William Eggleston

William Eggleston is an American photographer who was born in 1939 and drew attention as well as known for his colour photography in the 1970s. Eggleston`s first iconic exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976 which was titled “William Eggleston`s Guide”. This exhibition was one of the first huge exhibitions showing off colour photography in the creative community. Eggleston`s work was extremely influential as it challenged and was different to the traditional black and white (monochrome) images in the 1970s. William Eggleston is known for the way he goes about his photoshoots: Eggleston captures the beauty in anything, usual, everyday objects. For example, some of Eggleston`s images consist of a tricycle, a car or even a empty street which to anyone else seems like an ordinary setting/object however in his perspective each object is equally important and interesting and finds the connection with the usual objects and settings. There is a consistent theme shown throughout William Eggleston’s work which is the focus of landscapes, architecture, streets and the people in America, Eggleston’s photography also has a recurring theme of nostalgia and calmness, almost as if time had been frozen or slowed down, his captures show quietness and allows the viewer or audience to take in the image and focus on small details within the composition .In most of Eggleston`s images, you will find that his projects often highlight and have a strong use of artificial lighting, natural lighting and strong colour contrasts which is seen in the set of images below.

Eggleston`s use of colour is what he is mainly known for and is what is most effective in his images, many of his photographs are created using a process called The Dye Transfer Process. To create a dye transfer print, firstly the image is transferred to three different films, secondly the films get dipped into a dye bath consisting of these three colours: cyan, magenta and yellow. Once that is done then each film is hand pressed onto a specific type of paper. This technique creates a depth of colour that is cannot be created by any other print process.

Image Analysis

This image taken by William Eggleston, is one of my favourite photographs captured by Eggleston. This image consists of a natural setting, a small building by the road with a huge esso sign and a rusty car placed on the roof of the small building. Even though the setting is pretty basic and normal, Eggleston manages to create it a powerful image by making the audience/viewer to think about how things change over time. In my opinion the most interesting part of the image and the part which got my attention is the rusting car on top of the building. Cars usually are not on top of buildings and this being unusual immediately attracts the viewer and makes the viewer curious. The car being rusty gives the theme of decaying and abandonement and could also show that things which were once new in a nice setting can become leftovers of the past, the peeling paint on the building also adds to the theme of ageing and abandonment, which is seen consistently through William Eggleston`s work.

The image is also carefully framed, with the building creating horizontal and vertical lines as well as the wires and the “esso sign”. The esso sign being placed in the top left corner makes a sense of balance with the car on the roof which draws the viewers deeper into the Photograph. I think that William Eggleston`s focuses on every little detail, and every little detail that is seen in his work or images contribute to the story he is telling.

Another key aspect which is shown in this image is, Eggleston`s use of bright, vibrant colour. The vivid green building contrasts with the natural greenery of the grass, a difference between man-made and natural. The colour choices used in this image not only brings attention to the building but I think that it strongly highlights the car placed on top of the roof, as the car has the colours orange and brown contrasting with the fresh bright colours surrounding the building and the car. This is a strength of William Eggleston`s, as he is known for his powerful use of colour and transforming things we see every day into strong and visually appealing images which also tell a story.