I was like, wow, I could make a beautiful photograph of this moment. However, I only have this one guy… so I just plugged my hand there in the foreground.”
It’s personal. It’s intimate. And honestly, it’s a little funny — looks like a pigeon might’ve pooped on my cup. 😅
4. Philadelphia Bus Stop
This is my textbook example of how I use layering in a local scene.
Right away, I noticed the light — a strong beam casting a rectangular shape on the bus stop pole. That was my cue.
I worked back to front:
First, I anchored the circular SEPTA sign against the blue sky.
Then I angled my body with intention.
I waited.
A silhouette fell into the shadows. Another man walked into the light with his gaze downward.
“Bus stops are full of potential. Mundane scenes — but packed with possibilities.”
Everything aligned — foreground, middle ground, background, plus the light and shadows.
“All I really needed to do was wait for the subject to enter the light.”
5. On the Frontlines: The Palestinian Conflict
This was real.
I found myself photographing on the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Not planned — just something I got pulled into while living in the West Bank.
This shot — a masked man, eyes piercing through the tattered cloth. I was behind a concrete barrier, getting hit with live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas.
“If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re probably not close enough.”
This is as close as it gets. The man’s eyes are filled with fear and fire.
Elements in the frame:
Man with the keffiyeh.
Piles of smoke from burning tires.
A crouching figure silhouetted in the background.
“It’s a very simple frame out of all this chaos… mask, eyes, keffiyeh, smoke, fire, sky.”
“The goal is to go into the unknown, embrace the chaos, and put order to it.”
And that takes courage.
Final Thoughts
There’s so much to see — to feel — to photograph.
“All you really need to do is open your door and pick up your camera.”
Take a walk. Take a risk. Go somewhere new. Because not only do you come home with strong photographs — you come home with memories, with wisdom, with stories that live inside you forever.
A few months ago, I had somebody ask me, “Why do you think you’re the main character?” He was playfully asking because he always notices me creating something—whether I’m making a photo, video, writing, or reading when I’m on my breaks at work. I’m always doing push-ups and yoga at any chance I get, and I’m basically just always in motion.
As we were talking, I was trying to explain to him that you too are the main character, and that you should embody that, man. What—you wanna be an NPC? He was a gamer, so he definitely understands where I’m coming from. But really, at the end of the day, we’re all born into this world alone, and we leave this world alone. The only thing that you take with you are the experiences you’ve had, the memories and wisdom you’ve gained along your journey, and your relationship with God.
Don’t Be Jealous Because I’m Just Doing Me
What I’ve realized is that as my relationship with God grows—each and every day for years now—I become so empowered, and this feeling of being the main character increases more and more. When you realize how trivial everything is, how short our life is, and how your relationship with God is the only and most important thing in your life, then everything else becomes either a purpose or a distraction.
Validation from others, critique from others, whether they approve or disapprove of you, whether they say negative or positive things—genuinely none of it affects you at all. It’s not out of a sense of apathy—it’s almost a deep sense of empathy. You just want other people to feel this love and joy in their hearts. You want people to simply focus on themselves—and for each person to become a main character, rather than sitting on the sidelines as an audience member or a spectator of life.
Don’t Let Life Happen to You
This morning, I’m watching Logan Square Fountain, and it’s kind of overflowed because of the rain—there’s a lot of flooding going on around the edges of the street. Well, I think it’s important to just go with the flow, to hop in the stream of life and enter the stream of becoming: the revolution, transformation, and change. Perhaps the true way to do this is to go against the grain. You gotta kind of push yourself upstream, as everyone else is going the same way.
My favorite way to do this is by cranking the grain to the max and all the contrast in my camera settings to the absolute maximum, haha. As everyone is going that way—I’ve always just wanted to go this way. Yes, I’m a contrarian by nature, but I think that’s what makes me so great.
Why Kill Your Ego?
There was a student in my yoga class who was really frustrated because the teacher was critiquing him about his posture and what he was doing in class. It was all new to him. As he was frustrated, I was trying to explain that you gotta kill your ego in this kind of class.
And I genuinely meant that in the moment. Because ultimately when you’re practicing yoga, and you have to do new movements, and you’re trying to learn, of course you have to be disciplined. There have to be some sort of rules and guidelines. You have to obey the teacher and make sure you’re doing things in proper form.
I think most guys there are just weightlifters and don’t actually have the strength or mobility to do all these different kinds of yoga or mobility movements.
Yesterday, I did a mobility class and all the stuff I was learning was completely new—and there were these small women doing these crazy movements and stuff that I could never dream of doing. I was like, what the heck—how do they do this?! But it’s a completely different game, and you kinda have to kill your ego and not feel the shame.
However, why kill your ego? I think it’s important to have a healthy relationship with your ego. For instance, I want to become the best that I can be. Ego means “I.” So if you want to empower yourself, why not think highly of yourself? I know that I’m the best at what I do.
Stop Focusing on What You Don’t Have
I think one of the biggest tragedies and downfalls of social media is comparison. Most people look at social media and compare what they don’t have to other people—whether it’s someone traveling the world, or someone who has a material thing you desire, or a lifestyle.
You dwell on it, and pretty much feel jealousy in your heart because of it. This is very natural. Comparison is definitely normal—but it’s definitely not healthy.
I think it’s really important to just focus on what you have, rather than what you don’t have. Just be grateful. Once you have gratitude for the simple things in life—like the ability to stand upright, to walk, to see, to hear, to feel the sun on your skin, to have clean water in a cup and meat in your fridge—everything else is in abundance.
Start becoming more grateful for the small things in life. Start to be like the birds—who fly in the sky without a care in the world, who have everything provided for them by God.
The birds aren’t out there comparing themselves to other birds, wondering why their wingspan is larger, or why their nests are better. The birds are simply enjoying their day, flying about, nibbling on fruits from the trees. The birds are grateful to have a tree, a canopy to dwell in, and the open sky to roam.
I feel like these birds. Grateful to simply have an endless expanse, an open world for me to walk upon—and to photograph.
Victory or Nothing
So if you were the main character in the video game, aren’t you gonna want to beat the boss and win?
I don’t understand this lame mindset and desire to be the NPC in the shop, who just has the same line to say over and over again.
I know it sounds harsh and rude to think this way about most people—but it’s true. The modern world is carving out a system of mediocrity. Just look at the public schools and the way they indoctrinate the youth as they grow older. Everyone’s taught the same silly things and comes out with the same silly desires.
Stop dwelling on the outcomes and the destinations that other people have arrived at. Start treating yourself like the main character, on your own quest, on your own journey, that is uniquely yours.
You don’t have to do the same things as everyone else. You don’t have to get the same job. Your path is not the same as others.
For instance, my path might be one of the most unconventional of anyone I know. I don’t know anyone else who has lived with both Israelis and Palestinians, slept on their mosque floors, wandered throughout the desert of Jericho learning about Islam—while also milking cows on a kibbutz in Israel, learning about horticulture, which now inspires me to practice this as my current passion and job in daily life.
Or my journey to Zambia—sleeping under thatched roofs, documenting baptisms and funerals, working in fish farms, creating youth groups, and praying with the Seventh-day Adventists in their churches.
All of the things I’ve done in my life are simply due to my inner curiosity, my inner child. When I was a little kid, I spent my time in the Wissahickon Forest on my own—building teepees with sticks, bridges with stones, and simply exploring the unknown.
I was always someone who loved adventure, who thrived in solitude, and who took the path less traveled. Speaking of going against the grain—I would literally, as a little kid, create my own trails and blaze out my own paths in the forest.
So the moral of the story is: You kinda have to return to being a child again. In all actuality, you gotta really be in tune with your inner child—that little kid inside you that just wants to come out and play. But everything around you is trying to suck that out of you.
And so by following my little kid, my inner child—everything has come to me in abundance. Everything is beautiful again, and everything has worked out exactly how it should—because I followed my inner child.
That inner child is the main character. That divine spark connected to God. That wants you to go out there… and have the adventure of your lifetime— on the frontlines of life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of putting your life on a billboard—just living, like everything is public, or that everything you do under the sun is heard, seen, and essentially public information. With this in mind, how would you live your life?
Everything Done in the Dark Will Come to the Light
With this in mind, maybe it’s most wise to assume that everything done in the dark will come to the light eventually. Nothing that’s done in secret, whether good or bad, will be left unseen. Even if you don’t believe in God, what if you just made this assumption?
I think that living under this assumption really does set things into perspective, in a way that makes you more aware of your inner voice or your conscience.
Listen to Your Inner Voice
And so, with this assumption—that everything you do is 100% transparent, public, and recorded for all of eternity—I think the wisest thing to do is to listen to your inner voice. When you obey and listen to your conscience, everything just seems to work out effortlessly. The more that you obey that voice that tells you what’s right or wrong, whether to turn left or right, the more things just seem to work out exactly how they should.
My theory is, that little voice is God. Or—have you ever seen those pictures or videos or like those little cartoon clips where there’s a God or a devil on the shoulder? Let’s assume that you have God on one side, and the devil on the other. One voice is telling you to do what is right and just, and the other voice is telling you to do what gives immediate pleasure but perhaps at the destruction of yourself or others.
If you simply follow your whims for pleasure, or even succumb to emotional weakness—such as anger—and lash out, physically or emotionally abuse and hurt somebody, it’s kind of like the devil has a hold on you, and you’re just a slave to him. But what if you were a slave to God, and simply obeyed what is right and just, under the assumption that everything that you do under the sun actually means something.
Contrary to popular belief, I actually think it’s virtuous to share good news with other people.
A lot of people recommend staying quiet—keeping to yourself, not talking about your goals, your ideas, your confidence. But actually, by sharing your good news, your thoughts, your excitement, you become a filter to the world.
The people who are receptive to good news, those who celebrate with you, those are the people you should actually spend more time around.
First, empower yourself. Then, share what worked—freely, openly. Show the path you took, not to be followed exactly, but to inspire someone to blaze their own.
Here comes the sun do do do do Here comes the sun and I say… it’s all right.
What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante — getting my morning started here in Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, basking in the glory of the sun. Got the Ricoh GR III in hand.
It’s a beautiful day. Memorial Day. And today, I’m thinking about what it means to be authentic.
What Does It Mean to Be Authentic?
Authenticity in street photography.
Let’s look at the word. The etymology of authentic —
autos meaning self
hentes meaning doing, accomplishing, being the master of
So to be authentic is to be the master of your own self. To do things for the sake of doing them. To seek to accomplish something for yourself.
“To be authentic is to make photos of the things that genuinely and deeply resonate with your soul.”
Let Go of Validation
In street photography, authenticity has nothing to do with:
chasing trends
using the camera gear others recommend
shooting for a zine, gallery, or Instagram likes
It’s not about external validation at all. It’s about tuning into your own vision and your own feeling — photographing as a reflection of your soul.
The Visual Diary
I don’t photograph because I’m attached to a subject, theme, or moment. Most people are out here:
hunting
desiring
waiting for something to align
But I think: let go.
Let life flow towards you. Be there, camera ready. Treat it like a visual diary of your day.
“Photograph your way through life, like a simple visual diary.”
Your Vision Is Yours Alone
My way of seeing is mine. Your way of seeing is yours. That’s authenticity.
It’s not about finding unique subjects. It’s about doing something because you’re driven by the act itself. No expectations. No hopes. No attachments.
You have to let go of the photograph entirely. You have to release the alchemy, the outcome, the image.
Everyone Understands Images
Images are everywhere — We all consume them: TV, phones, screens.
But the problem? Trends. Copycats. Mimicry.
One photograph gets attention and suddenly a thousand more try to replicate it. It flattens the whole thing — makes it binary. “Good” vs. “bad.”
“To be authentic is to let go of the notion of what makes a photograph good or bad.”
Trust the Intuition
So instead, you follow:
your childlike curiosity
your gut instinct
your intuitive eye
My intuition always brings me to the river. To the sunlight. I love how it glimmers off the water. I look out at the horizon. I snap pictures because they move me.
“I don’t think about the result. I’m just looking at life.”
I’m not always putting four corners around it. I just press the shutter when it feels right.
And hopefully, my photos reflect that feeling I’ve cultivated — that authentic self.
Become Who You Are
Friedrich Nietzsche famously said it:
“Become who you are.”
In a world full of distractions, news, noise, algorithms — It’s rare to live a life of leisure. A life of contemplation.
Walking. Wandering. Enjoying the sun. Reading. Writing. Thinking. Creating.
That’s the path to authenticity.
But you only discover it in silence, contemplation, and solitude. And through that discovery — you photograph your way through it.
Create Your Own World
Ultimately, that’s my goal with photography:
“I create my own world. With each click of the shutter, I try to abstract reality.”
I photograph the mundane. I follow the light.
Photography is drawing with light —
phos = light
graphe = writing, drawing
I’m not chasing anything. I’m not attached to anything. I’m just being.
“To be free, one must stop doing and simply be.”
When you do that, you’re no longer hunting. You’re simply allowing life to arrive — and you respond.
Embrace the Rawness
That’s the beauty of street photography:
the raw
the visceral
the imperfect
Authenticity is more needed than ever right now.
Just look at all these contests and festivals. It’s all junk.
Junk.
“Delete your Instagram account and just photograph your way through the day.”
Stop taking it all so seriously. And maybe — just maybe — your soul will start to reflect itself back in your photographs.
The more seriously you try to take things, the less you become who you truly are. For instance: publishing to a website or YouTube. If it makes you happy to share, then share!
I simply love making photos, videos, writing, etc.—and so I do it for the joy of it. I genuinely couldn’t care less what people think, whether they like it or not. Same with my photos—it’s really not that serious.
We’re all gonna die. You might as well express yourself as fully as possible if you desire to, and carry out your life as a living work of art.
Better to have one other person that understands me than one million.
Ashtanga Yoga increases your vitality and energy by systematically training your body, breath, and mind in a way that clears stagnation, sharpens focus, and builds internal fire (tapas). Here’s how:
🔥 1. Stimulates the Circulatory and Lymphatic Systems
The dynamic vinyasa flow (movement synchronized with breath) improves blood circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients more efficiently to tissues.
Sweating and constant movement pump the lymph, detoxifying the body and strengthening immunity.
You feel lighter, cleaner, and more charged up.
💨 2. Mastery of Breath = Control of Energy (Prana)
Through ujjayi pranayama, a controlled nasal breath with slight throat constriction, you regulate the nervous system and oxygenate cells deeply.
Breath becomes conscious, powerful, and rhythmic, increasing endurance and mental clarity.
You’re literally drawing in life force with each inhale and burning away dullness with each exhale.
🔒 3. Bandhas Lock in Energy
The use of bandhas (energy locks) like mula bandha (root lock) and uddiyana bandha (abdominal lift) seals prana inside the body, preventing energy leaks.
They direct upward energy (kundalini), enhancing vitality from the root chakra upward through the spine.
🧠 4. Mental Discipline Fuels Physical Strength
Repeating the same sequence every day strengthens willpower and builds psychological stamina.
Just showing up daily, even when tired, creates an internal momentum—energy comes from discipline, not motivation.
Over time, you feel stronger, more alive, and more present—even off the mat.
🌬️ 5. Opens Energy Channels (Nadis)
The consistent stretching and breathing open up the 72,000 nadis (subtle energy channels in yogic anatomy).
Blockages in energy pathways are released, and prana flows freely, resulting in a feeling of lightness, clarity, and power.
🧘♂️ 6. Builds Tapas (Inner Heat)
The intensity of the practice, especially when done early morning, ignites internal fire.
Tapas burns through lethargy, toxins, emotional clutter, and lights up your entire being.
🕊️ 7. Resets Your Nervous System
Though vigorous, the focus on steady breath and drishti (gaze) engages the parasympathetic nervous system, calming the mind.
This paradox—intense movement + internal stillness—leaves you energized yet deeply relaxed.
Ashtanga doesn’t just make you stronger—it awakens you. It’s a daily ritual that purifies the body, steadies the mind, and ignites the soul.
Apparently the word serendipity derives from a tale about these three princes of Serendip, or Sri Lanka, where they were always making discoveries upon accidents—of things that they weren’t even in search of. I feel like this is a very, very, very important idea to hone in on as a street photographer, the idea of serendipity. For honestly, I can tell you with 100% certainty, as much as I can go out there with the intention of making a photograph of something, it really is the serendipity that feels most rewarding.
For instance, when I go out, I don’t have any plans or predestination in mind. When I go for a walk with my camera, I literally just follow the light, and walk towards the river.
Just follow the light.
And so when I follow the light—not with my back to the light, by the way, but with my face directly facing the sunlight, walking towards the sun, whichever direction it is—I feel this sensation of bliss. When the sunlight appears through my eyes, I feel like it charges my soul.
Actually, just yesterday when I was going to throw the trash out of my hallway, my neighbor saw me because my shirt was off and was like, “How did you get so tan?” And I just told him, when I go for my walks and the sun is out, I just walk without my shirt on and read my book by the Riverwalk at Penn’s Landing. I also just like to lay out in the hammocks and just bask in the glory of the sun.
He was telling me that maybe he’s not supposed to be out in the sun because it’s dangerous for people his age? I wonder how true this is. I hear this very often—even from people that are young. There are a lot of young people that still believe that being out in the sun is bad for you?
But anyways, there really is something truly blissful about the sensation of the sunlight kissing your skin. And I think it has to do with the synthesis of the hormones in your cells, and the specific function for a man in the production of testosterone. I actually think that this might just be like one of the most fastest, easiest, quickest ways to increase your testosterone: just bask in the sun.
And then, so as I’m walking and following the light and the sun, and I feel this overwhelming sensation of bliss, joy, strength, and power, I simply follow that feeling. I follow my bliss, my joy, and wherever that leads me. And then sometimes you’ll be surprised at what you find on the other side. It’s really not about the outcome or the discovery, but the serendipity of the moment and the joy of stumbling across things.
And so, a lot of the times, walking to Penn’s Landing can actually feel like it’s out of the way, because it’s at the edge and outskirts of the city, and most people won’t actually go there to practice street photography because of this. It’s very easy to stay in the center of the city, and photograph where you know people will be, where the hotspots are, etc. But it requires a natural gravitational pull, a desire to photograph certain locations, and because I know that the sun will always be there in the morning, I simply gravitate there. And then, simply by following the sun, I genuinely believe that I always find my best photographs. By following the sun, and following that feeling of bliss and joy, and just literally orienting myself with wherever the sun is, serendipity blesses me with new discoveries.
It’s not just chaos
I think if we assume that everything is just random and chaos and there’s no order in the world, that anxiety is born. If you think that nothing is in your control, that everything is random and life is just happening to you, then it is inevitable that you will fall into some sort of depression, social anxiety, or some weird mental problem.
However, when you recognize that you are a creator, that the world is happening within you, within your consciousness, and that you are responsible for how you respond to that internal dialogue that you’re having with the world, you project whatever you feel about life in front of you. You can genuinely, I believe, put order to the world simply by the way in which you shift your perception of reality.
You are the creator who can put order to the chaos.
What is the problem with modernity?
So I think the number one problem with modernity is the atomization of man. There is no tribe, community, or greater cause to fight for, strive for, etc. There’s only: my identity, my money, my property, me me me.
Now, in the past—considering ancient societies like Athens, Rome, Sparta, or even let’s just consider Philadelphia during the birth of America—when America was born, the founding fathers and great men like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson were all very young, yet had so much drive to accomplish great things. For instance, I believe Jefferson was in his 20s when he penned the Declaration of Independence. And what is amazing about Jefferson is that he wasn’t only a writer or statesman, but he was also a horticulturalist, a philosopher, an astronomer, a musician, and multifaceted—a true renaissance man.
I think in the past, the men actually strived for excellence. Whereas now, the men in society are simply striving to generate money. Instead of creating or renovating or making anything, we just become these cash cows or drones who are just here to make dollars and buy stupid shit.
Like when I walk around the city, I just can’t help but imagine what it would be like to live in the times of the birth of America or the times when the streets were filled and bustling with people creating and building things. And now, when you walk around the city, it seems like there’s this trend towards just opening up arcades with bars in them?
Like there’s this new arcade bar for people to ride around in these race car simulators and drink alcohol? Or the big putt-putt or mini golf with a bar, the bowling alley with a bar, the retro video games with a bar, skee-ball with a bar? Like everything is just little kid games with a bar?
And so we’re just like a bunch of big kids—but not in a good way—in a very immature and childish way, just waddling around consuming junk and playing video games.
The antidote to modernity
So the antidote to the modern world is to just think about the ancient world more.
How would an ancient soldier in Rome be living his everyday life?
Or even more interesting idea: what if you were an ancient slave, a gladiator, forced to compete in the games?
So if you were an ancient gladiator, enslaved to the games, in the Colosseum, and you were forced to fight against lions and tigers, how would you live your life?
You’d probably just be 100% battle-ready, physically, becoming the strongest person that you can possibly be, training your mind, body, and spirit to overcome any difficulty. You would pretty much have zero fear of death, and just live each day under the assumption that it’s your last.
Because once those Colosseum doors open and you’re thrown into the ring, do you really think you’re gonna defeat the lion?
This is a random extreme example that I’m just thinking of right now, but it’s a weird metaphor I’m thinking about in terms of just treating each day like your last—or like each day is just a 24-hour lifetime.
If you assume that each day was just a 24-hour lifetime, and that’s all you really had, how would you live your life?
In fear, or with courage?
Daniel and the Lions’ Den
I remember when I was a little kid, learning about the story of Daniel and the lions’ den in Catholic school. Daniel was very devout to praying to God during his time in Babylon. However, the king banned this and made it so that it was only legal to pray to the king, not to God.
Despite this, Daniel stayed faithful and was punished and thrown into the lions’ den. Because of his faith, God closed the mouth of the lions, and Daniel was safe.
The Matrix
Or think of The Matrix movie. Remember when Morpheus told Neo to bend the spoon, and he was really confused about it? But then when he realized that all of reality is literally just a simulation in his brain, that he can manipulate whatever’s in front of him—and then move the spoon?
Or when he controlled the speed of his environment, dodging the bullets that were shot at him?
Basically, with faith—with just having this undeniable faith in God—anything is possible.
Because when you have no fear of death itself, you are finally free.
Paradise as a metaphor
As a philosophical thought, it’s actually kind of an idea to consider that there is no afterlife. The reason why is because when you assume that there is no afterlife—even under the assumption that you have no fear of death—it really does set things into perspective. You start to affirm the life that you live on the earth more.
I can’t help but think of Saint Jerome in the painting by Caravaggio, where he is hunched over, writing, in a dark space, decrepit in his room, with his weak and feeble body—a beautiful painting—as he’s writing next to that skull.
It’s a reminder of our inevitable fate—our death.
However, perhaps, instead of yearning for the afterlife and denying our life here on this earth, we can affirm our life here on this material plane, through physical excellence, through life affirmation.
And so if you consider paradise as a metaphor, as a very simple thought: the kingdom is within you.
That’s why Jesus said the kingdom is in your heart. It’s because the way in which you feel and perceive the world around you shapes either paradise or hell within your mind.
When you wake up in the morning full of vitality, just eager to get out and move your body and go out and see the sunrise, you are in paradise.
If you wake up in the morning dreading the sound of your alarm clock, forcing yourself to get out of bed, brush your teeth, go to the office because you feel like you “have to”—well then you’re in your own hell.
Hell is basically just a metaphor for a lack of vitality, and that lack of vitality makes you succumb to slavery.
You become a slave to the world, rather than a creator in the world. A slave to the world simply does things because they think they have to. A creator in the world only does things because they want to.
And so if we assume that there is no afterlife, how will you live your everyday life right here, right now?
If we were in paradise right now, and this truly was heaven on earth, why not just bring it down from the heavens to this horizontal plane right now?
Life is a video game
The best game mode in Call of Duty was always Search and Destroy. Why? Because in Search and Destroy, you only have one life. If you die, you can’t respawn right away.
Or maybe you’re an old-school gamer, and you remember Counter-Strike—this game was always the best, because you have basically one shot, one kill to the head with the AK-47, and you can’t respawn—you’re dead, you’re out. You have to either diffuse the bomb, plant the bomb, win the round, or lose the round.
If you were playing life in ultra hard-core mode—one life, one kill, no respawns—how would you live your life?
This is interesting because, actually now that I think about it, if people live under the assumption that there are no respawns, that all is chaos, with zero faith in God or in an afterlife—maybe this is actually a really, really bad thing?
Maybe with this assumption, we will inevitably just be playing skee-ball and drinking beers all day? Or just seek to destroy and embrace hedonism and nihilism.
However, if we assume that we are the creators—kind of like we’re playing Minecraft in Creative Mode, where you’re basically in God mode, can never die, and can fly and do whatever you want—you can drop unlimited blocks and create a perfect paradise…
In Creative Mode, you’re not bound by fear of death, but empowered by the freedom to build, to design, to imagine something greater.
In Creative Mode, you’re not fighting to survive—you’re creating a world worth living in.
Let’s build a kingdom
So what if the goal and the meaning of life is actually to just bring the kingdom down here on earth?
But the kingdom is internal, and it requires you to go on your little hero’s journey, like you’re Link from The Legend of Zelda. You have the Triforce of Courage, you go and defeat Ganondorf and get that force of Power, and now there’s only that one missing piece…
The last piece is always hidden in the kingdom, in the castle, where the princess Zelda is. Once you get the princess, and the Triforce of Wisdom, you have the complete trifecta—Courage, Power, and Wisdom.
But without wisdom, the courage and power mean nothing.
So perhaps, if you look at this metaphorically, and life really is this video game, and you’re basically just Link—starting from square one with your little dagger sword—going on the adventure…
Let’s realize the importance of that one missing piece of the Triforce as wisdom.
But it’s also really important to recognize that maybe one will never possess wisdom if they do not first possess courage or power.
Because without courage, you’re never gonna defeat the beast.
Just think of David and Goliath, and him armoring himself with the courage of God, to defeat Goliath with a slingshot. And then, with his courage and power in hand, David went and became king, and brought a kingdom down to earth.
Your heart is a kingdom
So let us assume that the kingdom is your heart.
I actually just read one of the mystics, St. Teresa of Ávila, which I very much enjoyed—The Interior Castle. She described seven layers of your heart as these different mansions, and the innermost mansion is a divine union with God.
Maybe it’s time to go get your gear. Go slay the beasts. And build the kingdom.
But in order to build the kingdom, you gotta crack through the walls, to the center—to wisdom.
You can’t beat the game with just courage and power. Those two traits mean nothing without wisdom.
Then you become the true player in the game, like Neo in The Matrix, or the ultimate God Mode creator in Minecraft—
Welcome to Street Photography Breakdown, part nine, where we look at five of my photographs and break down five different ideas about how I made the frames. Hopefully, by the end of this, you’ll have a better understanding of how to apply some of these practices and techniques to your own street photography journey.
1. The Makeup Girls in Mumbai
I kept returning to Varsova Beach. Over and over. Each day, I chipped away at the same location—got more comfortable. The people started to recognize me, and I got closer to the moments.
Golden hour hit different here. There was this pink hue in the sky, this glow that hit just right. I gravitated toward that beach light naturally.
“I found myself simply gravitating towards the locations where I know there will be light.”
On this day, I noticed two girls applying makeup. There was something so tender, so intimate about the gesture. I framed them bottom center of the photo—so they’d sit against the clean background. In the upper half of the frame, three girls were climbing a hill of trash, carrying a boy.
The gesture of the makeup, the composition of the figures above, the sand, the trash mounds, the pink light—it all fell into place. The result?
“A clean and simple and easy to read photograph.”
Key Takeaway: Return to the same location. Get comfortable. People open up. Light becomes your ally.
2. The Fog at Penn’s Landing
This one? Total surprise.
It was either New Year’s Day or the day after in 2021. It rained earlier—and then this fog just descended. I had never seen it like that before. It was magical.
Penn’s Landing is one of my favorite places to shoot in Philly. So I just naturally gravitate there. That’s key.
“Follow that inner curiosity in you. Follow your inner desire.”
I composed back to front. Planted my body to align with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the left. That became my anchor.
Two people in the foreground. Fog in the air. Neon lights from New Jersey reflecting off the water.
“It’s really the mood and the atmosphere and the energy that I believe is evoked through the frame.”
Moral of the story: Go where you love. The magic might just meet you there.
3. Turn on Red
This one came from the gut.
Two women in red shirts. Two nurses in blue. Blue signs in the back. And a sign up top that says: TURN ON RED.
I noticed the color matching instantly. Made my move to get in front. Fired off two frames.
“Sometimes you get a cherry on top, you get a surprise.”
The turn-on-red sign? I didn’t even fully see it in the moment. It revealed itself later. That’s the beauty of instinct.
“No amount of studying or composition theory is going to help you make these kind of photos. This comes through putting in the reps.”
Takeaway: Be out there. Shoot from the gut. Let instinct lead.
4. The Rainbow at Logan Square Fountain
This shot was not luck. I forced my luck.
I told myself: “I’m going to photograph the rainbow.”
So I waded into the fountain water. Spent three to four hours repositioning my body to find the angle. I watched the kids play, studied their movement, waited.
“You can go out there and make a photograph of anything you can dream of. It’s just a matter of putting your mind and your body out there on the front lines of life.”
One kid leapt—legs outstretched—just as the rainbow arced across the background. His head? Literally revealed the rainbow. A water jet on the left mimicked the rainbow’s shape.
Pure decisive moment magic.
Lesson: Repetition. Physicality. Obsession. That’s what gets you the shot you dream of.
5. The Girls Playing at Penn’s Landing
This one was spontaneous.
Far edge of the promenade. A place where no one walks. These girls came out of nowhere and just started playing. I set my background first—the blue geometric shapes, the leading lines. Then I waited.
One girl leapt, legs out, just as her sister looked on. And at that exact moment, a shadow revealed itself bottom left—something I didn’t even see until after.
“When you’re making a decisive moment photograph, little bits and pieces reveal themselves.”
And that’s what it’s about.
“Photography is a very physical act—positioning your body in relation to the moment and pressing the shutter from the gut.”
Final Thoughts:
Follow your gut
Trust your instinct
Let your body feel the moment
Go out daily and increase your chances of making magic
Wrap Up
If you enjoyed this breakdown, visit dantesisafo.com. On my Start Here page, grab my contact sheets PDF, watch the “How I Mastered Street Photography” video, or dive into the Mumbai playlist with behind-the-scenes POVs.
Thank you for watching, reading, and being part of this journey. I’ll catch you in the next one.
