Stephen Shore

(An Interview with Stephen Shore)

By: Rebecca Michaud

Color was a joke in photography until Stephen Shore took it to a new level and made a
name for it. For years he traveled the United States both on land and sea, taking photographs of
the different places he saw (Stephen Shore | Photography and Biography). His images capture the
simple things in unique ways. The places he takes pictures of are not necessarily the most
glorious, but he allows them to be seen in a different light. Shore took everyday places and made
them noticed. His work inspires me to take average places and capture them in a different and
special way. Shore's work allowed color photography to become a legitimate expression of art
and has inspired many of his contemporaries (Stephen Shore | Photography and Biography).
Shore was born in 1947 and is still living today (Stephen Shore Getty). He traveled
America, both on ship and on land, taking pictures of what he saw along the way (Stephen Shore
| Photography and Biography). When he was six years old he received a darkroom kit, this is
what began his interest in photography, and the interest carried on for his entire life (Stephen
Shore | Photography and Biography). Photographs by Walker Evans influenced his early works
(Stephen Shore | Photography and Biography). "Color photography attracted Shore for its ability
to record the range and intensity of hues seen in life." (Stephen Shore Getty). Stephen Shore was
considered a pioneer in colored photography, so his photographs influenced all future color
photographers. Shore's main piece of equipment he used was a 35 millimeter camera at first, but
then got a Crown Graphic in order to make bigger prints (Heroes and Mentors). Stephen Shore is
famous for his color photography, he found an interest in taking pictures on the road, and that his
where his book, Uncommon Places came from.
Stephen Shore took the color print The Apparent is the Bridge to the Real in Amarillo,
Texas, in August, 1973 (The Apparent Is the Bridge to the Real ). This image is very complex

and has a lot going on with so many colors. The photo is an

everyday sight for a driver; there are gas stations going
along the right side and Shore is stopped at a light with cars
in each lane in front of him. Color photography was new at
the time; Shore said, "I think it was simply the time was
(An Interview with Stephen Shore)

right for color photography" (The Apparent Is the Bridge

to the Real ). Shore was very interested in post cards, and since he was traveling the United
States, he had the opportunity to take shots that looked like they belonged on a post card (The
Apparent Is the Bridge to the Real). This image does look like it belongs on a postcard, and he
was able to capture the busy part of the town. There were no monuments; however, the gas
stations serve as the landmarks for this town. This image shows me that I can take everyday
places and take pictures of them at artful angles. You do not need to have famous landmarks in
your backyard to take good photographs.
The color print image, Ginger Shore, was taken in
December of 1977 on Flagler Street, in Miami Florida
(Theophanidis). This image is the complete opposite of "The
Apparent is the Bridge to the Real". The colors all varied
hues of red and it is extremely simple. It is of a women
standing against a patterned wall, looking to the left with an

(Archive Stephen Shore)

intense look. Shore was beginning to settle down when he shot

this picture. The women came along with him to help him. The trip was not for fun, but to take
pictures. However, this picture shows that his priorities were changing and he was now

beginning to focus on the women that was going to become his wife (Theophanidis). This photo
represents "a young man alone in the world, trying to find himself, and his
place (Theophanidis). Shore is successful in portraying this message; he has found his place
with her, and she is a large part of his world. Simplicity is a beautiful thing, and not everything
needs to be complex and contrast. It can all mesh together.
In December of 1972, Shore took the color print, London, England (Stephen Shore 303
Gallery; London). This image does not use as much
color as the first two, but the girl is still the main focus
of the picture. This photo has a duller color theme than
Ginger Shore, and it has a lot of black and grays. The
girl is laughing and pushing her hair back. When
(Stephen Shore 303 Gallery; London)

Shore was shooting American Surfaces, color

photography was new at the time. He wanted to try something new, so he took all of his pictures
in color, disregarding the bad reputation of color photography ("The Apparent is the Bridge to
the Real"). Shore's goal for these pictures was to capture the ordinary things in life and make
them be seen differently (Crair et al). He succeeds in his goal of making the ordinary special.
Shore divides the photo into three horizontal sections; the bottom and top being black and the
middle having a lighter tone. The girl's hairline starts at the same point as the top sections and the
end of her shirt lines up with the bottom section. This image shows me that using lines
strategically can turn an everyday photo into a unique, artful one.

On September 23, 2009, Shore took the chromogenic color print Jerusalem, Israel
(Stephen Shore Israel). This image, like the other three, is a color photograph. It is a picture of a
little girl running home from a store with the bags of groceries in her hands. Behind her are what
looks to be construction vehicles as well as two men. The
community is not as clean nor organized as the one in The
Apparent is the Bridge to the Real, and the colors are
duller than any of the other images. Places that had been
"uninhabited" were now experiencing events of daily life;
Shore wanted to capture the change in this land (Stephen
Shore 303 Biography). Shore is trying to, "interpret a sociological

('Stephen Shore Israel')

climate - a baseline theme in all his work - here takes on a different type of potency due to the
critical nature of the living situation." (Stephen Shore 303 Biography). In this piece, Shore
captures a daily event of a girl that lives in a place that is not very clean. He does a great job
capturing both the community and the way people live in it. This image influences me to capture
the simple things in life. If you saw this girl running down the street, no one would look twice.
When it is captured in action, people take a second look and recognize the beauty.
Stephen Shore was able to show critics that color photography was indeed an art form;
his work inspired other photographers to pursue color photography. He was introduced to
photography so young, and had an immediate and lasting love for it (Stephen Shore |
Photography and Biography). Shore's work captures everyday places in the simplest, unique
form. His photographs are of everyday things, but the angles he takes them at is what makes
them different. "On his best form, Stephen Shore discovers the poetry of ordinariness. He also

discovers that the ordinary isnt ordinary at all." (Times). Although I cannot use color
photography in my film work, Shore inspires me to pay attention to lines and detail when I take
photographs. Just because something is viewed as a joke, does not mean that one person can not
make it amazing.

Works Cited
An Interview with Stephen Shore . N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://
www.americansuburbx.com/2012/01/interview-stephen-shore-the-apparent-is-the-bridge-to-thereal-2007.html>.
Stephen Shore | Photography and Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. <http://
www.famousphotographers.net/stephen-shore>.
Stephen Shore 303 Gallery; London. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.303gallery.com/
artists/stephen_shore/index.php?iid=241&exhid=1&p=img>.
Stephen Shore Getty. The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. <http://
www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/3590/stephen-shore-american-born-1947/>.
Archive Stephen Shore. Art Tattler. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://arttattler.com/
archivestephenshore.html>.
Stephen Shore. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.303gallery.com/artists/
stephen_shore/index.php?exhid=281&p=images>.
Stephen Shore 303 Biography . N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.303gallery.com/
index.php?exhid=272&p=pr>.
Stephen Shore Israel. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.303gallery.com/index.php?
iid=1215201&exhid=272&p=img>.
The Apparent Is the Bridge to the Real . Stephen Shore Interview. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr.
2015. <http://www.americansuburbx.com/2012/01/interview-stephen-shore-the-apparent-is-thebridge-to-the-real-2007.html>.

Heroes and Mentors . PDN Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. <http://www.pdnonline.com/
features/Heroes-and-Mentors-St-3200.shtml>.
Crair, Ben et al. Stephen Shores Amazing Photos: What a 1970s Instagram Would Look Like.
(2013): n. pag. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115243/stephen-shorephotography-american-surfaces-uncommon-places>.
Theophanidis, Philippe. Ginger Shore, Causeway Inn". APHELIS, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
<http://aphelis.net/ginger-shore-causeway-inn-tampa-fla-nov-17-1977-stephen-shore/>.
Times, Financial. Stephen Shore: Something & Nothing, Sprth Magers, London Review. 20
June 1AD. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/
2/42423636-5b42-11e3-848e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3UraRXhie>.

On my honor, I have been academically honest.
-Rebecca Michaud