Get Closer: The Secret to Better Photos with the Ricoh GR
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Check out that beautiful photograph I just made of a leaf.
Today I’m thinking about photographing details, textures, and putting the Ricoh GR in close proximity to surfaces.
The Superpower of Getting Close
The superpower of the Ricoh is simple:
You can get extremely close.
There’s a macro feature—click up on the D-pad—and suddenly you unlock a whole new way of seeing.
Pair that with exposure compensation, underexpose for the highlights, and you start to create something different.
When you get close, the world opens up.
Light, Texture, and Wabi-Sabi
Right now I’m photographing a leaf.
A tear in the leaf. Imperfection. Texture.
That wabi-sabi aesthetic.
Underexpose the highlights, crush the shadows—and something beautiful happens.
It’s liberating.
Slow Down and Look
Most people walk past this path every day.
They’re not looking at:
- Cobwebs
- Leaves
- Textures
- Small details
We live fast lives.
But it’s a luxury to slow down.
And when you slow down, you start to see.
There’s Always Something to Shoot
Shoutout to Dimitri in Seattle from the Flux community.
Man’s out with his wife and kids, running errands, in a toy store—and still photographing.
Still finding things.
He got close to an advertisement and made something interesting out of it.
That’s the mindset.
Wherever you are—there’s something.
Frictionless Photography
This whole practice is about removing friction.
- Ricoh GR
- High contrast black and white
- P mode
- JPEG
- Everything baked in
No decisions.
Just shoot.
When you get home?
Nothing to do except select and publish.
Build Your Archive
Go out every day.
Make a few frames.
That’s it.
Brick by brick.
Over time, you’ll build an archive.
And inside that archive?
There will be photos you’re proud of.
Don’t Worry About Location
Location doesn’t matter.
You can be anywhere:
- City
- Suburbs
- Middle of nowhere
There’s always something.
You don’t need a perfect place—you need awareness.
Stop Trying to Impress
Don’t photograph for:
- Trends
- Other people
- Validation
Photograph for yourself.
Only make photos you want to exist.
Cultivate Instinct
This is what it’s really about.
Instinct.
Remove the friction:
- No thinking
- No overanalyzing
- Just shooting
Eventually, it becomes effortless.
You enter the flow state.
Photography as a Ritual
Photography isn’t just about the final image.
It’s a daily ritual.
A way of engaging with life.
A way of noticing.
A way of being present.
You exist outside the passage of time when you’re in it.
Enter the Stream
Photography is endless.
It’s a stream.
You don’t arrive—you just keep going.
- Try macro
- Shoot landscapes
- Photograph people
- Make self-portraits
Don’t limit yourself.
Final Thought
Play.
That’s it.
Stop taking it so seriously.
Go out there, get close, and see what happens.
The road is endless.
Just start today.