“I wanted an intimate setting so that I would be able to engage with people while also giving them the opportunity to feel comfortable with me. A limousine seemed like a perfect choice.”
– Kathy Shorr
In 1988, Kathy Shorr became a limousine driver. A graduate of the School for Visual Arts with a B.F.A. in photography. Shorr was looking for new material that would get her close to New Yorkers – and she loved driving.
A taxi driver was a possibility – and in 1980, Ryan Weideman had turned his yellow cab into a mobile photo booth with some great results. But Shorr thought taxi rides too short to achieve what she wanted, not giving enough time for her to get to know her passengers and take their pictures. Chauffeuring a limousine seemed better. And before long she had scored a job at Brooklyn’s Red Hook limousine company.
Shorr started in the spring, the high season, and for nine months worked weekends, driving teenagers to proms, brides to weddings and families to quinceañeras. “About an hour into the drive, I would say, ‘Oh, excuse me, I’m a photographer,’” Shorr recalled. She then asked if it would be OK if she photographed her passengers for the rest of the trip?
Only one said no. “Suddenly, I became the person they were working for,” she says. “When people come into the car, everybody is dressed up, and you take on a new persona when you dress fancy,” Shorr told the New Yorker. “Your behaviour and manner are very different than if you’re just going out in jeans or sweats with the same people. Your persona elevates. But, as time goes by, your real personality comes out.”
Limousine by Kathy Shorr is published by Lazy Dog.
Would you like to support Flashbak?
Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.
