How to Stay Inspired in Street Photography: Cultivate Curiosity and Follow the Light

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante, getting my morning started here in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. The more you love life, the more you photograph life.

Courage, Motion, and Photography

So today, I’m thinking about why this matters and how we can apply this to our everyday lives as photographers. I believe that ultimately, motivation derives from your legs, from the physical movement of your body. You know, I like to think that I’m driven by courage.

My body is the vehicle. And when I make a photograph and look back at it, it’s a reflection of my heart—core meaning heart. It’s a reflection of my courage. Because ultimately, it requires courage to be out here in the world, exploring endlessly.

“The world is the ultimate arena.”

There’s just so much out here—so much to do, to see, to explore, to experience, and to photograph. And at the forefront of our practice, courage is required—the courage to wake up in the morning, to get out of bed, to move your body, to go out there and experience life on the front lines of life.

This, to me, is the ultimate joy of photography.

Curiosity and the Act of Photographing

I’m thinking today about how—how to get this across. This simple notion of falling in love with life through photography, and how this inspires me to make photographs every single day, no matter how mundane things may seem.

One question I like to ask myself is very simple:

What will reality manifest to be in a photograph?

What this means is—I’m simply curious about what the result in the photograph will be. What will the camera see? I’m not necessarily looking at life for what it is, but for what it could be.

So when I make a photograph of something, I’m simply asking why. I’m putting a question mark on life itself.

Through this act of photographing—of going out there each and every day, looking at life intensely, seeing all the details and complexities—I become more in tune with my perception of reality. And ultimately, perception determines everyday life, thoughts, and feelings.

Light as the Subject

Photography is a way to cultivate curiosity. A way to wake up each day with openness and eagerness.

For me, what it all comes down to—photographing, making pictures—is curiosity.

How curious can you be each and every day? How curious are you to go out there and make photographs, to make sense of things? These discarded little moments—trash on the ground, a crack in the sidewalk—become my canvas to draw upon.

And one of the biggest creative unlocks for me recently?

Treating light as my medium.

Photography is drawing with light—from fos (light) and graphia (writing/drawing). So, light becomes my subject.

The way the light changes throughout the day, throughout the seasons.
Cloudy days, rainy days, golden hour, blue hour.
Light carving into surfaces, textures, people, places, and things.

By treating light as my subject, I no longer depend on a theme, a project, or a specific thing to photograph. Instead, I follow the light. Light itself gives me the ability to articulate the world—to put order to the chaos.

This is the most empowering mindset shift I’ve adopted as a photographer.

Photography and Vitality

If you want to go out and photograph on the days when you don’t feel like it, I think it’s simple. For me, it’s about vitality.

“The only life worth living is a life full of vitality.”

The more photographs I make, the more it reflects my vigor, my passion, my drive.

The more sleep I get, the more power I have.
The more sunlight I absorb, the more energy I have.
The better I eat, the more I want to move my body and photograph.

So, to stay inspired, I keep my body sharp:

I get 8-10 hours of sleep.
I eat the right foods.
I stretch, do yoga, drink water.
I drink coffee and step out into the world ready to go.

The better I feel physically, the more I find myself photographing.

The Physical Joy of Photography

To improve as a photographer, one must fall in love with life itself. And to fall in love with life, one must feel good, feel powerful, feel physically capable of moving through the world.

Making a photograph is a physical pleasure—walking, exploring, observing. My philosophy of photography is rooted in the physicality of it all.

“The everyday experience of being out in the world is what brings life meaning.”

Walking, listening, smelling, touching, thinking, watching—all of these things bring me joy in photography.

Cultivating Curiosity

If you’re looking to stay inspired, think about more ways to cultivate curiosity.

Slow down.
Look at everything around you as a potential photograph.
Free yourself from good vs. bad photographs.
Follow that inner child. Embrace play.

When you detach from the outcome—from whether the photo is good or bad—and just embrace the flow state, you’ll find yourself infinitely inspired to make new images.

“Each day is new. There are infinite things to see and photograph.”

And at the end of the day, it’s the process and the journey that bring meaning.

Returning to Day One

I’ve photographed for over a decade. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve mastered street photography.

But the key to joy? Returning to day one.

By embracing an amateur mindset—photographing with curiosity, with spontaneity—I liberate myself. I photograph in a radical new way. And in doing so, I find more joy in my life.

“Use photography as a way to fuel your lust for life. Find joy and meaning in the mundane.”

Because at the end of the day, this moment—right here, right now—is all that matters.

We’re all gonna die one day. Maybe we can’t live forever.

But at least, we can make a photograph.