Rec | CHARLES O’REAR’S “DOCUMERICA” PHOTOS

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before windows XP bliss and even before his legendary Napa Valley series, Charles O’Rear was a NatGeo photographer who signed onto the massive EPA “Documerica” project, creating part of a massive snapshot of america in the 70s. he was tasked with photographing the southwest (linked), Amtrak, and Hawaii. just looking at his photos you can tell he’s a man that loves the world and the people around it.

@glacierbaby

Mar 6, 2024

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JOHN DIVOLA

Especially lovely knowing he was capturing some of these manipulated, abandoned house images in the 70s. Aesthetic pioneer.

@leen

Mar 29, 2025

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Stephen Shore

Much in the same way Edward Hopper explored solitude and banality in industrialized America, Stephen Shore sought many of those same themes irl, taking interest in familiar locations like gas stations or motel swimming pools. Shore shot a lot of his work (most notably his book Uncommon Places) on road trips across the United States, and would meticulously journal his activities as he progressed from East to West. Reading about what Shore had for breakfast and what the room he watched television in looked like the morning he took photos like the one below is really enjoyable, particularly when his activities feel almost as antiquated as the parking lots of wing-tipped Cadillacs he photographs. His photos ultimately reveal an extreme technical proficiency and mastery of composition, which allows us to look at extinct moments with full lucidity.