STEPHEN SHORE.
Photography and Frame Workshop
Rogue Spencer
Stephen Shore, a well-known photographer based in the US, is a pioneer of his time within his infamous series 'Uncommon Places' and 'American Surfaces', documented on cross-country adventures throughout the 1970s. Through colour film, Shore embraces the American city at the time of his success, through simplicity and objectivity. Shore had the ability of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
"I'd thought about this in a certain way before - about this idea of how to make a picture look natural. in a way I deconstructed all of that over a period of pears and made pictures that were almost the opposite, very intensely structured." - Stephen Shore.
Photograph 1A:
Composition: This image depicts a plate of pancakes, a half eaten rockmelon and random condiments placed on a diner bench top.
Contrast: The contrast is heightened in this image, as although it is taken on a film camera, the tones of orange and brown are heightened in comparison the the darker, more tonal shades. The rock melon and red seating contrasts with the brown colour scheme, as well as the red packet of sugar in the background.
Perspective: The perspective of this image relies on the position it is taken in, which suggests it is from the person sitting alongside the person who ordered this meal.
Tonal range: This warm tonal range is continued throughout the image, from the brown colour of the pancakes, to the wooden table top and red-detailed plates and table setting. The rockmelon acts at the focal point of this image, as it goes against the muted tonal range of the rest of the composition.
Photograph 1B:
Composition: An easily pre-prepared meal, including peas, potato and some other form of meat is seen sitting on top of a stove, alongside paper bags, within a domestic setting.
Contrast: The prepared meal in this image is brightened and more colourful, which contrasts with the rest of the image, as the stove top and table top are black and blue, and appear as dull and muted. This makes the meal the focal point of the image.
Exposure: The exposure in this image focuses within the area in and around the pre prepared meal, as the entire image appears as darker than the centre focal point.
Perspective: This image is shot form the heightened perspective of the person suggestively about to eat this meal.
Photograph 1C:
Composition: The image conveys tea cup plates and random dollar bills organically placed amongst a wooden table top, alongside a half eaten dessert.
Exposure: The exposure within this image is fairly low, as the brightness is darkened to place focus on the subject matter.
Perspective: This is shot from a heightened perspective of the photographer, looking down at the contents on the table.
Rhythm: There is a repeated composition within this image, as the contents include dollar dills and tea plates, suggesting that is the tip left over from the bill.
Photograph 2A:
Composition: Old-fashioned mustangs are seen scattered at an abandoned car wash, with a cloudy, dark climate and a rainbow in the background. A water puddle on the floor reflects the motel sign in the background, suggesting this image was taken after rain has hit the area.
Depth of field: The mustang in the frontal area of the image is focused on a more detailed level, in comparison to the composition in the background. It is positioned further away from the rest of the cars that are seen in the background.
Exposure: There is not much exposure in this image, as the colours are quite mutes ad de saturated.
Photograph 2B:
Composition: The composition within this image ranges from the trucks unloading the goods, the establishment, food or parked car. Everything within this image as no real relation.
Contrast: The bright orange fruit contrasts with the rest of the orange and brown tonal colours within the sign and the unloading truck. The green colour of the car and vegetables also contrasts alongside these orange colours.
Depth of field: The focal point of this image is the oranges, which seems to be positioned at the from of the image, close to where the photographer is standing. The spacing of these oranges with the boxes and the parked car all seems to be fairly even.
Exposure: The exposure within this image is fairly high, at the white parts can be seen to be overly brightened.
Tonal range: The tonal range within this image is in sync, through a mix of orange and brown shades, alongside opposing green colours.
4 QUADRANTS:
By splitting this image taken by Shore within Las Vegas, Nevada during 1976, it is easier to analyse the composition of each portion in greater detail. I chose this image as I first viewed this as quite chaotic, so breaking it into 4 makes it easier to analyse.
- The bottom left quadrant depicts the un-organised group of people crossing the road, facing away from the photographer, with the casino building in the distance. Shore depicts the hustle and bustle of the city Through the busyness of people, as each person can be thought of as having a place to be.
- The bottom right quadrant depicts similar composition, however the people are shot as walking towards the photographer rather than away. If this half is analysed closely in comparison to the one on the left, these people seem to be in less of a rush, as the couple at the front can be seen holding hands. This comments on the diverse experiences one may have when visiting the city, as some may have a place to be, and others may just be enjoying their time.
- The top left quadrant shows the extravagant golden nugget sign, with an old building in the background. The background building shows off the sign's detailing more, as its bland colour and design can be compared to its detailing.
- Similarly to the top right quadrant, the detailing within casino is shown opposite the golden nugget, however can comment on the different atmosphere within the city when it is nighttime and daytime, because if it was dark these signs would be lit up and bring an entirely different perspective to the image.
This image shot by Shore at a petrol station has been divided into quadrants to dive further into detail within each corner, as there seems to be a lot going on within the composition of this image.
- The bottom left quadrant depicts the blur from moving cars along the highway, with an advertisement billboard for Macdonalds. Mountains can also be seen in the distance. Judging by the model of car and infrastructure, Shore has really captured the city life at his time of shooting, as a normal highway road in the US would not look like this today.
- The bottom right quadrant shows the drive-through for the petrol station on a humanly level. Here Shore insists on a first hand perspective of someone walking on the footpath. The exposed white signage brightens the rest of the image and adds more vibrance to the tonal range.
- Similarly, the top right quadrant produces the rest of the petrol station from a higher view, which reinforces Shore's position asa bystander walking on the footpath. The black and red colours within the sign contrast with the water-colour tones within the rest of the image, and act as a focal point within the composition.
Ultimately, I have resonated with Shores art making, through his ability to turn something traditionally viewed as ordinary, for example a fast food meal, to a subject matter that holds dimension and interest into the city and its landscape. Through my own work I have adopted Shore's retro-styled photography by using a digital camera filter, as my accessibility to a real digital camera and printing was limited. Within my images, I have taken scenes throughout my day that I have picked up on, and attempted to manipulate the subject matter to appear as something more than ordinary within my domestic setting. I have done this by using different angles and perspectives, while playing with contrast in colour, light and shading.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Schjeldahl, P. (2020). Stephen Shore’s Offbeat Sublimities. The New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/stephen- shores-offbeat-sublimities.
Stephen Shore. Stephenshore.net. (2020).
http://stephenshore.net/photographs.php
Stephen Shore. Frieze.com. (2020).
https://frieze.com/article/stephen-shore-1.
SHORE, S. & SANTE, L. (2007). STEPHEN SHORE & LUC SANTE: The
Nature of Photographs. Aperture, (186), 72-81.
www.jstor.org/stable/24473235
Valdez, S. (2006). Art on Paper, 11(1), 89-89.
www.jstor.org/stable/24557018
