21-year old Dioni Rodriguez was born and raised in Paterson, NJ. It wasn’t until recently that he started going by another name – Saint Dioni. Two years ago he became passionate about photography and took this new name as a sort of pseudonym. He explains that 2017 was the year that he first truly felt “alive” thanks to this new creative passion. His growing portfolio features lots of enchanting subjects that draw the attention of viewers. Check out some of Saint Dioni’s work and read our interview with him below.
Click any photo above to open a viewing gallery.
Describe your style in five words or less.
Renaissance Painting / Neon Demon.
How long have you been working with photography?
As a life passion? One [year], about to be two. I fell in love with it senior year of high school because of a The Weeknd concert. It started as a hobby in 2015, but it wasn’t until 2016 [that] I was like “fuck it, this is it. This is my passion.” I never really expected for it to take over my life like this. I went from using my shitty Android to a full frame mirrorless camera pretty fast.
How do you creatively prepare for a shoot?
I surround myself with all forms of art to take in the creative energy. Paintings, music, music videos, other photography, etc. Basically, [I] overstimulate my brain so I’m not drained out of ideas mid-way thru the shoot. A lot is improvised.
What do you look for in the subjects of your work?
Faces that I can remember. Scenes that deserve to be seen.
What is it that inspires you?
My people. The creatives / the people who are trying to do something they like for a living. The one who aren’t afraid to risk stability and comfort to make something of themselves.
A lot of your work has a vintage look to it, do you shoot with this in mind or does it come into play during the editing process?
It comes out during the editing, it’s not intentional either. Every picture is edited differently.
Are you currently working on any big projects? I think I saw something about a photography book?
I do have a book being worked on! First Year Being Alive – it’s based on the 2017 creative year I had. Just a whole year of work compressed down. It’s currently on time for mid-January.
I have a lot of what I want to do and I’m going to slowly put it together.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
I’m just happy to be here now, I’m taking it a year at a time. Ideally, I just hope I’m a lot farther in my overall goal of living my best life making my art and learning happiness.
