Steven Shore: Artist Analysis

Stephen Shore
Westbank Motel Room 125
July 18th, 1973
Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA

 Most of Shore's work showcases his journeys through North America, this picture was taken in a small motel room in Idaho. He paved the way for color photographers as he was one of the first photographers to shoot with color film. Shore seems to make very ordinary scenes look amazing. Shore cropped out the person's body to make sure that that was not the subject. The subject of this photograph is in fact this little motel room, even whatever is beyond the window is not visible to make sure of that. I think it almost feels like you could be the one laying on the bed watching TV. Even though lots of time has passed, you know you could still find a little motel that looks similar to this. Shore took this picture along with many others on a road trip from New York to Texas and he documented his whole trip. I almost get the feeling of loneliness from this photo. 

Gregory Crewdson: Artist Analysis

By: Gregory Crewdson

Title:Untitled (Ophelia)

Series: Twighlight (2001)

Medium: Digital chromogenic print

Crewdson is known for making big productions of of his photos. He stages these elaborate scenes of American homes and neighborhoods, in western Massachusetts towns of Pittsfield, Lee, and surrounding areas. Crewdson tends to shut down entire streets when he's staging a scene and he gets an entire crew together to help him manufacture his vision. His multilayered, highly detailed work depicts surreal, mysterious scenes that show their suburban settings. I think this photo depicts how she's just floating in the boring nothingness of everyday life in the suburbs.

Ed Burtynsky: Artist Analysis

By: Ed Burtynsky 

Oxford Tire Pile No. 8

Westley, California

1999

The subject of this photo is a gigantic pile of tires in California. The photographer, Ed Burtynsky, often take pictures of industrial landscapes. His work depicts the link between nature and industry. His images are "meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence," says Burtynsky. He is showing how humans have altered nature but he also shows that although industry has destroyed nature, it too, can be beautiful.  The bulk of his exhibited photography was taken with a large format field camera on large 4x5-inch sheet film and developed into high-resolution, large-dimension prints. This image stood put for me because even though seeing a huge pile of tires doesn't usually strike me a beautiful but this image really captured the mundane as beautiful and the road draws your eyes to the space beyond the tires.

Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison

"Flying Lesson"

From the series "Earth Elegies"

2000

Photogravure print

The subject in this photo is a man that seems to be holding birds on strings where you would think to see balloons. The artists created this images and their many like it by carefully cutting and pasting different negatives together to create one image. The ParkeHarrison's whom are husband and wife have created a multitude of photos like this one. Most of their work focuses on humans and the environment. I think that this photo symbolizes how humans are affecting the environment. In this work the man seems to be wrangling in the birds as if he was going to put them in the cage in the photo, the same way that we are slowly wrangling wildlife into certain areas but tearing down their homes and whatnot. Many of their other works seem to show man trying to mend the Earth single handedly but I don't feel that this is the case in regards to this photo.