Customer Reviews

Stephen Shore: Uncommon Places

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On page six of this large book, Stephen Shore writes, in the Artist's Note, "The book you are holding in your hands amounts to what might be called the photographic equivalent of a director's cut". It is in the nature of such things you now get an additional ninety-four photos with the forty-nine that were in the original 1982 Aperture edition, though this is not strictly true because some that were in the original are not in this edition.

I bought the original book because I loved the way Shore captured the everyday urban American outdoors and of course the amazing color and detail. This new edition is even better because the photos are now larger, mostly 10.5 by 8.25 inches. The other thing I love about some of these photos is the way Shore captures the street corner, this seems to be a favorite composition (stretching back to the famous FSA photos of the Thirties) with contemporary photographers and Photorealists painters like Richard Estes or Davis Cone. Shore's 'El Paso Street, Texas, July 5, 1975' could just as easily be an Estes painting. There are several corner photos in the book and they are just stunning.

Another reviewer has commented on the amount of detail in these photos, helped of course by the two hundred plus screen, the original book used a 175 dpi. Apart from the screen it is interesting to compare images that appear in both books and the color does vary. 'Beverly Boulevard, June 21 1975' in the original (page 39) is predominately brown for the street area, in this edition (page 115) it has changed to a predominately blue cast. I wonder if this is the sort of thing that concerns collectors of first edition photo books?

In addition to the photos in this beautifully designed and printed book there are two text pieces, the first one, by Stephen Schmidt-Wulffen, includes twelve photos from Shore's 'American Surfaces'. The back of the book includes biographical notes and a useful bibliography.

This latest 'Uncommon Places' will be a book I'll look through for some years to come.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

this is one of the first great works of color photography, and is still as fresh and significant as it was 30 years ago. forget all the imitators of today's contemporary scene, this was one of the first and is still better than anything to come along since (with the exception of sternfeld's american prospects which is equally great).

and for those who say this is snapshot photography, think again. view camera, deliberation, and intent here are razor sharp and NOT filled with accidents or casual images.

This is my new favorite book. I found it by accident as I didn't know Stephen Shore. The feeling, mood, and color in his images are so great. If you're like me who like anything 70's, then you will love this book.

His photography was considered very cutting edge at a time when all fine art was shot in black & white. Mr. Shore has a gift to make the ordinary like extra-ordinary and beautiful. If you love photography, you need to own this book! [...]

I'm not sure why the other reviewers called this a great quality book? For an art book the printing is terrible. The two copies that I received both came with warped/bent pages throughout. The images are treated with a weak spot varnish that makes the photos look washed out lacking contrast and density. No fault of Amazon. Their service is great. They took back both copies. Maybe the publisher needs to do some QC with the printer. Too bad. Shores photographs are wonderful. Much too good for the mediocre printing.

One of the fathers of contemporary environmental photography re-visits his original book from the 70's and does
a photographic "directors cut'.
The version of the book differs from the original with more images.
A classic in my opinion.

Two reasons I purchased this book: 1) I am a photography fan/hobbyiest photographer and 2) I hoped to unearth some "pictoral documents" of days gone by when I was a kid growing up in the '70s. This book quite simply captures scenes of cars, buildings, signs and street corners (from densely populated to dirt road outskirts) in carefully composed frames. Mr. Shore also included some nice portraits of folks he came across in his travels to find "uncommon" places. If you like fine art photography and want to take a visual trip back in time, you can't go wrong with this book. Highly recommended.

Stephen Shore grew up in downtown New York. One day, he and a friend decided to drive to Amarillo, Texas and get out of the big city for a spell. Uncommon Places is a result of that trip. Although I'm not a huge fan of landscape photography, I enjoyed viewing what Shore thought was "uncommon" (the name of his book), as I grew up in rural and smalltown America and found many of the photos "commonplace." That is no disrespect to the artist, however. I find him incredibly compelling as an artist and a person.
What I find intriguing is that Shore reconnects one with those images from their past and also invites the viewer to see their smalltown landscape from a new, invigorating lens. The photos of small towns, diners, beaches, and movie theatres brought me to a place where I wondered "What is Common?" "What is Uncommon?" To Stephen, that would be my reality. He would find me and my reality, uncommon. Wow. Never considered that before. I, no doubt, would find his the same.
Shore is famous for winning critical acclaim when he was twenty-three, photographing Andy Warhol's Factory, the temple of underground art in the sixties.
Uncommon Places is a selection of forty-nine photographs taken between 1973 and 1981.

So far the most enjoyable photography book out of the 3 I've handled and viewed about 70's artist. Prior to this book I acquired "New Topographics", the commemorative book of the then "novel" style, where I discovered Shore. Shore is a true master of color and composition, with his clean, neat, clever, delicate & fine style.

For lovers of New Topographics and color photograpy this book is a must.

So many plates, so beautiful, so varied (topographics, objects and interiors, portraits...)... browsing and watching the book for the first time was such a pleasant photo bombardment. The adecuate size of the book and the prints within (27 cms x 20 cms) contribute to deepen the experience. Very nice finish with white background for both the inner pages and the hardcover. Dustcover photos excel too.

Highly recommendable, this book is a must

This book is an excellent oportunity for those who want to know Shore's work in detail. Great photographs, excellent quality and very good essays. The only negative point is that it's not include a great photograph taken just at the corner in Washington Avenue and 8 th street [included in other old versions of "uncommon places"], anyway as a conclusion: A must have book !

The item arrived within the specified time frame and in great condition!! Would do business with this individual again.