Denise Stephanie Hewitt knows how to capture big moments, having photographed high-fashion events like the Met Gala. But for her first solo exhibition, Spinners, the Brooklyn native is focusing on the heart of New York City’s Black nightlife. The project is a visual love letter to local DJs and party collectives who create safe spaces full of joy and music. By bringing these DJs out of the dark booths and into a professional studio for portraits, Hewitt turns party moments into lasting art that celebrates community. “The difference actually isn’t very big,” Hewitt tells GU. “I approach each moment by meticulously observing my environment. There’s an art to noticing.”
Supported by local, Black-owned businesses like Photodom and Blanc Studios, as well as Converse, Spinners captures both the energy of the crowd and the artists behind the music. Looking around the gallery at her very first solo show, the photographer says the moment feels entirely “kismet,” proving what can happen when you make art simply “for the love of it.”
Ahead, Hewitt talks about building trust in crowded rooms, her camera bag essentials, and what it feels like to see her vision come to life.
GU: You’ve shot high-fashion events like the Met Gala, but this show is about the soul of nightlife. How did shifting from red carpets to DJ booths change your approach?
Hewitt: The difference actually isn’t very big. I approach each moment by meticulously observing my environment, the people and their relationship to one another, and let my eye find the decisive moment to snap the frame. There’s an art to noticing.
GU: You mention that these rooms become “havens” for Black patrons. How do you visually capture an abstract feeling like “safety” or “belonging” in a crowded room?
Hewitt: I like to focus on the intimate and subtle details that you usually forget but carry the weight of its importance. One of my favorite shots from the project is this abstraction of a crowd waving their flags at No Long Talk’s Labor Day celebration. Despite not being able to make out the individual people, you feel the movement, warmth, and energy of the space. It’s the feeling of the moment that’s most important, rather than the moment itself being clear.
GU: Nightlife photography can sometimes feel disruptive. How did you build trust with these DJs and collectives to make your presence feel completely organic?
Hewitt: Many of my relationships with the community felt natural because I was already an existing patron and fan of them. I knew these DJs, their sets and styles, and the collectives by heart because I have a genuine connection to their craft. It’s my job as the photographer to honor their craft and spaces so I come in as a passionate observer rather than someone calling the shots.
GU: You started shooting covers at 17. Looking around the room at your first solo exhibition today, what do you think your younger self would say?
Hewitt: She would be so proud, it feels kismet. This is what you can do when you put perfectionism and fear to the side, and just go for it. This project had been in my mind for years but it never took off until I just started it: no assignment, just for the love of it.