What I guess goes through my mind when I’m taking a picture is I’m thinking wordlessly about how all these elements relate to each other and I’m thinking again wordlessly about finding a balance that I look for a point that seems central to the picture and when I find that point that tells me where to stand and where exactly to aim the camera.
– Stephen Shore
A work can hold a lot of different things at once. explore the medium, explore perception and explore other psychological levels. I think all these levels operate through work at the same time so I don’t feel like I need to limit what I’m doing, that I can hold all these things.
– Stephen Shore
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
that was GREAT!!! very inspiring and illuminating.
Doesn’t he make boring work? I love his insights in his book ‘the nature of photographs’ but his photography puts me to sleep.
@Jonathan Lehman, really? I guess beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.
@Jonathan Lehman, I’m afraid I have to agree with you. I find his words a lot more interesting than his images. Maybe they are meaningful in the world of fine art photography, but to me they are just not very interesting.
@Jonathan Lehman,
I think you need a connection or it has to “speak” to you for any photography to work. You can also train yourself to appreciate certain things. Just like with wine and food the subtleties and difficulty only come out when you really get into it.
@A Photo Editor, I think that an initial connection can carry your interest through to discover the subtle layers, but that initial “hook” has to be there…and for me, with Shore it only exists in a select few images… I will try to look deeper though.
@Jonathan Lehman, I think the key to his work was given at the beginning of the video when he talked about detail of the scene and awareness; compressing time.
Yes, these are scenes you might walk past but that’s kind-a the point. There is a feeling to the scene that comes through in these photos just like a portrait your grandmother or a famous person might.
Seriously inspiring artist. Beautifully done video too.
Here is an audio interview from awhile back.
http://www.henryart.org/mediathing/upload/858/A_Conversation_with_Stephen_Shore.mp3
great clarity, good teacher but still the whole “space between that pole and that pole” – why do photography teachers have always this little schtick and esoteric tendencies to make things more complicated then they actually are.
@doktor,
I like the contrast between this and Eggleston’s “I like the way it looks.”
@A Photo Editor,
The similarities between Eggleston and Shore are their heightened awareness, though Shore seems to have an analytical perspective and Eggleston an intuitive one.
Great finds!
man, i love this blog.. great posts today.
I was just at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco yesterday for a showing of photographs in contrast to Edward Hopper’s paintings. Stephen Shore was one of the photographers showcased, and some of the photos on exhibit were also shown on the video. I truly enjoyed both.
Wow…love the Sambo’s Restaurant parking lot image. If I’m not mistaken, Sambo’s was sued and eventually changed their name to Denny’s!
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