Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — Street Photography Diary #7 Boner Forever
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Today we’re doing Street Photography Diary Number 7, where we look at photographs I made recently with the Ricoh GR IV monochrome.
Boner Forever
On this particular day, I scaled a mountain.
I climbed a tower titled Boner Forever.
There’s apparently a building here in North Philadelphia that the locals call Boner Forever — somebody spray-painted it on the side.
My friend Dylan — shout out to Dylan Stone — invited me to climb it with him.
And so I guess today’s idea is around adventure, exploration, and the art of not giving a fuck.
At the end of the journey, I wound up getting a tetanus shot because I stepped on a rusty nail.
Drawn to Chaos
I find that embracing danger, embracing the unknown, going out there with courage — with thumos, with spiritedness — that’s what guides my practice.
When I think about my past — photographing in Palestine, or in West Baltimore, Sandtown-Winchester — I realize something:
I’m drawn to chaos.
To the grit.
To the grime.
To the imperfect nature of life.
As much as I love light, I’m curious about how life looks photographed.
How the monochrome sensor renders reality.
Beauty in the Grit
I find myself in alleyways.
Spaces people avoid.
Trash. Beer cans. Discarded objects. Newspaper on the ground.
And I just want to know:
What does this look like photographed?
I find beauty in imperfection.
We are imperfect flesh creatures.
We cut. We bleed. We die.
And somehow—
That’s what makes us divine.
Affirming Life as It Is
Instead of pretending life is only beautiful, or only ugly—
Why not both?
Why not everything?
The truth is in the in-between.
I think it’s important to photograph life as it is.
Not just sunshine and rainbows.
Not just doom and gloom.
But everything.
The full complexity.
Everything Is Photographable
I don’t believe we should limit what we photograph.
Only chasing “beautiful” moments misses the truth.
Everything is photographable.
The ugly.
The beautiful.
The mundane.
The chaotic.
It’s all part of life.
And as photographers, I think we should embrace that.
Honestly. Openly. Authentically.
A Moment of Instinct
I was on the corner with Kai and Dennis.
They were being indecisive about where to eat.
I crossed the street.
Made a photograph.
I cropped to 50mm.
Switched from snap focus to single-point autofocus.
Locked onto a hand.
Then suddenly—
Another hand enters the frame.
Gesture overlaps gesture.
An ambiguous moment.
That’s what I’m chasing — ambiguity.
Fragments of life.
Instant sketches.
Drawing With Light
Black and white simplifies everything.
High contrast. Grain. Texture.
You return to the essence:
Photography is drawing with light.
When I make a photograph, it’s an instant sketch.
Light and shadow.
Nothing else.
Instinct Over Thought
I don’t want to think on the street.
I want to respond.
Instinctively.
By stripping away color and simplifying the process, I rely on instinct.
My body moves — and the photograph happens.
It’s not about overthinking.
It’s about positioning.
Being there.
Responding.
The Climb
We climbed Boner Forever.
Dilapidated stairwells.
Ropes holding parts of the building together.
It felt like it could collapse at any moment.
But we kept going.
Higher and higher.
Then suddenly—
Two young guys appear on the rooftop.
One starts running.
Like he’s avoiding a sniper.
I’m thinking—
Am I in a crime scene?
But I take the photo anyway.
The Adventure Is the Point
Photography is an adventure.
Exploring new places.
Standing at the edge of chaos.
That’s where I feel alive.
That’s where the juice is.
That’s what makes me excited to wake up.
A New Way to Approach Photography
Forget what you think photography is.
Forget style.
Forget rules.
Forget expectations.
Go out there and play.
Climb something.
Explore something new.
Scrape your knee.
Step on a rusty nail.
You’ll be fine.
Final Thoughts
Life is out there.
Waiting.
But you have to go into it.
You have to embrace the unknown.
Follow your curiosity.
Follow your inner child.
That’s where the photographs are.
That’s where life is.
These were the photographs from this particular Sunday.
A very eventful day.
A very beautiful day.
And I’m looking forward to more.
Welcome to Philadelphia.
Peace.