Street Photography Masterclass with the Ricoh GR III

Street Photography Masterclass with the Ricoh GR III Slides Download

What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.
Today we’re going to be breaking down some of my street photography using the Ricoh GR III. I’m gonna share with you some behind the scenes of the contact sheets, analyze compositions, and dissect what makes these photos so great.

The First Principle: Walk More, See More

Let’s start simple. Real simple.

“The more that you walk, the more that you see. The more that you see, the more that you photograph. The more that you photograph, the more curious you become.”

And the more curious you become, the more lust for life you have. That lust — that exuberance for the everyday — reflects right back in your photos.

Photography Isn’t About Photography

“I believe photography has nothing to do with photography. Photography has everything to do with how you engage with humanity out there in the open world, on the front lines of life.”

If you want to become a better street photographer, you gotta fall in love with life first.

This isn’t for the once-a-week shooter. Street photography is for those who show up every single day with rigor and vitality. Yes, it’s a numbers game. But it’s also about finding something uplifting in the same mundane lane.

“Photography is a visual game and a physical pleasure.”

Composition is Physical

Where you stand matters. A lot.

“The result of the composition derives through your intuition, through your gut, through where you position your body and press the shutter.”

Composition is a dance between the moment and the background — a synthesis of content and form.

Rome: The Choke Point

Every day in Rome, I’d hit the streets with my GR and walk to the Colosseum. Why? Because of the light. Because of the energy. It was a choke point — an area packed with people.

Tip #1: Find a choke point.

Once you’re there, you set the stage. Background first, then wait for the foreground to fall into place.

You don’t always need to hunt. Sometimes you need to fish. You set your frame and wait for the subject to step into it. That’s what I did:

Set the Colosseum in the background
Paid attention to light and shadow
Waited for a subject to enter the frame
Clicked the shutter

“This is the art of patience. A photographer must respond intuitively — but also be present enough to wait for the stars to align.”

Philadelphia: The Chinese New Year Celebration

In my hometown, Philly, I hit the streets during Chinese New Year. I found a subject: a man smoking a cigarette. He wasn’t facing me — so I waited. I worked the scene.

Raised the Ricoh above eye level
Isolated him from the background clutter
Waited for the moment he turned toward me
Captured the gesture

“Getting close and filling the frame in the foreground with a subject, with a gesture, with something visually impactful, is going to elevate a mundane moment to a new height.”

Proximity is power.
Events give you that opportunity.