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Stephen Shore: Uncommon Places: The Complete Works
Originally published in 1982, Stephen Shore's legendary Uncommon Places has influenced more than a generation of photographers. Shore was among the first artists to take color beyond the domain of advertising and fashion photography, and his large-format color work on the American vernacular landscape inaugurated a vital photographic tradition. Uncommon Places: The Complete Works, published by Aperture in 2005, presented a definitive collection of the landmark series, and in the span of a decade has become a contemporary classic. Now, for this lushly produced reissue, the artist has added nearly 20 rediscovered images and a statement explaining what it means to expand a classic series. Like Robert Frank and Walker Evans before him, Shore discovered a hitherto unarticulated vision of America via highway and camera. Approaching his subjects with cool objectivity, Shore retains precise systems of gestures in composition and light through which a hotel bedroom or a building on a side street assumes both an archetypal aura and an ambiguously personal importance. An essay by critic and curator Stephan Schmidt-Wulffen and a conversation with Shore by writer Lynne Tillman examine his methodology and elucidate his roots in Pop and Conceptual art. The texts are illustrated with reproductions from Shore's earlier series American Surfaces and Amarillo: Tall in Texas.
At age 14 Stephen Shore (born 1947) had his work purchased by Edward Steichen for The Museum of Modern Art, New York. At 17 Shore was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory, producing an important photographic document of the scene, and in 1971 at the age of 23 he became the first living photographer since Alfred Stieglitz 40 years earlier to have a one-man show at the Met. He has had numerous one-man shows, among others at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; George Eastman House, Rochester; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and The Art Institute of Chicago. Since 1982 he has been Director of the Photography Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
At age 14 Stephen Shore (born 1947) had his work purchased by Edward Steichen for The Museum of Modern Art, New York. At 17 Shore was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory, producing an important photographic document of the scene, and in 1971 at the age of 23 he became the first living photographer since Alfred Stieglitz 40 years earlier to have a one-man show at the Met. He has had numerous one-man shows, among others at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; George Eastman House, Rochester; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and The Art Institute of Chicago. Since 1982 he has been Director of the Photography Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1982
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About the author
Stephen Shore
89 books69 followersStephen Shore's work has been widely published and exhibited for the past forty-five years. He was the first living photographer to have a one-man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since Alfred Stieglitz, forty years earlier. He has also had one-man shows at George Eastman House, Rochester; Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Jeu de Paume, Paris; and Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art opened a major retrospective spanning Stephen Shore's entire career. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. His series of exhibitions at Light Gallery in New York in the early 1970s sparked new interest in color photography and in the use of the view camera for documentary work.
More than 25 books have been published of Stephen Shore's photographs including Uncommon Places: The Complete Works; American Surfaces; Stephen Shore, a retrospective monograph in Phaidon's Contemporary Artists series; Stephen Shore: Survey and most recently, Transparencies: Small Camera Works 1971-1979 and Stephen Shore: Elements. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art published Stephen Shore in conjunction with their retrospective of his photographic career. Stephen also wrote The Nature of Photographs, published by Phaidon Press, which addresses how a photograph functions visually. His work is represented by 303 Gallery, New York; and Sprüth Magers, London and Berlin. Since 1982 he has been the director of the Photography Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, where he is the Susan Weber Professor in the Arts.
More than 25 books have been published of Stephen Shore's photographs including Uncommon Places: The Complete Works; American Surfaces; Stephen Shore, a retrospective monograph in Phaidon's Contemporary Artists series; Stephen Shore: Survey and most recently, Transparencies: Small Camera Works 1971-1979 and Stephen Shore: Elements. In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art published Stephen Shore in conjunction with their retrospective of his photographic career. Stephen also wrote The Nature of Photographs, published by Phaidon Press, which addresses how a photograph functions visually. His work is represented by 303 Gallery, New York; and Sprüth Magers, London and Berlin. Since 1982 he has been the director of the Photography Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, where he is the Susan Weber Professor in the Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
July 14, 2010
When I elbowed through the pink David LaChapelles and the anal-retentive Ansels (always the Ansels) I discovered this at the local B&N today, its dust jacket beaten-up and sliced a little on the back, by an incautiously wielded box cutter probably. Usually these defects alone would dissuade me from laying down fifty-five simoleons (less member discount) for a book. But... my consumerist enzyme kicked into overdrive and I had to have it NOW, not next week, not tomorrow, not in an hour. NOW. It's that good. Urban squalor. Roadside motels. Barren landscapes interrupted by parking lots or telephone booths. Prison-like concrete block businesses. Unpopulated downtown intersections. Mall department stores. And an occasional portrait, in haute 1970s style. It's officially my favorite photography monograph of all time, and I'm glad I bought it today (warts 'n all) instead of waiting for Amazon to send me a pristine shrink-wrapped copy at a (no doubt) steep discount. Hooray for fiscal irresponsibility and materialist impatience. I shall resuscitate this economy single-handedly!
July 8, 2019
I like the very ordinary, in fact, common objects and places that Shore captures in vibrant color. The seventies were not a decade I cared to look back on, mainly the late seventies were my awkward middle school years. Who remembers that era fondly?
But now I really do like the nostalgia this book evokes.
All the photos are large, and in color. They are shot in Florida, Texas, Canada and parts of the American northwest. Mostly of streets, stores, cars, but also occasionally of people.
But now I really do like the nostalgia this book evokes.
All the photos are large, and in color. They are shot in Florida, Texas, Canada and parts of the American northwest. Mostly of streets, stores, cars, but also occasionally of people.
November 7, 2009
There's an aesthetic I like to call "the good ugly." Clunky old cars, crumbling signage, mid-century architectural flourishes that once were cutting-edge but now just seem bizarre: this is where the fugly becomes fabulous, and I love it all. Chances are, you know some slightly offbeat person who does, too--and this person will go gaga over photographer Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places. Initially published in 1982, the new "Complete Works" edition--what Shore likens to a "director's cut" version--contains all the original landscape images gleaned from Shore's trips across the country during the 1970s, as well as newly-published interiors and portraits shot at the same time. The result resembles a road trip in a flux capacitor-powered DeLorean: a glorious tour of kitschy '70s Americana that's full of images that are at once hideous and strangely beautiful. By preserving these forgotten relics of another era, Uncommon Places creates not only delicious nostalgia for the past, but pleasing questions about the future, and how our own everyday vistas and objects will be viewed through that faraway eye.
April 13, 2023
I first ran across Stephen Shore's work, this photo in particular, in the introduction to Galassi's MoMA volume on Andreas Gursky; I was 20 years old and basically knew nothing about photography, but I was constantly drawn back to that photo, which is very good but is somehow actually not even among the best photos in Uncommon Places (quite a competition, there), a book which had a formative influence on Gursky, who was then, and remains, my favorite photographer.
When I finally tracked down Uncommon Places a few years later, I had a broader basis for comparison; and it's fascinating how Shore combines so many disparate elements -- all of the New Topographics crew (but waaaaay better), Robert Adams' gently ironic photos of the West, Eggleston's deadpan anti-obvious color work, a bit of Warhol's serialization (a link to Shore's earlier work; he was friends with Warhol) -- but improves upon them in every conceivable way.
Also if you're a fan of this book, definitely check out Shore's From Galilee to the Negev, which is basically = Uncommon Places, but in Israel.
When I finally tracked down Uncommon Places a few years later, I had a broader basis for comparison; and it's fascinating how Shore combines so many disparate elements -- all of the New Topographics crew (but waaaaay better), Robert Adams' gently ironic photos of the West, Eggleston's deadpan anti-obvious color work, a bit of Warhol's serialization (a link to Shore's earlier work; he was friends with Warhol) -- but improves upon them in every conceivable way.
Also if you're a fan of this book, definitely check out Shore's From Galilee to the Negev, which is basically = Uncommon Places, but in Israel.
September 23, 2013
These photographs carve out their own fertile territory somewhere between Joel Sternfeld's "American Prospects" and William Eggleston's "Guide." The in-depth interview with Lynne Tillman is excellent. She highlights Shore's Warhol connection, which becomes more apparent the longer you look at these casually strange vistas of the everyday.
June 2, 2020
Something to revisit later on in life—hopefully if I am still shooting photos.
June 16, 2018
Beautiful color photos taken over a decade of odd places throughout North America. Most are just on the cusp of normalcy but there’s something there that makes them interesting. This is a nostalgic trip through the 70s.
October 24, 2011
As a child of the American west—I grew up in the very neighborhoods that Robert Adams documented so powerfully in his work from the 70s—I’m always seeking out art that examines the region (which I consider pretty much everything west of the Mississippi) and its shifting identity, particularly as this metamorphosis really picks up speed after WWII. There’s no shortage of art that tackles this “issue,” be it LA noir, Paris, Texas, Beat literature, or the works of John Luther Adams or Ed Ruscha, all of which approach the idea(s) of the west from a range of angles.
Stephen Shore’s work is not at all exclusive to the west, but I think the issues he addresses in Uncommon Places provide great insights, in a singular manner, about the state of the west in a time of significant flux. Not unlike Robert Adams, Shore seeks to find beauty in the everyday, the commonplace, the vernacular, documenting life as it is (or, now, was). However, unlike Adams, Shore has less of what we might call a "political" motivation—he isn’t overtly attempting to prove a point, but, rather, he is solely interested in documenting his experiences as he sees them. It is for this reason that Shore’s photographs strike me as a bit loving, vivid, and playful, which help to explain the truly unique and compelling aspects of his work. Of course, the fact that these photographs were taken in color certainly lends a different feeling and energy to the work, and it’s important to remember that, along with William Eggleston, Shore was among the first “serious” photographers to utilize color: yet, another unique aspect of Shore’s work.
Thus, to me, Uncommon Places is a very important document for those who want to examine the idea of west (and beyond) after WWII. The fact that these photos are at once incredibly moving, but also playful, lively, and nuanced is what makes them so astounding and powerful. Speaking to this particular edition, it is impressively expansive, due to the additional photos (what Shore dubs is his “director’s cut”) as well as the interview with Shore that concludes the work, which provides insight into the motivations of Shore’s work as well as a bit of his personality (I’m always a sucker for a bit of biography, and I do enjoy when artists’ personalities seem wholly in concert with their output).
Stephen Shore’s work is not at all exclusive to the west, but I think the issues he addresses in Uncommon Places provide great insights, in a singular manner, about the state of the west in a time of significant flux. Not unlike Robert Adams, Shore seeks to find beauty in the everyday, the commonplace, the vernacular, documenting life as it is (or, now, was). However, unlike Adams, Shore has less of what we might call a "political" motivation—he isn’t overtly attempting to prove a point, but, rather, he is solely interested in documenting his experiences as he sees them. It is for this reason that Shore’s photographs strike me as a bit loving, vivid, and playful, which help to explain the truly unique and compelling aspects of his work. Of course, the fact that these photographs were taken in color certainly lends a different feeling and energy to the work, and it’s important to remember that, along with William Eggleston, Shore was among the first “serious” photographers to utilize color: yet, another unique aspect of Shore’s work.
Thus, to me, Uncommon Places is a very important document for those who want to examine the idea of west (and beyond) after WWII. The fact that these photos are at once incredibly moving, but also playful, lively, and nuanced is what makes them so astounding and powerful. Speaking to this particular edition, it is impressively expansive, due to the additional photos (what Shore dubs is his “director’s cut”) as well as the interview with Shore that concludes the work, which provides insight into the motivations of Shore’s work as well as a bit of his personality (I’m always a sucker for a bit of biography, and I do enjoy when artists’ personalities seem wholly in concert with their output).
August 21, 2014
First, a declaration: this book of photographs by Stephen Shore has taken its place among my absolute favorite things in this world. I enjoyed every single gorgeous picture, every single page, even the blank ones (because of course they also have meaning). It is possible that I have never encountered an artist (of any type) with whom I share so much. Not just aesthetics, not just a sense of style and structure...these photos told me that Stephen Shore and I share a great deal more than that. He immortalizes views and landscapes -- intersections and backyards and window displays -- that exactly portray the way in which I strive daily to see the world. Let alone the way in which I try to take pictures. (Let that alone entirely.) He is tuned in to the unseen wavelength of quiet, unassuming vistas, and on my better days, I feel that tingle, too. Never has a book transported me so thoroughly. Never has a photo swallowed so much of my attention and focus all at once. I will return to this book often, I know it. And I will read the words again, too. The introduction and conversation are both vital discussions on the topic of Uncommon Places, and photography beyond that, and life beyond that. Uncommon Places indeed.
August 22, 2011
This book got me off my Eggleston stance (somewhat) and his work feels a lot 'wider' with a some overlap of content/subject with Eggleston - not freakishly surprising. The cityscapes he captured reminded me of the story about R. Crumb going around a city with a photographer so he could capture what it all looked like - all the curved wires etc. - only Shore shares his eye on what is lovely and now, mostly gone, naturally or humanly.
Images stick out in my mind and his use of color as he captures spare motel rooms with tiny tv's and half-eaten meals at McDonald's reminds me of paintings from centuries ago with pheasant meals on shiny silver trays and palaces of shiny tiled floors - here's where we are right now Shore seems to say and we aren't there anymore nor were we there for long.
Images stick out in my mind and his use of color as he captures spare motel rooms with tiny tv's and half-eaten meals at McDonald's reminds me of paintings from centuries ago with pheasant meals on shiny silver trays and palaces of shiny tiled floors - here's where we are right now Shore seems to say and we aren't there anymore nor were we there for long.
November 21, 2025
I think the first images I saw of Stephen Shore’s were from this collection earlier this year, by chance (on some photography YouTube channel - YouTube is the best photography social media, ironically!), and at the time I made a mental note to look out for books of his work. Found one.
Lots to love here: the sequencing is phenomenal - the pairs of images he creates here are inspiring; the color is breathtaking - the absolute potential magnitude of the 8x10 format is fully realized here; the compositions themselves are meticulous to the point of awe.
I think the main thing that draws me to these images is my experience with medium format film photography and how that shaped the way I like to compose images. In the introduction of this edition and again in the interview with Shore himself, it is clear that the the physical and time “limitations” of large format plate photography contributed heavily to not just the astounding detail in each image of course, but the very makeup of what is photographed, how it’s photographed, and the minutia of each painstaking shift of the framing. This meticulous compositional quality is also clearly present in the images themselves. My experience with 6x7 medium format photography is hardly the same as needing to spend minutes with a tripod for each photograph, but the way in which larger, more cumbersome formats slow down the act of composition and curation of subjects in a sense was something I took great pleasure absorbing from this collection.
In a more subjective sense, the sparseness of people within these photographs is notable and creates a profound sense of emptiness to a degree, which is at odds with the subject matter of these photos being almost entirely of dwellings, houses, otherwise busy streets, and other places people tend to be. Some of the strongest sequencing of these images to me in this collection are under-developed landscapes largely absent (but not totally absent) of structures and signs paired with views almost fully filled with buildings and roads and cars, but with a notable lack of people. This, and with the amount of detail afforded to the 8x10 format prints, each image holds a huge amount of depth - both physically and in discreet points of interest.
I will simply be looking through this a lot in the days to come.
Lots to love here: the sequencing is phenomenal - the pairs of images he creates here are inspiring; the color is breathtaking - the absolute potential magnitude of the 8x10 format is fully realized here; the compositions themselves are meticulous to the point of awe.
I think the main thing that draws me to these images is my experience with medium format film photography and how that shaped the way I like to compose images. In the introduction of this edition and again in the interview with Shore himself, it is clear that the the physical and time “limitations” of large format plate photography contributed heavily to not just the astounding detail in each image of course, but the very makeup of what is photographed, how it’s photographed, and the minutia of each painstaking shift of the framing. This meticulous compositional quality is also clearly present in the images themselves. My experience with 6x7 medium format photography is hardly the same as needing to spend minutes with a tripod for each photograph, but the way in which larger, more cumbersome formats slow down the act of composition and curation of subjects in a sense was something I took great pleasure absorbing from this collection.
In a more subjective sense, the sparseness of people within these photographs is notable and creates a profound sense of emptiness to a degree, which is at odds with the subject matter of these photos being almost entirely of dwellings, houses, otherwise busy streets, and other places people tend to be. Some of the strongest sequencing of these images to me in this collection are under-developed landscapes largely absent (but not totally absent) of structures and signs paired with views almost fully filled with buildings and roads and cars, but with a notable lack of people. This, and with the amount of detail afforded to the 8x10 format prints, each image holds a huge amount of depth - both physically and in discreet points of interest.
I will simply be looking through this a lot in the days to come.
December 18, 2023
Stephen Shore is an inspiration for my own work. This is an essential collection of exposures created on a cross country road trip. Shore has an eye for color, perspective, and making you feel like your part of the scene.
This is also a fantastic collection of you like to reminisce and see life in the 70’s.
This is also a fantastic collection of you like to reminisce and see life in the 70’s.
January 15, 2008
Stephen Shore, Uncommon Places (Aperture, 1982)
Uncommon Places is a book of photography, and pretty good photography at that. The only real problem to be had with it is that, well, the places actually aren't all that uncommon. I can see how they'd look that way to someone born and raised in New York City (though one wonders about, say, the corner of 20th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia making an appearance), but if Shore is trying to make a point here about the commonality of these places being uncommon-- and nothing in the accompanying text would seem to indicate that-- I missed it.
The most interesting pieces in the book are those which feature human subjects. There are only two. (There are others with humans in them, but they aren't the focus.) These draw the eye, invite reflection about the various choices of colors used in setting up the model and the background. The others, by dint of such things being by chance, just seem like really sharp nature photography.
All this really makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this, doesn't it? That's not the case at all. It's quite a lovely pastiche of photographs, and the kind of thing that will actually get picked up and leafed through if it's on your coffee table during a party. Not much in it, however, is really compelling. ***
Uncommon Places is a book of photography, and pretty good photography at that. The only real problem to be had with it is that, well, the places actually aren't all that uncommon. I can see how they'd look that way to someone born and raised in New York City (though one wonders about, say, the corner of 20th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia making an appearance), but if Shore is trying to make a point here about the commonality of these places being uncommon-- and nothing in the accompanying text would seem to indicate that-- I missed it.
The most interesting pieces in the book are those which feature human subjects. There are only two. (There are others with humans in them, but they aren't the focus.) These draw the eye, invite reflection about the various choices of colors used in setting up the model and the background. The others, by dint of such things being by chance, just seem like really sharp nature photography.
All this really makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this, doesn't it? That's not the case at all. It's quite a lovely pastiche of photographs, and the kind of thing that will actually get picked up and leafed through if it's on your coffee table during a party. Not much in it, however, is really compelling. ***
January 26, 2016
The introduction states that this collection of photos is “a lifetime of movements in space and time.” It is a “biographical experiment [that] fits neatly between pop and conceptual art.” These words match up with the pictures: I don’t understand. There are ordinary living rooms, motel rooms, buildings and houses. There is a picture of a Pennys and four cars; a drink, fries and a partially eaten hamburger; a nondescript campsite in the Tetons; and a picture of Gregg Nettles in a batting cage. The content and composition has litte oomph. I don’t know why the title of this collection is “Uncommon Places.”
October 11, 2007
This collection, like American Surfaces, represents neither Shore's better work nor precisely why he's important as he is. It's terrifically underwhelming, I'm saying, though one shouldn't give up on him.
June 25, 2007
One of my favorite books of photography. Author listed as Lynne Tillman, however photos are by Stephen Shore. There is a conversation between Shore and Tillman printed in the book.
June 13, 2024
Mountain tops on billboards
May 16, 2025
Първото издание на тази фотокнига е от 1982 г. Разширеното издание от 2004 г. включва повече от 60 непубликувани преди това кадъра, както и интервю със Стивън Шор, взето от Лин Тилман. „Uncommon Places“ съдържа голямоформатни снимки, които той прави из различни щати през 70-те години.
През 1982 г. Шор пише: „До двадесет и три годишната възраст живеех общо-взето на територията от няколко квадратни мили в Манхатън. През 1972 г. тръгнах с приятел за Амарило, Тексас. Не шофирах аз, така че първата ми среща с Америка беше в рамката на прозореца на пътника. Беше истински шок.“
Книгата е нещо като пренаписване на проектите за тропосване какво са американците, които познаваме от Робърт Франк и от Уокър Еванс преди него, картографиране, така да се каже, на американските архетипи. И така в центъра на света се оказва интериорът на мотелска стая с разпръснат пъзел на леглото (Мейн) или пък стар телевизор, още по-стар куфар и краката на мъж, легнал върху леглото с все кецовете (Айдахо). Или пуст в този ден общински пазар в Сиатъл. Или овчите опашки (растението) край селски път в Орегон с туристически билборд, рекламиращ някакви водопади. Привидно незначителни детайли от ежедневието, които обрисува с красноречието на поет. Но американски поет, представящ двусмислената красота на паркингите и билбордовете. Паркингът говори за сбъднатата мечта на американската автомобилна индустрия; билбордът с величествена планинска сцена, която може да ни подсети за немските поети романтици, се подиграва с пейзажа, чиято гледка закрива. Свидетелства за американската мечта и в крайна сметка за еснафската версия на възвишеното.
Тоест Шор се шегува? Естествено. Вижда се и с просто око например когато е фиксирал ъгъла на Пета улица и Бродуей, но не в Ню Йорк, а в Еурека (тоест Еврика) в Тексас. Точно този кадър е използван и за корицата.
През 1982 г. Шор пише: „До двадесет и три годишната възраст живеех общо-взето на територията от няколко квадратни мили в Манхатън. През 1972 г. тръгнах с приятел за Амарило, Тексас. Не шофирах аз, така че първата ми среща с Америка беше в рамката на прозореца на пътника. Беше истински шок.“
Книгата е нещо като пренаписване на проектите за тропосване какво са американците, които познаваме от Робърт Франк и от Уокър Еванс преди него, картографиране, така да се каже, на американските архетипи. И така в центъра на света се оказва интериорът на мотелска стая с разпръснат пъзел на леглото (Мейн) или пък стар телевизор, още по-стар куфар и краката на мъж, легнал върху леглото с все кецовете (Айдахо). Или пуст в този ден общински пазар в Сиатъл. Или овчите опашки (растението) край селски път в Орегон с туристически билборд, рекламиращ някакви водопади. Привидно незначителни детайли от ежедневието, които обрисува с красноречието на поет. Но американски поет, представящ двусмислената красота на паркингите и билбордовете. Паркингът говори за сбъднатата мечта на американската автомобилна индустрия; билбордът с величествена планинска сцена, която може да ни подсети за немските поети романтици, се подиграва с пейзажа, чиято гледка закрива. Свидетелства за американската мечта и в крайна сметка за еснафската версия на възвишеното.
Тоест Шор се шегува? Естествено. Вижда се и с просто око например когато е фиксирал ъгъла на Пета улица и Бродуей, но не в Ню Йорк, а в Еурека (тоест Еврика) в Тексас. Точно този кадър е използван и за корицата.
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February 22, 2023Beautiful photos of ugly places. The color and lighting are lovely. He lends a loving eye to the peeling storefront, the anyplace motel decor, the empty intersections crisscrossed with wires. It doesn't feel like he is mocking the people or places he photographs, but accepts them for what they are. Some of the images are hard to separate from retroness, especially ones featuring a lot of old cars, but some of the places are as familiar today as they were fifty years ago. I'm always confused and enticed by the story of abandoned places and buildings. So much of the West still feels empty and worn down.
October 19, 2020
I think it took too long for me to get a copy of this - and I collected an expectation too high which pulled the rating down for me. I enjoyed the photographs though - nothing to complain about them - except that it didn't 'move' me or felt 'meaningful' to me - or affect me in a way that I'd wanted them to; was expecting/looking for a sort of feeling I don't know what - but something more (& whatever that is I couldn't find it in these shots).
November 21, 2020
I appreciate the simplicity of Shore's photos in this collection -- he honed in on the ordinary and elevated it through composition. Most of the pictures invoke contemplation, even loneliness if you're prone to it. I don't care much for the portraits or the motel interiors. But the street scenes, either devoid of humans or at a distance from them, are intriguing. Maybe it's due in part to the presence of vintage cars?
August 13, 2023
Stephen Shore is a must of any artist not only photographers, his pictures could be also paintings. He came from Andy accademie, but i don’t see much pop contamination in his work, he is a pioneer in this type of photography, for the fact that he changed the street photography which is a quick photography in a long time photography made of waiting with his large formate camera. There is so much to say but I really suggest you to read and look this amazing book then reading my review
June 21, 2025
J'ai mis beaucoup trop de temps avant de commencer à me pencher sur l'oeuvre de Stephen Shore. Il faut dire que ses travaux les plus récents ne donnaient pas très envie... Mais Uncommon places est une réussite totale qui a énormément influencé la photographie moderne (Jean Luc Bertini par exemple). Si toutes les photos sont composées minutieusement et esthétiquement impressionnantes, elles n'en sont pas moins des concentrés de vérité sur les États-Unis des années 70.
July 16, 2025
The release of this expanded edition when I was fresh out of high school was a revelation. I never had a copy, mostly living with jpgs scattered around the web and my hard drive, but I was able to read it around that time while working an internship with a photographer in Minnesota. It stuck with me, and was a model for myself and many others since. All these years later, its a reminder of how still, simple images, can say so much.
July 24, 2025
Been wading into the world of photography of late, and thoroughly enjoying it; brushing up on the classics I bumped into this gem by Stephen Shore; the atmosphere in his work is palpable and so pre-iphone era; on the subject of photography be sure to check out the works by Ansel Adams and The Traveling Photographer's Manifesto: A Guide to Connecting with People and Place.
August 6, 2020
Coming from a very common place, Shore's "Uncommon Places" warms my heart both with the content of each photograph, the warmth in the colors and the framing of it, and the fact that a man spent so much time to make this all. Wonderful.
June 9, 2018
Very intriguing photos. I loved the details that drew me into the photographs.
January 10, 2019
One of the best collections of photography you will ever find, and if you have the chance to see these works in person, you will be floored.
November 4, 2020
Landscapes, interiors, streetscapes, cars.
Few people.
Few people.
July 6, 2023
標準的在路上攝影集，大部分的攝影師都在追尋獨特唯一的光影色彩，但這種如實不做作不主觀的紀錄反而更經的起時間的考驗，輕鬆翻過的不只是照片，更是那回不去的昔日…
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