Don't Worry Ur Early

There in the corner of the gallery, standing alone and staring at me from a distance wearing what can only be described as the wardrobe of a pro wrestler on vacation in Florida, was the photographer of the work on display, the person of the hour. This was his show, and while others looked at his pictures hanging on these white walls, Danyiel Broski was staring directly at me from across the room. Have we met before? I approached him and introduced myself.

"I know you," he politely interrupted, in an accent I couldn't quite place. "I like how you shoot felm. I'm Danyiel. These are my pictures," he confirmed, as if his portrait featured prominently on tonight's gallery show flier didn't make it obvious.

He wore a massive gold "dookie" chain, a roped necklace, popularized by rappers in the 1980s, with a golden-yellow beanie cap to match. He mispronounced the word "film" as "felm." I still don't know if it was intentional. He referred to San Francisco as "Sanny Franny" and would consistently misrepresent places like Santa Cruz that are well outside of San Francisco's city limits as part of some homogenous Sanny Franny ecosystem.

In the years since I've known him, he has told me on multiple occasions that he grew up in the American Midwest—specifically in Idaho, a state very much not in the Midwest. The story goes, Danyiel came to Sanny Franny in the 1990s to become a professional skateboarder. But also a rapper? He finally settled into his groove as a video director for advertising agencies before realizing his true love was modeling. Along the way, he discovered stills photography. "Initially, to take selfies," he admits in his Idahoan-or-not accent. Danyiel quit his job during the pandemic and drove around the United States "making pictures not made before" in his beloved Isuzu Trooper SUV.

"What are 'pictures not made before'?" I ask.

"The Grand Canyon and Golden Gate Bridge on felm," he assures.

He briefly sold NFTs, until he didn't.

Danyiel possesses such a wit and sharpness that I've never been entirely sure if I'm part of an elaborate joke or just another avatar in Danyiel's strange and wonderful metaverse.