Parker Stewart Photography

I have approached my neighborhood with my eyes and a camera slowly. Over time, I have found that its innate beauty lies within dual personalities. “Love Thy Neighborhood” is a body of work that culminates eight years of observing and recording the scenes that have moved me the most. The Starland District sits in the specific weave of streets that demonstrates a set of truly dynamic character traits. Homes that have been dilapidated by neglect or restored to their Victorian roots find commonalities as time and place precedes them. In this relationship, I’m looking at the romance in how the homes have patinated—with a warm orange glow streaked across them from the fading sun or with a chair on the porch nestled to the man or woman it belongs to. Moving beyond the residences and into the commercial part of town, the ever-moving shadows across the wall of the old Save-A-Lot, the city mission, and the decades old beer advertisement in the Cha-Dels parking lot are all at the epicenter of the world that I captured. Every day I continue to witness the unique atmosphere and have noticed the way it has shifted over time. The poetry falls into place when I walk down the street and people round corners at the perfect time, two young boys ride past, looking at me as I look at them, and we nod. As the sun begins to set and the colors start to change in the sky, I find myself taking a quick glance through windows, notice the cracked windshields on some of the cars, and take a stroll down the back alleys; this routine has become comfortable and familiar. I have been here long enough to see things change and see things stay the same. The beauty lies in both.