The Ten Commandments of the Ricoh GR

1. Thou shalt use the Ricoh GR, for it is light, swift, and ever ready.
2. Thou shalt walk, and not wait for inspiration to descend from the clouds.
3. Thou shalt trust thy instincts, for hesitation is the enemy of the decisive moment.
4. Thou shalt not overthink thy settings, nor worship menus and specifications.
5. Thou shalt keep thy camera small, that thy presence may remain invisible.
6. Thou shalt embrace imperfection, for life itself is crooked and unfinished.
7. Thou shalt photograph daily, even when the streets appear empty and dull.
8. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s gear, nor chase lenses thou dost not need.
9. Thou shalt move thy feet, for composition is found through walking.
10. Thou shalt remember: the camera is but an extension of the eye—and the seeing comes first.

Credits to Abdul:)

Street Photography Is a Numbers Game — Finding Meaning Through Practice, Not Results

What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.

Today I’m looking at a random collection of photographs from my archive, shooting high-contrast black and white with the Ricoh GR III, and talking about street photography — my approach, the practice, and where I find meaning in the process itself.

With the idea of making pictures, we often get caught up in the outcome. But what I’m really interested in with photography is discovering, asking questions, and remaining curious about life in general.

When I’m making photographs, I’m not trying to make a great photograph. I’m trying to explore, experiment, tinker — to find something new in the frame. That happens through mistakes, through recognizing gestures and relationships, and through responding to instinct. I try to let the chips fall where they may and see what manifests.

I’m not really controlling anything.

In street photography, we’re only in control of so much. We’re in control of how often we go out, how often we move our physical body, how much we see, and how often we photograph. We’re not in control of whether we come home with a great photograph or whether something interesting reveals itself.

What is in our control is responding. Responding to instinct and intuition. Synthesizing the foreground and background. Feeling the relationships in the frame and pressing the shutter.

Photography requires consistency. Repetition. Discipline. Putting in the reps.

Street photography is a numbers game.

The best street photographers aren’t the ones who know every compositional trick or who’ve read every book. They’re the ones who walk every single day with a camera in hand. They show up.

When you put the work in, results eventually come out of the practice. But that only happens when you’re immersed in the moment — not attached to the outcome.

When the outcome becomes the goal, it inhibits your ability to enter the flow state.

When you’re fully immersed in the practice, the outcome becomes secondary.

Meaning, for me, is found in presence. In being aware. In responding to instinct through photography. That’s where the richness is — the embodied experience of making photos.

That’s why I practice street photography.

The photographs I come home with are just a record of the day. A reminder of how I live my life. I don’t separate good from bad. I see everything as a stream.

I follow intuition.

I don’t use guidelines. I don’t use themes. I don’t use checklists. Those things inhibit me. I want to walk with an open mind and photograph whatever I find, without attachment to what it means or what it represents.

Responding to instinct is the fastest way to cultivate authentic expression.

Instinct is primal. Sometimes it’s light. Sometimes gesture. Sometimes a symbol — like a cross on gravel. I respond quickly. I’m not thinking. I’m doing.

Presence and noticing matter more than composition.

Composition is secondary. Easy.

The real work is being out there — embodied — engaging with humanity at the forefront. When you throw yourself onto the front lines of life with a camera in hand, entering the flow state becomes inevitable.

Always have the camera with you. Live your life. Bring the camera along for the ride. Respond to what catches your eye — but more importantly, what resonates in your body.

You’ll feel it in your gut.

Photography isn’t rational. It’s physical. Emotional. Primal.

Through mistakes, whims, and intuition, your expression begins to emerge.

Street photography comes down to presence, consistency, and movement. You’re not in control of what you see. You’re not in control of coming home with something great.

You are in control of walking.

Photography is a physical, embodied practice. To make great street photographs, you must be consistent.

That’s my thought for the day.

The goal of this channel is simple: share photos, share ideas, openly and candidly look at photographs, and hopefully inspire you to go out and practice.

Find joy in the process of becoming.

We’re always evolving. Transforming. Growing.

Never hitting a peak.

Just photographing endlessly, with longevity.

By cultivating an amateur mindset — loose, fluid, integrated into everyday life — you’ll find more meaning and more joy in your practice as a street photographer.

Thanks for watching.

Peace.

life is a work of art

beauty, vitality, and strength

Tende supra (Latin)

Literal meaning:

“Stretch upward” or “Strive above.”

Breakdown

• tende — stretch, aim, extend, strive (imperative of tendere)
• supra — above, beyond, higher

So it’s a command, not a description:

“Aim higher.”

“Stretch yourself upward.”

“Go beyond what you are.”

Sense & vibe

• Moral / spiritual ascent
• Self-overcoming
• Refusal of mediocrity
• Very Stoic / Roman / monastic energy

It’s the kind of phrase you’d see:

• Carved into stone
• Written above a doorway
• Used as a personal motto
• Whispered to yourself when you’re tired but not done

In spirit, it’s close to:

• Ad astra — “to the stars”
• Excelsior — “ever upward”
• Nietzsche’s idea of self-overcoming
• Christian mysticism: lifting the soul upward toward God

the world becomes a better place when you shut up, stop thinking, reacting, and actually respond with intention

Rosary on the bus or reading is god tier morning vibe

Avoid scrolling just delete every social media app and avoid the slop

When you curate your consumption you’ll start to wake up your nervous system to where it needs to be just subtract everything until there’s nothing

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite — An In-Depth Summary

Who Pseudo-Dionysius Is

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite is a mysterious Christian theologian and mystic writing in the late 5th or early 6th century. He deliberately adopts the name Dionysius the Areopagite, the Athenian convert of St. Paul mentioned in Acts 17, in order to give apostolic authority to his writings.

His works synthesize Christian theology, Neoplatonic metaphysics, and mystical experience into one of the most influential spiritual systems in Western Christianity.

He profoundly shaped:

• Medieval theology
• Mysticism
• Angelology
• Negative (apophatic) theology
• Figures like Maximus the Confessor, Aquinas, Eckhart, Bonaventure, and the Cloud of Unknowing tradition

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Core Vision

At the heart of Pseudo-Dionysius’ thought is this paradox:

God is utterly transcendent and unknowable — yet present in all things.

Human language, concepts, images, and even theology ultimately fail to grasp God’s essence. True union with God occurs beyond thought, in silence, darkness, and unknowing.

---

The Major Works

1. The Divine Names

This text explores how we can speak meaningfully about God without reducing God to human categories.

Key Ideas

• God is beyond all names, yet we must use names to approach Him.
• Scriptural names (Good, Being, Light, Love, Wisdom) are true but limited.
• Each name reveals something real about God’s activity, not His essence.

Important Distinction

• Essence (ousia): What God is — unknowable.
• Energies/Processions: How God acts — knowable.

God is called Good not because goodness defines Him, but because all goodness flows from Him.

---

2. Mystical Theology

This is the shortest but most radical work.

Central Teaching

True knowledge of God comes through unknowing.

• We must negate all affirmations about God.
• We move from light → cloud → darkness.
• Union with God occurs beyond intellect, beyond language, beyond images.

Famous Concept

The Divine Darkness

God is not darkness because He lacks light, but because His light is too intense for human perception.

God is known by unknowing.

This text deeply influenced later Christian mystics, especially Meister Eckhart and the apophatic tradition.

---

3. The Celestial Hierarchy

This work lays out the famous nine orders of angels, arranged in three triads.

Angelic Orders

First Triad (closest to God)

1. Seraphim — burning love
2. Cherubim — fullness of knowledge
3. Thrones — divine stability

Second Triad

4. Dominions
5. Virtues
6. Powers

Third Triad (closest to humanity)

7. Principalities
8. Archangels
9. Angels

Angels are not merely beings but symbols of divine order, mediation, and illumination.

---

4. The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

This is the earthly mirror of the celestial hierarchy.

Core Idea

Just as angels mediate divine light in heaven, sacraments, clergy, and rituals mediate divine life on earth.

• Baptism
• Eucharist
• Ordination
• Burial rites

Each rite is both symbolic and transformative, guiding the soul upward toward God.

The Church is understood as a ladder of ascent, not merely an institution.

---

5. The Letters

The letters clarify and defend Dionysius’ theology.

They emphasize:

• Humility in theology
• The danger of over-defining God
• The necessity of symbols for beginners
• Silence for the spiritually mature

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The Threefold Spiritual Path

Pseudo-Dionysius outlines a classic mystical progression:

1. Purification (Catharsis)

• Detachment from passions
• Moral discipline
• Preparation of the soul

2. Illumination (Photismos)

• Symbolic understanding
• Participation in divine light
• Sacramental life

3. Union (Henosis)

• Beyond thought
• Beyond images
• Beyond self
• Direct participation in God

This structure becomes foundational for Christian mysticism.

---

Apophatic vs. Cataphatic Theology

Cataphatic (Affirmative)

• God is Good
• God is Love
• God is Being

Apophatic (Negative)

• God is not good (as humans define good)
• God is not being
• God is not knowable

Both are necessary — but apophatic theology is higher.

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Why Pseudo-Dionysius Matters

• He bridges Christianity and Greek philosophy without collapsing either.
• He legitimizes mystical experience within orthodox theology.
• He provides a metaphysical framework for silence, humility, and awe.
• He profoundly influenced medieval, monastic, and contemplative Christianity.

His thought insists that:

The closer you get to God, the less you speak.

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In One Sentence

Pseudo-Dionysius teaches that God is best approached not by knowing more, but by surrendering knowledge itself, ascending through symbols into silence, darkness, and divine union.

Street photography just happens to be the language I started with

the outcome isn’t worth it if you don’t know yourself

when you know yourself, you become uncontrollable

The Chosen is a multi-season historical drama about the life of Jesus of Nazareth, told primarily through the eyes of the people who meet him—his disciples, followers, skeptics, and enemies.

Here’s the clean, no-fluff breakdown 👇

What makes 

The Chosen

 different

1. 

It’s character-first, not sermon-first

Instead of jumping straight into miracles and divinity, the show slows way down:

• Peter is impulsive, broke, and stressed
• Matthew is socially awkward and isolated
• Mary Magdalene carries deep trauma
  You meet them as humans before you meet them as saints.

That’s the hook.

2. 

Jesus feels approachable

Played by Jonathan Roumie, this Jesus:

• laughs
• jokes
• teases his friends
• gets tired
• listens more than he lectures

He’s reverent without being distant. Sacred, but not untouchable.

3. 

Biblical, but not wooden

The show sticks closely to Scripture in spirit, but:

• fills in gaps imaginatively
• builds plausible backstories
• adds everyday dialogue Scripture doesn’t record

Important: it doesn’t rewrite theology—it dramatizes context.

4. 

Crowd-funded and independent

This is huge.

The Chosen wasn’t made by a big Hollywood studio. It was crowd-funded and distributed freely through its own app at first. That independence gives it a very different tone—less glossy, more earnest.

Creator: Dallas Jenkins

Tone & vibe

• Grounded
• Warm
• Slow-burn
• Emotionally sincere
  Less “epic Bible movie,” more lived-in ancient world.

If you like:

• character studies
• spiritual realism
• quiet transformation
  …it hits hard.

Who it’s for (and who it’s not)

You’ll probably love it if:

• you’re spiritually curious
• you care about inner transformation
• you like shows that let moments breathe

You might bounce off if:

• you want nonstop action
• you dislike any religious framing
• you prefer purely symbolic or abstract takes

Why it resonates right now

In a noisy, cynical age, The Chosen feels:

• sincere without being preachy
• spiritual without being fake
• human without being hollow

It’s less about “believe this” and more about “come and see.”

complaining about the weather is kind of just silly when Uniqlo exists and even considering the need to be working on a computer and stuff like that, you could just walk around with your phone 1000 times more enjoyable and productive

Deconstructing Layers in Street Photography (Coney Island)

What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.

Today I’m deconstructing the layers in this photograph that I made on the 4th of July at Coney Island in 2025. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it and look at the contact sheets behind the scenes of how I made this frame.

Making Many Photographs, Not One

When I approach a scene, I don’t simply make one picture and move on. In this particular instance, I made dozens of photographs. I’m watching the scene unfold, making pictures around me, looking at the different moments that are happening — people jumping into the water, people gathering on the rocks.

I’m photographing consistently. I’m not just pressing the shutter one time. I’m photographing through the moment so that I can maybe find the decisive moment.

This practice requires patience and presence.

Presence, Patience, and Awareness

While I’m photographing, I’m hyper-aware of my surroundings. I’m listening to the children jumping, the way they’re moving, and I’m observing all the complexities of the scene.

Once I see something start to manifest, I look at the world in front of me like a visual puzzle.

Photography becomes about understanding the relationships between things, not forcing moments.

Building Relationships Between Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background

In this scene, I started sensing the possibility of layers — the different planes of rocks, the way people were positioned throughout the frame.

As things unfolded naturally, I stayed in one place, in one position, and allowed the scene to unfold. I didn’t force the moment. I responded to intuition.

Photography is a physical medium. You press the shutter with instinct and gut, but it’s your physical position in relation to the subject and background that constructs the frame.

Dropping Low and Working the Scene

As the scene unfolded, I kept making pictures. I dropped to a low angle to separate the subjects and bring the frame to life.

I’m not shooting in burst mode, but I am pressing the shutter consistently. That way, when the decisive moment happens — when the boy turns and looks to the right — everything in the frame is already synthesized.

Why the Background Matters

One thing I want to emphasize with layering in street photography is that the background is extremely important.

I dropped to a low angle so the background could be filled with sky and clouds. The rocks became a stage, grounding the bottom half of the frame and creating planes throughout the image.

The middle ground connects the subjects on the left with the boy in the foreground. His glance becomes the punctum — the subtle human element that adds emotional intensity and elevates the photograph.

Don’t Leave Until the Scene Leaves You

I’m not afraid to milk a scene. I don’t leave until the scene leaves me.

I photograph through the chaos, through the unsettling moments, as people jump into the water and the sun begins to set. The light was fading fast, and the timing was perfect.

When you have good light and a strong scene, you need to be there. You need to be present and work it fully.

Choosing the Keeper

At the end of the day, I came home with two frames from this scene. And then you have to decide: which one do you keep, and which one do you ditch?

Light, composition, timing, gesture — all of these matter. But when comparing frames side by side, you have to ask which one feels more interesting.

The left frame has more formal elegance — geometry, separation, clean gestures. But the right frame, while more imperfect, has that foreground boy pulling your eye through the entire image.

That human emotion elevates the frame.

That’s why I kept it.

Photography Is About Engagement

Photography has everything to do with how you engage with humanity.

Don’t be afraid to work a scene. Don’t be afraid to interact with people. When your presence is established, people begin to trust you — and eventually forget you’re even there.

That’s when you can really make photographs.

A Simple Approach to Composition

At the end of the day, this is a simple approach to composition:

Drop low.
Move left.
Move right.
Be patient.
Work the scene.
Let things unfold naturally.

Make the pictures first. Decide later — through culling, sequencing, and comparison — which frames you keep and which you let go.

That’s how I think about layering and composition in my work.

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

Peace.