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Uncommon Places: The Complete Works
This is a hardcover volume with white cloth boards and a pictorial dust jacket. Stephen Shore followed up his first volume of photographs, American Surfaces, for which he traveled the United States, with an even more expansive and in-depth exploration of the North American way of life in "Uncommon Places." Shore traveled much more extensively during the period of 1973 to 1979, from which these images are culled. The other main difference is that Shore had moved into large-format imagery at this point, hauling around an 8x10 view camera on his journey. This expanded edition from 2004 includes more than 60 previously unpublished images and an interview with Shore by Lynne Tillman.
188 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 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.
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.
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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
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…
December 29, 2020
Nice high detailed set of American photographs
June 5, 2022
At first I thought that these are such mundane photos and nothing is special about them.
But then afterward, I saw images from other people that are in a similar genre, and I found myself deeply unsatisfied by those works compared to the works in this collection. That’s when I realized how thoughtful and carefully composed each photograph in this book was. It refined my taste.
But then afterward, I saw images from other people that are in a similar genre, and I found myself deeply unsatisfied by those works compared to the works in this collection. That’s when I realized how thoughtful and carefully composed each photograph in this book was. It refined my taste.
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April 30, 2023it's surprising how much connection and nostalgia i felt looking at these images as if i have been there. i dont think ive ever been to anything like that before. oh, to be sitting at a booth in Sugar Bowl Restaurant amidst the wonderful city of Gaylord...!
January 12, 2018
As the blurb on the back says, “Stephen Shore captures the essence of the American landscape by framing particular, ordinary elements so that they reveal the universal and the extraordinary....Shore’s is the art of the deadpan....recapturing the overfamiliar, making it poignant, coherent, and almost lovable.” Or as the front overleaf points out, he frames or focuses or chooses his photos so that, for example, “a parking lot emptied of people, a hotel bedroom, or a building on a side street” take on “an archetypal aura and an ambiguously personal importance.” And those cars from the ‘70’s!!!!
August 22, 2007
I am not a photography buff. Saw the exhibit in L.A. at the Hammer museum. I read magazines like "Vice", which feature alot of photogs who seem to be influenced by this guy. I thought his stuff was awesome- very contemporary, like someone travelled back in time and shot 70s landscapes etc.
Also: it's a big book- so have ample shelf space ready if you don't want to keep it on your coffee table or on display.
Also: it's a big book- so have ample shelf space ready if you don't want to keep it on your coffee table or on display.
February 24, 2014
Il libro di grandi dimensioni e la qualità di stampa eccezionale rendono giustizia alle foto di Shore, scattate con banco ottico e quindi ricche di dettagli. Si tratta di un'edizione "ampliata" di questo suo storico lavoro fatto di immagini scattate tra il 1973 e il 1977 in giro per gli Stati Uniti.
Contiene anche alcuni scatti del suo precedente lavoro "American surfaces", un'introduzione e una intervista che chiariscono ragioni e metodo del suo lavoro.
Contiene anche alcuni scatti del suo precedente lavoro "American surfaces", un'introduzione e una intervista che chiariscono ragioni e metodo del suo lavoro.
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