Street Photography Breakdown: Part 9
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
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.
Peace.