Stephen Shore's Sha-Mar Beauty Salon

On July 4, 1973, Stephen Shore captured the Sha-Mar Beauty Salon on Chestnut Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Born in 1947 in New York, New York, Shore is an American photographer who continues to practice his art while teaching at Bard College. Two of his greatest, most comprehensive works are titled Uncommon Places and American Surfaces. The image below is from his collection Uncommon Places, an oxymoron in itself, as the image is so mundane some might not even give it a second glance.

Contrary to the date when this photograph was taken, this image is not indicative of elaborate 4th of July festivities. In fact, the only thing special about this photograph is that the salon and shops around it are seemingly closed.

I, however, would argue that there are far more layers to this photograph than one might think. The film colors hint to the era in which this photograph was taken faster than you can look at the date itself. The colors and patterns within the image, too, reveal some sort of pre-all-things-digital sign of the times. 

However, the way which Shore framed the photograph gives the viewer the opportunity to drift away from Pennsylvania, and imagine this setting nearly anywhere – perhaps even a New York City block. This photograph is evidence that everyday photography can allow us to dissociate time from place, and vice versa, to better inform the world that we live in today. This is further amplified by the title of the collection that this photograph comes from: Uncommon Places. 

In sum, Shore's photographs give us the opportunity to analyze the daily moments we have all experienced, but maybe not found much beauty within. With photography, even the most boring moments become exciting and complex, as everything changes when it has been framed by a camera lens and some film.