Scott Wayne McDaniel
I attended Austin Community College for freshman year ‘84 ’85, transferring to North Texas State University (now UNT), from ‘85’92. Fast forward through single parenthood and discovery of photography until 2013 when I won 2nd place and honorable mentions at State Fair of Texas arts competitions for photography prior to my reintegration into the Dallas arts scene. Since 2013, my concentration in shooting for nonprofits and generally for persons and organizations that can’t afford a professional photographer has lead to having my images presented to the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs in attempts to gain funding for organizations such as WordSpace, Tuesday Nite Jazz, and Music Is My First Language. Many of my photos have appeared online and a few in print for various media outlets including The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Paper City Arts, Literary Hub, Odd Fellows Monthly, Thrillist, and the Dallas Observer, who graciously issued a press pass to allow me to act as a contributing photographer from time to time.Though the thrill of seeing my images in print and online is exciting, none of those compare to my enjoyment of seeing my work in countless Facebook profile pictures as people honor my work by using one of my pictures to represent themselves to the vast and incredibly populated digital world. My efforts of covering the cultural scene during the year of 2015 were rewarded with a Dallas Observer Mastermind Award nomination.
After an 18 year hiatus from the world of art, I've found myself, Scott Wayne McDaniel, former UNT painting and drawing student, suddenly immersed in a world filled with the most vibrant, colorful creatives in north Texas. Abandoning my life long training of rendering in ink, lead and conte on paper, I have turned to the instantaneous image creation that only photography can render. I have found that people who create art have become as interesting as the art itself and it is these people who I have focused my attention on as the city of Dallas experiences this most recent renaissance of culture. These creatives, and their work, will always come to represent the best of Dallas's artistic efforts and achievements, and it is hoped that my simple documentation may serve as a lasting reminder of who we were and what we did at this time and space.
After an 18 year hiatus from the world of art, I've found myself, Scott Wayne McDaniel, former UNT painting and drawing student, suddenly immersed in a world filled with the most vibrant, colorful creatives in north Texas. Abandoning my life long training of rendering in ink, lead and conte on paper, I have turned to the instantaneous image creation that only photography can render. I have found that people who create art have become as interesting as the art itself and it is these people who I have focused my attention on as the city of Dallas experiences this most recent renaissance of culture. These creatives, and their work, will always come to represent the best of Dallas's artistic efforts and achievements, and it is hoped that my simple documentation may serve as a lasting reminder of who we were and what we did at this time and space.