Dan Stewart Photography » Fine Art Photography

The inspiration of MPPA

Dan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:59:40 +0000

After leaving the MPPA competition on Sunday, I felt inspired to go out and make some photos. The road that takes us back to Mount Pleasant from Lansing has many old beat up buildings and houses that are falling apart and are on the verge of falling down. So on our way back, Neil, Victoria, Libby and I decided that we were going to stop along the highway at this old house and take a few photos.

This house was incredible! Just walking around the property made me think of the history this place had and what the family was like who lived here. Places like this have so much narration to them and I can’t help but to start to develop a story in my mind what it was like to be here. The texture, the artifacts, the building, all these pieces fit into the story of how this place once was, now it’s abandoned with personal belongings left behind. Did the family die? Were they forced out of their home? What caused them to leave without packing all of their belongings? I will probably never know, but what I do know is that some people look at this place as an eye sore, it will torn down someday and people will forget that it even existed. It’s a shame that such beauty and amazing history has to go to waste.

Nature at it’s finest

Dan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:51:06 +0000

Finding a photograph when you’re not looking is an awesome feeling. Most of the time for me it happens like this… I will be staring at what is going on in front of me, admiring it and saying how beautiful it is and how it would make a great photo, I stare some more, and some more, I then realize that I should be taking a photo rather than staring at it, almost missing what is going on in front of me. I sometimes catch myself doing that during sports also.

When I was out this fall during a couple of my senior portraits sessions in Suttons Bay and Traverse City and one football game in Glen Lake, photographs were unfolding right right before my eyes. Some seemed supernatural, and other seemed so extravagant because of the colors and the mood that was being set around them. I had to stop what I was doing to capture these shoots that seemed pretty incredible. Definitely the works of God if you ask me.

There is something about home

Dan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:07:00 +0000

There is something about home that makes it hard to leave and easy to come back.

Corn Field

Dan — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:58:22 +0000

Beaver Island Nature Photography

Dan — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:48:05 +0000

I have recently updated my website with photographs from a 3 week Nature Photography course I took on Beaver Island. As part of Charleviox County in Northern Michigan Beaver Island can be accessed by regular boat or airplane services. The island is full of scenic views, historic sites and, as an interesting side-note, was home to the first and only King in the United States, King Strang.

For a photographer like myself, Beaver Island was a gold mine. The Island was littered with old buildings whose interiors were filled with interesting shapes, textures and colors. The old structures were not the only items that caught my photographic eye; there were all sorts of wild animals running around and beautiful landscapes that surrounding me. If you get a chance during your college career, I highly recommend making a spot in your busy schedule to take a class on Beaver Island; I guarantee you won’t regret it… unless you go in the winter…. don’t do that.

Wanna see what I’m talking about? Check out my Beaver Island collection.