As we are now officially past the midpoint of the semester, students and professors alike are starting the preparations for final projects and exhibitions. This means I’m looking for an in-depth analysis on a particular subject. Deciding on a new project can be difficult. In the past, I’ve found to be really drawn to people as a subject matter and looked to capture them when they aren’t aware. Through this method I can observe how people act when they don’t think they are being watched. Where I’m still interested in this kind of photography, I live with the fear of being caught. It can be a daunting form of photography.

Stephen Shore: American Surfaces

However, I’ve recently found a new interest that I wish to investigate further. It was sometime last week that I was in my apartment and had photographer Stephen Shore on my mind. His works in Uncommon Places and American Surfaces were in the forefront of those thoughts. I looked around my own apartment while pondering his style, that’s when my curiosity started to grow about my own place. Shore had focused on documenting everything from where he went, to what he ate, and even where he went to the bathroom. While I have no intentions of taking pictures of my own bathroom, I was intrigued by how he felt he must document such a personal side of his life.

While I was looking around, I noticed the only window within the room. There’s nothing terribly special about it when looking at its structure, and the view it gives some would consider dull as all you see is the other building across the street. Because of its height, it’s even difficult to see the street itself unless you stand with your nose up against the glass and look down which will give a partial viewing. But as the light from the mid-afternoon came through it, a certain glow hit the room giving it a beautiful sense of serenity and peace. It was a moment I decided I wanted to investigate.

Taking a few pictures, I found that I could look at something that I pass by everyday with a new perspective. I could view it as an outsider looking in (kind of ironic since I’m inside looking out…). But what was really interesting was that by taking the picture, I could invite someone else to view the world I experience everyday and do so from my perspective. I’m guessing that may be what Shore was after in his work, showing the audience a personal side of his life. With all that in mind, this is something I plan on looking into further and possibly making it a part of my final.