Brezaja Hutcheson - Daniel Stewart - Post 2

1) which of the artist’s many technical choices are of interest to you and why? 

I really like how Daniel Stewart plays with light and color in his portraits, and that he primarily sticks with film photography. Each person and setting that he chooses feels extremely thought out and meticulously crafted.  I like that he, like Loftin, takes the intimacy of portraits and uses it to his advantage.  He creates themes around his work and draws inspirations from outside media such as films, celebrities, and urban environments, like the city Chicago, where he is from.

2) what do you believe are the artist’s conceptual and/or thematic intentions?

Stewart plays with themes such as family, social class and status, nature, and culture.  It seems that he submerges his viewers into the reality of his subjects, and it is interesting to me how different and unique each of his photos are every time.  He aims for an aesthetically pleasing photo, as well as one that tells a story about the subject that he is capturing, or about an aspect of their life that he wishes to tell as a story. 

3) how do you personally respond to these choices and intents? 

These photographs appeal to me in a way that inspires me to push my own journey into photography.  I want to explore other mediums, such as medium and large format film photography.  When I see Stewart's work, it reminds me that one doesn't need an expensive, fancy digital camera to take "quality" pictures.  Instead, when I see that someone like Stewart is making these aesthetically pleasing photos that also make statements about the subjects he depicts, it convinces me to think more critically about my own role as a self-identified photographer and what boundaries I can push to make a statement with my art.  I want my images to make a statement, rather than just me aiming my lens at something and clicking the shutter.  I want to consciously think about time, place, and the appropriate environment for my subject when I photograph them, and what can be done to ensure that I capture the essence of the message that I am trying to put out.