Daniel Shea is a photographer who I have had contact with over the last six months. It has been really interesting to converse via email and print swap with one another. He is a talented photographer who I am proud to have on MULL IT OVER.
JONATHAN CHERRY: Where did you grow up?
DANIEL SHEA: I can’t figure out how to make this answer even remotely interesting. That is part of the suburban experience I guess. I grew up in parts of Washington DC, Maryland, and Chicago, all in the US. Nothing mattered until I discovered punk rock and my dad’s bookshelves in high school.
JC: Why do you use square format?
DS: As someone who was debating between a career in mathematics and a “career” in the arts, I love the aspect ratio quandary. The square should be the most neutral format in which to view a given art work. The rectangle is not intuitive by any means. If your work isn’t conceptually hinged on the aspect ratio that frames it (and I would argue that it is always hinged on something like this), why not go with the most perfect quadrilateral, at least to the untrained eye? As we know, especially as photographers, this default decision is much more political, especially when taking into consideration the history of landscape depiction.
I’ve personally used the square format for several reasons. In War Memorials, I used it because of the perception of perfection it provides, and it’s dissociation with the photographic default, the rectangle. In something much more documentary, I’ve used the square because it was the frame through which I shot the negative originally. I find the experience of cropping down very unpleasant and avoid it as much as possible. This is not an ethical issue for me, or anything weird like that.
JC: After looking at your ‘war memorials’ series would you firstly give a brief overview of how it came about?
DS: I have to work in many different frameworks, modes, styles, etc. all at once, even within the constraints of photography, in order to be remotely satisfied, creatively speaking. So with War Memorials, I was interested in creating a stylized catalogue. Previous to conceptually grounding what I was interested in, I found myself taking pictures of objects in the most ordinary of ways (many people do this). The pictures were utterly uninteresting, but as symbols the objects were very interesting. At one point it occurred to me to selectively and contextually photograph objects that held more weight culturally and ideologically. For the objects/images in the series that seem unobtrusive and wholly everyday, their importance elevated by the pictures around them and under the banner of being what I call a B.I.P.S. (Big Important Photography Series).
JC: The above photograph stuck me in particular … what is it all about?
DS: This is a photograph of a piece of sheet music in my little brother’s room. The musical piece is called “Creatures,” and some of the text reads “Dark and Menacing” to describe the emotional effect desired. All the elements were sort of lining up naturally to make this piece of paper an interesting object to take a picture of.
JC: Do you find it difficult/challenging/easy/enjoyable making portraits?
DS: All of the above. I don’t know who said it first, but being able to stare at strangers for otherwise ridiculous amounts of time is definitely part of the appeal for me. As someone who is slightly introverted, I find having a mechanical barrier between the subject I’m fascinated with and myself a really good social filter from which to engage.
I take portraits for many reasons; to understand something psychologically, or often to try and contextualize something overly political with something human. And I’m always interesting in breaking down the differences between sentiment and emotion beyond semantics.
JC: Have you got a future project in the pipe line?
DS: I’m currently working on a documentary (I hate this word, and I hate saying “loosely documentary” so I’m not really left with many options) on a county in Southeast Ohio that is experiencing an unusually high density of coal-fired power plants. I’m no longer pretending to deny the influence of political realities in my work.
JC: How are you pushing forward the photographic medium?
DS: I’m not. I haven’t decided yet if that’s something I’m interested in or if it’s even worth doing. I’m 24.
JC: Do you see a large difference in ‘responding to experience’ by photography and ‘documenting your experience’ by making photographs. And if so which is your preferred approach to making images?
DS: I think any work that is routed in a documentary tradition involves a little bit of both, especially if you are out in the world and filtering experiences. Sometimes things happen and you respond, and other times you’re stuck in a small town for 10 hours making things happen. I’d say this is an accurate description of my experiences traveling and making work. Other times, I’m much more concretely interested in collecting and making.
JC: Any other thoughts?
DS: Thanks for the good questions, the good blog, and for being a good dude! Photographers shouldn’t take themselves so seriously all the time!
Daniel Shea is an artist currently based in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, he received the Meyer Fellowship, allowing him to complete a project in Appalachia, Removing Mountains. He now splits his time between working for editorial and commercial clients, teaching photography and art, and making personal work concerning energy consumption and the American landscape.
