Daniel Arnold On His “Thrift Store Mentality”

It’s been three years since Daniel Arnold, $90 in his bank account and his rent payment looming, decided on his 34th birthday to make his 22,000 Instagram followers a one-day offering: a 4×6 print of any of his posted photos for $150, his first such sale. Requests flooded his inbox totaling $15,000 over the next 24 hours. First reported by Forbes, the story went viral.

Now with over 156,000 followers on Instagram and a recurring page in the The New York Times, it’s another first for Daniel: a solo museum exhibition at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, “Daniel Arnold: A Paparazzo for Strangers.”

In an interview article for the Urban Milwaukee covering the exhibition, Daniel described his “thrift store mentality” regarding his work ethic with street photography.

“You’ve got to dig through 30,000 nasty shirts from dead guys before you find the one that makes it worth it.”

— Daniel Arnold

My question is how many nasty hats from dead guys did he dig through to find that wonderful Yellow Cab hat?

But seriously, congrats to Daniel on another well-earned milestone in the continued upward trajectory of his photographic career. I’m guessing that the price for his birthday prints is going up.


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