Dani Brown -- Weekly Artist Post #5

Aaron Huey

I choose Aaron Huey for this post because of his use of light and color in his photography. In his portraits from his Walk Across America series, he made use of dramatic lighting on his subjects' faces. He also showed contrast in colors; for example, in the diving board photo, the bright blue of the pool water contrasts strongly with the diver's swimsuit and the beach ball floating in the water.

Huey's theme seems to be centered on the people of America. While walking across the country, he could have chosen to focus on the changing landscape or the architecture of different regions but instead his photographs show people. He shows that despite thousands of miles of separation and different backgrounds and cultures, we can all relate to one another as Americans and as humans in general.

I love these photos. I don't know where each was taken, and I don't know the story behind any of them, but I am sure that it is not necessary. I like that as far as I know, they were all taken in the same town; but I enjoy the idea that each could have been taken a hundred miles from the last. The theme of the work is intriguing, and so are the photos themselves. Aesthetically, this series makes me very happy. I like that the portraits appear candid and that each subject seems to be engaging in some activity that he or she loves or that defines him or her as a person.