Detach from the Outcome
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Check it out — a leaf. 🍃
So waking up in the morning and checking your Instagram first thing is the equivalent of taking a poop and smearing the poop all over your face — in your eyes, your mouth, your ears, and all of your orifices.
Today I’m thinking about this idea that detachment is the most powerful mindset shift for street photography.
The Instagram Trap
The reason I mention Instagram in this playful way is because I find it to be the ultimate distraction for a street photographer.
To publish your work, to seek validation, to look for likes and comments — even just scrolling through other people’s photos — it all distracts you.
When you photograph for an audience, when you photograph with an outcome in mind, it puts you in a box. You start to manipulate the things you do — the way you shoot, the way you see.
And that all stems from this idea of trying to make a “good” photograph. A photograph that will get applause. Recognition. Attention. But that mindset kills the spirit of play.
Freedom Through Detachment
Detaching from the outcome means going out into the world without any preconceived notions of what you’ll find — or whether or not you’ll come home with something “good” or “bad.”
Those binary ideas are limiting. Mediocre, even.
When you eliminate that decision — the thought of should I turn left or right? Will this be a good photo or not? — and just keep moving forward in the flow, something changes.
You start to photograph more.
You enter a rhythm of perpetual production.
And through that process, you find your authentic expression as an artist.
There Is No “Good” or “Bad”
In the realm of art, everything is subjective.
There is no such thing as good or bad in photography — there’s only you and what you create.
That’s why I think this concept of detachment is so important to share. It’s liberating.
It allows you to find more joy in your photography because you’re not weighed down by expectation.
Joy in the Process
For me, joy is what I seek to cultivate through the act of photographing life.
When I detach completely from the outcome, I no longer carry that burden — that mental weight pressing on my soul.
Especially when traveling to new places, it’s easy to fall into the trap of expectation. You think, “I have to come back with something good.”
But that kind of thinking leads to disappointment.
The best mindset is to be completely detached.
So that’s the thought of the day —
Embrace the spirit of play. Detach from the outcome. Photograph freely.
Don’t worry about whether or not you come home with something good or bad. Just shoot, walk, and live.