Michaela Lucas_Style Paragraphs

Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore is an American photographer who is recognized for being a pioneer in color film photography, and his work played a key role in the acceptance of color photography as an artistic medium. The height of his career was primarily in the 1970’s when he photographed the series American Surfaces and Uncommon Places, which I will be focusing on for this assignment. Although these two series capture the same essence, they were photographed using different equipment; American Surfaces was photographed using a Rollei 35mm small format film camera, while Uncommon Places was photographed with an 8x10 large-format view camera on a tripod. The significance of using color film in his work is evident in the way he portrays rich colors and light. The large-format view camera used for Uncommon Places allowed him to compose wide views of urban landscapes in obscure places of America while still focusing on details. In addition to his equipment, his experiences in America manifests through the subject matter of his work. Shore took photographs of mundane things that were representative of American culture such as fast food, motels, and toilets. Although the images do not evoke a specific, immediately recognizable place, they are familiar items and scenes central to American culture. Shore’s work is about observing ordinary things that mirror everyday life. I think Shore’s work feels relaxed and well-observed, and it evokes a sense of nostalgia since it feels like the pictures are a memory. There is a subtle sense of humor in some of his pieces that I feel develops from the fact that they are pictures of such common, unadulterated subjects. I can replicate his style by observing scenes of mundane things, such as food, household objects, and ordinary buildings on the street while considering bold colors, a flash for interiors, soft lighting outside, and shadows that resemble his style.

William Eggleston

Like Stephen Shore, William Eggleston is an American photographer that introduced color film photography as an artistic medium. He grew up in the south where he was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Sumner, Mississippi. His career took off in the 1960’s and 70’s when he photographed suburbia in the south. He used a Leica color film camera early in his career, which allowed him to capture the rich, vibrant colors that are a trademark of his style. The time and place of his photographs manifest through his work because it suggests the decline and changing of the American south during that time period when he photographed his home states. Similar to Shore, Eggleston focused on photographing mundane things in everyday life in order to discover their complexity. Eggleston’s photographs are intimate encounters with people, objects, and spaces that appear ordinary, unaltered, and random. Although Eggleston’s and Shore’s work are depicting similar subject matter, I think Eggleston’s work feels more somber and uneasy, which connects back to the undertone of the apprehension felt in the American south at that time. Eggleston often photographed his subjects from an angled perspective rather than straight-on. He paid careful attention to the color, framing of the subject, shadow, and natural lighting in order to elevate ordinary subjects. I can replicate his style by photographing everyday scenes and objects with consideration to rich colors, a slightly skewed perspective, and the effects of the lighting and shadows.

George Tice

George Tice is an American black and white film photographer. His career began in the 1950’s, and he is self-taught. He is primarily known for photographing American landscapes and cultures and his exceptional technique in crafting images. He captured images using an 8x10 view camera, which allowed him to produce the elaborate tonal range that is a trademark of his style, and printed them on high-quality silver and platinum prints. His home state of New Jersey, where he is familiar with the environment, and the Northeast are the locations for most of his photography. His work mainly focuses on desolate, rural areas and communities on the outskirts of main society. For example, one of his photography series is of Amish communities in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He takes pictures of specific architecture or objects that are symbolic of that particular culture in America. The images are fairly simplistic, usually with one subject in the or scene in the center of the photograph to focus on. There appears to be no harsh light or sun in the photographs. The black and white stillness presents a quiet tranquility, and I think the images look very solemn. I could recreate his style by photographing rural landscapes and nature, as well as people in remote locations. The framing, dramatic tonal range, and acute attention to detail are what makes Tice’s photographs so elegant, so they are elements I would consider if I were to make a photograph in his style.