Stay Focused

The first issue! A collectors item for sure.

Hey, I’m Dan. I’ve been taking photos since I was 15. Back then, I used my dad’s Yashica MF-1 to take photos of my friends, family, and document that time in my life - most of it spent skateboarding, dj’ing, writing graffiti, and goofing off. A lot of that stuff I still do 30-odd years later, and still try to document it all with my cameras, both digital and film, although that fell by the wayside for a few years.

I don’t go out painting anymore but boy, do I love documenting writers that do.

I’ve had a camera in some way most of my life, but I can say that the last few years I’ve been more focused on photography than ever before. I try to shoot all types, automatic, manual, mirrorless, and mechanical, and the things i’ve captured these last few years really made me wish I’d never put my camera down. So why Stay Focused? Because I want just that, to stay focused on the act of documenting my life, my family, my friends, my travels, and the city I live in.

I shoot primarily street photography and everything in that spectrum, but I love trying out different styles and genres and using new and old gear, especially since getting back into film and shooting manual.

A barista on autopilot in Nakameguro, Tokyo.

This newsletter will be my way of journaling through it all with words and pictures and if anyone’s interested, they can subscribe and tag along while I try to get even more ok at this.

What to expect

Well, like most photographers on here, this substack is where I’m gonna post pictures and write about taking them. There will be other stuff too, but it will all be focused around photography and be on a fairly regular schedule.

I’m building a little collection of cameras and will be trying them all out and sharing the results here. I’m gonna make and share zine’s that will be focused on projects or travel, and write about my interests (of which there are many) and how they tie into photography (they usually do).

Let’s discuss other photographers, the pros, the ams and everyone in between. What makes a successful or unsuccessful photo, document process and progress, and share what I’ve learned. I also want to learn from others and connect in ways we can maybe only do on a platform like this.

More than anything, I love being a part of the photography community, and this seems like a great place to meet people and make new photography buds.

If you like, you can also follow me on Instagram where I go by okayfoto. There’ll be a distinction on what I post here vs. there, with my priority being Substack.

If you wanna chat, please reach out. I’m always down to talk about photography. Subscribe below, and let’s get started.

Stay Focused!