Often people ask what I’m photographing, which is a hard question to answer. And the best what I’ve come up with is I just say: Life today – William Eggleston
David Chandler wrote an essay for the end of Kawauchi’s ‘illuminance’, and has compared William Eggleston’s work to hers. Chandler stated ‘Within the repertoire, this in itself is nothing new: making the ordinary extraordinary has been a common ambition (with varying rates of success) at least since William Eggleston decided that life’s epic voyages were now largely circumscribed, but not necessarily limited, by the spaces and object of everyday, material culture.‘
I find this analysis of their work interesting because it draws in the idea of surrealism, by creating an intensified and rich image out of an ordinary object, place or person. Not only is it creating an interesting image, but Chandler is stating that it is difficult to break free from the ordinary, and Eggleston has managed to do this, followed by Kawauchi.
Analysis of Eggleston’s work
Eggleston is known for his vibrant images, and for creating coloured images to become a new art form. Although I wont be capturing images in his style, I enjoy his work and the surreal and visceral emotion his images bring; like Rinko Kawauchi. He only captures an image of one thing. He never repeats an image, which makes his work so individual.
He tends to use the rule of thirds in his images to centre his composition and create main focal points.
The colours he use tends to be warm vivid oranges, reds and yellows. He also creates contrasts to them with warm summer blues using the sky. This draws in a calming and nostalgic emotion, almost creating a comfort in his retro style images. Most of the lighting he uses will be natural, possibly using reflectors to aim the light at his subjects. The contrast in colours min his images bring out the subjects as if the colour is jumping out at you, which makes his images powerful and impactful of the viewer.
It is clear that Eggleston’s main purpose behind his images is to present the ordinary as extraordinary and find a way to present life as a colourful journey. After looking at his work on a deeper level I have decided I might try to bring vivid colours into my photoshoot to create contrasts with more dull images and brighten up my photobook.
Comparison of Kawauchi’s work with Eggleston’s to inspire my photos
