The word festival means celebration, and in this case, the celebration of photography. I encourage everyone to participate in festivals with their photography, sharing their passion and letting the world know that we care about what we do, even if we don’t get selected. Ultimately, a festival is a reunion of like-minded people who appreciate the art of photography, and festivals are only possible when photographers actively participate in them.

-To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. Elliott Erwitt, once said. What ’s your moto?

For me photography is a form of discovery. It is a form of awareness and meditation, observation and attention to detail. I am attracted to the minute details in the ordinary, where another world exists and we can discover it through photography.

-How ’s life in Brussels for a street photographer? Where do you wanna go for shooting that you have not been before and why.

Brussels is a very interesting city for street photography. A very dynamic city, always changing and offering new opportunities for photography. As this city tries to discover its own identity, many festivals and activities are developed and celebrated, bringing life to its streets and neighborhoods.

I am very interested in the East part of Europe. I have already traveled around so I know some places, but I still want to revisit and discover new ones. I am interested because it’s way more authentic than the Western side of Europe, which seems to follow overall trends, so many things look the same.

-Please, do give us some information about WorldSP.co and some of the Brussels Street Photography Festival.

WorldSP.co is an initiative that I launched almost 4 years ago when I arrived in Brussels and learned about street photography. I got frustrated I couldn’t find much information about the genre and that the global awareness of it was low. WorldSP.co is a page that promotes artists from all over the world by sharing their street photos in a curated fashion. We use tumblr as a sharing platform because the author of the photos get all the likes and feedback from our reblogs. We have about 30.000 followers at the moment. We also do monthly interviews featuring contemporary photographers (mainly street) to uncover their thoughts and share them with the community.

Eventually though, the internet was not enough for me and I needed more real life interactions about photography, so I started thinking about something bigger than just an online sharing platform.
The BSPF started as a shared effort between me, Sedaile Mejias and Diego Luna Quintanilla, both architects and urbanists. We happened to be collaborating in a project they were leading in order to improve the look and feel of a square in Brussels, and I was documenting the process with my photography. After many hours spent together we realized we had common ideals and so the BSPF was born as a combination of our interests towards photography, urban spaces and Brussels, among others.

The BSPF is a project of research, passion, experimentation, love for the city and of course photography. Our visions are different and somehow they blend very well to create this particular event. We are very passionate about it and we hope this energy can be seen by our visitors and participants.

-You are one of Phos Athens judges, so let me know 5 Must-Haves for a successful image.

No order in particular, and, this is just my humble opinion based on my personal taste:

1. Original (not seen before, avoiding clichés).
2. Exaltation of the ordinary (the ordinary becomes extraordinary).
3. Visually appealing (it has to talk to me visually).
4. Print factor (I would definitely print the photo).
5. Objective (I am not attached to the photo yet I admire it, avoid the opposite).

-Give me a message, and I will be your messenger, to all of these people that they have already participated at Phos Athens contest and maybe they will not manage to be at the finalists.

Regardless of the outcome, participating in festivals is a way to celebrate our passion for photography. The word festival means celebration, and in this case, the celebration of photography. I encourage everyone to participate in festivals with their photography, sharing their passion and letting the world know that we care about what we do, even if we don’t get selected. Ultimately, a festival is a reunion of like-minded people who appreciate the art of photography, and festivals are only possible when photographers actively participate in them.

Short Bio

Dani Oshi is a self-taught photographer who lives in Brussels. Life observer and urban explorer. Photography is his passion and he enjoys documenting every day life in the streets. Currently working as a freelance photographer, he uses his free time for learning more about photography and shooting in the streets trying different techniques.

Dani is the founder of WorldSP.co and also one of the main editors and curators, helping selecting the best work to display on the website since 2013. Dani is also one of the founders of the Brussels Street Photography Festival as he profoundly believes in promoting street photography as a medium of expression - www.daniosorio.com