PHOTOGRAPHY

Passing Through

In photographing the everyday, Emily Shur reflects the world around her
in all its absurdity, flaws, and odd beauty—and reveals herself in the process.

“If I could express myself only through photographs, I’d be happy,” says Emily Shur.

The statement comes as a bit of a surprise—Shur is a vivid writer and nimble conversationalist who has made a successful career for herself shooting movie posters, ad campaigns, and celebrity portraits. Yes, she’s known for her imagery, but it’s not like she’s some kind of silent genius.

And yet… What if we took her at her word and relied only on her photographs to communicate with her… What revelations would come our way?

I can tell you this: The images you see here are from her most recent body of work, shot in and around her neighborhood. Emily lives in Studio City, Los Angeles, but these photos are not a document of that place, as Emily herself will tell you.

“Wherever I am, the way I photograph is less about the place and more about a confluence or synergy of various elements,” she explains. “There are technical elements I’m paying attention to, like composition, light, and color. Then there are the emotional ones, like nostalgia, humor, sadness, and joy—a.k.a. the human experience. It’s all part of it.”

The human experience, and one human’s experience. Broken glass that glints in the sun like fine jewels, old paperbacks whose covers promise lavish escape within, the wear and tear of time and weather, a red classroom chair that sits alone outside. There are incidental narratives everywhere Emily takes us…

—Kristina Feliciano