Theresa’s Reviews > Uncommon Places: The Complete Works > Status Update

Stephen Shore is one of my faves ... what do you think of his work?

This book is a little bit different from American Surfaces, which he shot with a 35mm rollei and flash. I find the introduction enlightening. His work really evolved between 1975 and 1979 when he switched to 8x10 camera. The style of composition changed along with the density of information that could be captured with the 8x10. Your eye is more free to roam the image to find interesting details. I like how still the street images seem when shot with the 8x10. I also like how within that very calm still composition you often see a blurred person or car within it, reminding you that there are fleeting moments within the that feeling of a timeless street scene. The introduction explains all this better than I can. I definitely prefer this book to American Surfaces and even though you can find most of the images online, there is nothing like looking at the two dimensional prints of images shot with an 8x10 camera. I am getting these photo books from inter-library loan so I have to make the most of the time that I have them. Shore is a good teacher, and more transparent about his processes than, for example, Eggleston. I might buy this book.