Most Overrated Photographer EVER? William EGGLESTON
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2020
- This episode of the Greats Of Photography introduces you to the exceptional color photography of William Eggleston. Since the 1960's his photography has been at the forefront of the emergence of art photographers working in color.
Famously dismissed by both Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson, the way William Eggleston sees the world through his photographs continues to challenge us today.
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I am excited to share with you a collection of captivating images captured by renowned photographers, all while adhering to a fair use policy. As an avid creator and a firm believer in promoting artistic expression, I have carefully curated these visuals to enhance the storytelling experience and enrich the content I present.
It's important to note that fair use allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining explicit permission from the copyright holder. In this context, I have utilized select images from famous photographers to analyze, critique, and educate, ultimately adding value and providing a unique perspective to my viewers.
Through this approach, I aim to celebrate and showcase the incredible talent and vision of these esteemed photographers while offering insightful commentary and fostering a deeper understanding of their work. It is my sincere belief that these images contribute to the overall discussion and appreciation of the art form, while respecting the rights of the original creators.
I want to express my utmost gratitude to the photographers who have brought these magnificent visuals to life. I encourage you, as viewers, to explore their full portfolios and support their remarkable contributions to the world of photography. - บันเทิง
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Thank you all for your comments about the zooming/Ken Burns.
This was IIRC my third video that I produced on this channel and I was still experimenting with how to present images.
Later videos don't have this style in them.
-Alex
Say it louder for the people in the back. LOL. Thank you for making these videos. They're great!
I seem to be in the minority on this, but I don't find it annoying, distracting, bothersome, etc. in the least.
I was talking to my 88 year old father about his friend William Eggleston. They knew each other when we lived in Memphis. He told me about a paint store that commissioned him to paint a wall displaying the available colors for purchase. He continued and said "Eggleston made a picture of a lady in front of the painted wall". At 5:39 in the video you can see my father's painted wall.
Superbly done. Many, many thanks. Years ago I had a discussion with Ansel Adams about the "reality" of photography. Ansel shot in large format (4 x 5, 8 x 10, etc.) and had only just recently taken up shooting on 120 format film. Being one of the f 64 group, he chided me about shooting in 35mm and my delight in the work of photographers like Ernst Haas. Ansel didn't like shallow depth of field, grainy images, timed exposures incorporating blurred movement, prints manipulated in the darkroom, etc. He thought this type of photography wasn't "realistic." I pointed out that he commonly used yellow or orange filters to bring out the sky in his images - "blatant manipulation." He nodded and had an impish smile on this face. I asked him if the world was really black and white, frozen in time, in two dimensions, etc. He laughed and conceded the point. Throughout the discussion, he was very good-natured, patient, and friendly. I found him to be a wonderful man.
Thank you for the wonderful insight. It's so helpful to have these anecdotes from people who have met the great names in photography. Obviously I can only get a flavor of the man from what I read, which of course is from a single perspective.
I wonder when your conversation with Adams took place, because late in his life he could see the digital revolution coming, and was eager for it. Adams also did dabble in color photography, but I find the work of his substandard and uninspiring. I think that Adams' genius was in looking at a scene and knowing what he could make from it in the darkroom. Truly "straight" photography, which IMHO includes the capture of color (because it exists in the real world), eluded him because there was not as much room in it for his vision. (BTW, I'm not knocking B&W. I love it. It's just that I never bought the idea that it's "straight" as f64 claimed it was. When color film became readily available, continuing to shoot in B&W was a choice that, well, removed color from photos of a real world that contains color. There's nothing "straight" about making a choice to exclude something that so plainly exists in a scene in real life.)
Excellent observations. I met Ansel some time in the mid-1970s when I was a staff photoillustrator and documentary film director at the University of Washington. Based on what I read about him, I expected that he would be rather rigid. He was quite the opposite. Our conversation was filled with warmth, good humour, and wonder about the marvel of photography.
My visit with Ansel was in the late 1960s. Your comments are astute and spot on. Thanks.
@@ThePhotographicEye Maybe it didn't have, or seem to have, context at the time but when enough years pass and things change enough maybe a certain context develops or more accurately, becomes obvious, where it wasn't before. How many times have you heard someone older saying we never paid attention to this or that until it was gone? Photos from decades ago give us a peek into a world we didn't know first hand. This can be skewed if people really "construct" what they are photographing, but perhaps this is the value of someone like Eggleston with his photos, as people say of him, being just a pinch away from being snapshots. I recall reading an instructional book on oil painting and the artist there said I can give you some technical points, but your experimentation to discover your style is 90% of it all after that. One thing his art school instructor did to him and his fellow students was to not allow them to use white, instead directing them to use yellow in its place. Eventually he let them go back to using white. What this trained them to do was not to rely on white too much, but to use it more sparingly. Over-reliance on white can cause paintings to look chalky, to lose their vibrance. Another instructional book I have says to buy 90 small canvases such as 6" by 8" and limit your time to do one to a short enough time to be a bit uncomfortable and rushed to finish say 20 minutes. Set it aside after 20 minutes and don't touch it with a paint brush, don't even look at it, just stick it in a closet, don't even worry about getting good results. Never repeat an image either. Paint a different image each night, try to have fun with it and don't worry about the quality of the results. Only when one has done all 90 paintings over 3 months should one go back and look at any of them. One will find that one's execution and quality did improve, but done in this manner without worrying about or seeing the results it allows one's style to shine through. Then you might look at what is still weak and fine tune. This is kinda, sorta (IMO) like Eggleston's approach to photography by taking the photograph with his eye.
Speaking of oil paintings, I wonder if Ansel Adams would've said that oil paintings are not art because they don't just use black, white and the intermediate shades of grey.
I like his work because he doesn’t try and sell his images with deep meaning or the usual fine art waffle. He just says there it is, you decide.
I think that's part of the controversy, this like it or lump it approach he takes. Plus his forthrightness :D
@@ThePhotographicEye Yeah, I've seen some interviews with him and forthright would be a good description! lol
@@ThePhotographicEye But surely, he must see "something", or else why aim the camera for the photo? Truly, if we all happened on the same subject, we would all be taking different photos...or...none at all. Btw, I LOVE your videos. Thank you.
The “usual fine art waffle” is a funny way to put it and makes me think of a literal juxtaposition inspiration maybe Monty Python or ...me...would have fun with. 😉🎨🎭🥞📷
I am not an art student or even a photographer, just an ageing bloke who enjoys looking at great photographs. For some reason photography speaks to me more than most painting or other art, and I love this series. Whilst I take your point about Eggleston not having a "message", for me his often lonely scenes convey an appealing, melancholy atmosphere like the best-known Hopper paintings, and the bright, often artificial colours somehow blend with the light and colours of nature (like the sky) to create something harmonious and beautiful. He didn't just photograph the world in colour at a time when that wasn't the done thing, but he had an eye for the most bright, brash and colourful of colours. Your advice about learning to see the world as an artist seems great even if you never take pictures, for there is so much beauty everywhere if you have an eye for it, even in car parks and shopping malls.
Eggleston brilliantly captures a phase in history. The same advances in chemistry that made color photography possible also led to more brilliantly colored paints, and fabric dyes. The advent of plastics around the same time led to an explosion of color in the home. Magazines became brilliantly colored, home interiors were suddenly in heavily saturated primaries, clothing appeared in colors that were previously impossible, and commercial exteriors and signage competed with each other to stand out. For the first time companies and products had their own trade-marked colors. Basically everyone in the Fifties and Sixties went nuts over color. It is fitting that a photographer should use one application of this new technology to record all the other applications which changed our environment.
That's a good point. Another thing I take away from Eggleston is that there is design and style put into everything. The photo of the McDonalds next to The Photo Hut store. The tricycle. The back of the woman's head in the diner with the green booth seats. Even the pale green colored sink with the tomatoes on the counter.
Design and style is important in the context of it's prevalence and in the effort to seek it out and obtain it. Yet there's a humor to it when you think about how it's one of the things that you can end up with less the more you have of it.
And he also used photographs to document very relatable things to how things change like the girl in the back seat of the car. In a way that relates to the time period and styles and design elements changing, and also to time changing for an individual. Everyone has memories of riding in the back seat of their parents car.
i Was worried when i saw the title this was going to be a Eggleston diss video. Extremely glad it wasnt. Great commentary!
Haha, nope, I'll never diss a photographer, everyone is entitled to enjoy/produce different work. Purpose of the channel is simply to expose people to photography and photographers in all their infinite variety.
@@ThePhotographicEye A bit sensationalistic title, maybe
yes, indeed. i loved the photos
@@scottsdale4899 Thanks! Glad you liked it. I'm not here to diss any photographers as you've guessed. All of us enjoy different styles, my aim is simply to introduce people to as many as possible and let them decide. :D
This video actually inspired me to go and take photos of some of the dreadful neighborhoods around where I live.
"...we can look at the world and see not beauty but interest and things that are intriguing to us..." I really loved your interpretation of Eggleston's work :-)
Glad to hear it resonated with you.
A suggestion - don’t zoom in on the still images. Present them as they are, and give us a chance to look at them.
Unless there’s some kind of copyright thing you’re able to avoid, but I wouldn’t know about that.
That’s known as the “Ken Burns Effect”.
Agree; hugely distracting.
I agree, it makes it impossible to get a sense of the composition
It was an experiment in the early days of the channel, I don't do it any more
@@86BBUB see above, it doesn't happen anymore
I like what Helen Levitt had to say about this: “All I can say about the work I try to do, is that the aesthetic is in reality itself.” Once you really grasp this photography becomes almost mystical. If you don’t experience what you shoot no amount of art will save you.
I have an emotional reaction to his pictures. Some of that is nostalgia but the colors, subjects and composition are fascinating! And some of his pictures remind me of Vivian Maier.
Thank you for bringing his work back to me! I have seen Eggleston’s work in the past and loved it, but , sadly, I had forgotten it ( don’t ask me how that could have been possible! ) until I had seen a few of the pieces that you showcased here. One thing that strikes me about his work is his amazing representation of light! The light in the southeastern US ( where much of his work comes from ) is not very forgiving, and the fact that he could get such delicacy from it is mind boggling! Thanks again, have a wonderful weekend!
Eggleston is one of my favorite photographers in both his work and his attitude, you seemed to have nailed it with this video Alex with some great examples. Well done!
Thanks for the comment Rich, glad you liked it
His work absolutely moves me. The eye for color, light, texture and composition all with a silent, mysterious mood.
Over the years I’ve come to appreciate and genuinely admire a lot of his work - there’s a naturalness about it that’s void of artifice or glibness which I find in so much stuff that I see today on social media platforms - Eggleston’s work has made me rethink my own philosophy and approach - I think many of us have pre existing ideas of what we think a ‘good’ image should be instead of trusting our own instincts.
Looks like a good channel - I’ll check out some more over the Easter break 👍🏻
There is a real effort in his work of an appreciation of light. Almost all the images feel quite luscious with a love for the colours. I also think his work really needs to be seen as a body of work. Many of the early photographers were trying to make the best image every single time.
Yes, I also feel that people like Eggleston work better when you see a whole collection.
Was lucky enough to visit a show of his at the NPG a few years back. Brings a different perspective when you see the images printed and displayed as a whole.
@@ThePhotographicEye - managed to see some of his work in New York perhaps 8 years ago. Seeing the real work in Galleries, not reproductions is best. The digital age represents work as best as possible, but it can't display a C-print or cibachrome or dye transfer as the artist had created.
I stumbled upon this video of yours a few days ago while perusing your video catalog. The "clickbait" title is actually what encouraged me to take a watch and listen. After listening to your take, as well as several others, I can say whole-heartedly that this man's photography style really resonates with me.
Thank you for introducing to someone that I can strive to be like as a photographer.
He has become one of my favorite photographers. I think the more you study his work the more you start to understand and appreciate it. It brings us back in time and to our own moments that mean something intimate.
Seems like with Eggleston what you see is what you get. I like that. The photos you showed are intriguingly evocative. I found it hilarious that Cartier-Bresson told him his work was BS! The guy had a show at the MOMA, for Pete’s sake! Jealous much? Ha ha ha! Interesting video!
I've got a photography book titled "When photography works". One of his images is featured in the book. It's the one photograph that didn't work for me.
Haha, of course! Love the implication in the title that most of the time it doesn't :D
I genuinely love this series. So informative and it offers me the opportunity to explore the work of some photographers I have never heard of. Thank you.
Great to hear and thank you.
As a new photographer, William Eggleston cropped up in the periphery of my attention now and then. I was overwhelmed perusing pictures made by Alex Webb, Mary Ellen Mark, Fred Herzog and Dawoud Bey. I saw a picture of a drink in a plane bathed by glorious light in one of your videos and it seemed a revelation. Perhaps it's cliched to use such a term. Thank you for your video and I hope to explore more of his work.
Terrific photos and your super commentary, loved the pink service station and sin/ flag shot at the singer shop. For me the most interesting part of your commentary was what Eggleston said about composing the picture with your eyes before you touch your camera, seeing that picture or composition prior to doing anything to me is one of the most important part of fine photography, thank you.
Thanks for the comment Malcolm.
The idea of seeing first, pictures later is such an important one.
those photos were just great. They mostly capture an emotional response from me, and I find myself scrolling back or pausing to take a longer look.
Me too but mostly because I'm trying to decide if I like it or not. I'm trying to convince myself it's a good photo but in many cases they're not very good. IMO
I'm very happy to have found your channel! This is the first of your videos I've watched - I'll be watching the rest. You offer useful, heartfelt insights.
Thank you for putting the thought and effort in. Keep going!
Hi Edmund. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Glad you found the video entertaining and I hope you also enjoyed the other videos.
The art of photography is about creating an aesthetic out of whatever is out there to photograph. It doesn't need to be great. It just needs to be. "Everything is photographable", ---Garry Winogrand
🙏
Sometimes the "art" is not the photograph itself but the fact that you took the photograph in the first place. I mean, you shoot a wave in the ocean, maybe people like it maybe they don't. But if you make a career out of shooting collections of ocean waves, that IMO is artistry (am thinking of Rachael Talibart).
@@jimmason8502 I see what you are saying, Jim. That is why the photographer is called an (art)ist.
I once made a video of paint drying. To me it was ok because paint changes colour as it dries. But the brilliance of it was lost on everyone. Such sheep.
@@paulscottfilms Warhol made an 8 hour video of a man sleeping. He would have understood your video.
Thoroughly enjoying your channel, Alex. There are so many photography channels on youTube and yet yours is the rare exception where somebody actually is teaching or sharing about the essence of photography. Thank you.
I love the way you use your body gestures to further add an emotional feel to the message. Watched about 4 of your videos and there are all great and simple. Simplicity is gold.
I´ve search the work of William Eggelstone, and it was very interesting to see how he chose to portray daily life. At first the photos seemed very simplistic ,and ordinary. But as I continued to look at them , I got a feeling of the familiar ,they conveyed a sense of peacefulness. Perhaps it's because I was born in the sixties and the photos reminded me of my childhood. If Eggelstone would have shared his photos on social media nowadays, I'm most certain that they would have been ignored.
“...not beauty, but interest...” Brilliant way to illustrate the whole point of photography. Interest can be beautiful, of course. Yet how we envision what is truly interesting is the reason I keep picking up a camera.
My inspiration and great photographer! Reason why I love his photos because for the Americana aesthetic, a nostalgic yet modern appeal, and simple yet complex compositions. He really loves to play with lights and color tones. His work inspired my own style of photography and other photographers especially on Instagram. Thank you for this channel!
Hi @moviemagic - yes, he's a great photographer and I also love his aesthetic. Reminds me of somewhere so familiar, yet utterly foreign at the same time. Glad you liked the video and thanks for the sub!
I’ve noticed how you insert these trivia stories about these artists and it’s awesome. Just like hcb telling eggleston his work is bs. Haha
Thanks. Yep, nothing is more dull than a 25 min drone on about a list of dates etc.
Thanks for sharing! Love Eggleston's work. The mundane is not so mundane 20, 30...50 years later.
Couldn't agree more!
I had recently been explaining to a twenty-something film photographer, about how in the 60/70’s, that art students (me) and serious photographers shot exclusively in B&W, or if you were putting together a presentation, you could use color slides...... color photos were for cheap cameras used by mom & dad, and grandma......
Even in the early 70’s, most books used, and were printed using B&W photographs, unless you were creating an expensive fine art coffee table book.
I didn’t at the time, know why that was, and I never even questioned it...... it just was. Of course color film then was very low 16, 25, 64, or “lightning” 100 ASA........ today we have many more options.
Thank god Eggleston broke the rules! Did he use Kodachrome for his fine colors, do you know?
Thank you as usual, great job!
I'm not sure what filmstock he used. Funny how a status quo just gets accepted as, well, a status quo.
I told my grandfather, when I was taking a photography class to get my fine arts requirement out of the way, that we were using a really slow Ilford 50 he just laughed. But 400 is now considered to be a "mid-speed" film, not ultra-slow or ultra-fast.
I was asked once “why do you take pictures of random stuff?” My answer, “ Because I love it.”
What a wonderful channel! So glad I found this! Thank you for your videos Alex!
Glad you enjoy it!
I find his black and white work intruging as well. As much as his colour work is obviously stunning, I find his black and white work to be more on a minimal level. It still manages to hold the same level of significance as his colour work in my eyes. I think it goes a long with what you were saying about perceptions of photography (which I wholeheartedly agree with by the way, nice one!), while having good compositions is 'just so', Eggleston manages to translate his sight in a unique way and for me, this translates to both his colour and black and white works.
Thanks Barnaby - It's always tricky when making these videos to pitch them for the 'introductory' level whilst also engaging the viewers like yourself who are more familiar with the broader body of the photographers work.
Perhaps an interesting future episode would be to focus exclusively on his BW output?
@@ThePhotographicEye That would be really great. Im not sure there is a specific video on his black and white work! Youd be head of the pile and Id be very interested to see it!
also Luigi Ghirri is a great (lesser known) colourist. Hes got some really nice work and would make for a good episode. Just a suggestion though :)
cheers.
Thanks for sharing this photographer to me. What I get from his work is a child-like innocence exploring the world around him. That unapologetic, almost naive, sense blends with the time in photography in which it was created, both that sense and color photography in of itself. While I do not like some of his work (akin to smartphone snapshots), I appreciate this balance of simplistic exploration both in the world around him and in the art world itself.
Great video!
I'm so pleased you enjoyed the video, thanks ever so much for leaving your comment.
A think that's a fair representation of his approach - though I'm sure some others will disagree.
Proof that the element of time adds worth to the work of photographers.
As it does for most things I feel.
This is great, glad I found your channel. You make a comment about the nature of photography vs art towards the end that is deeply relevant to how I have been thinking about my own work. Thanks for that.
Awesome, thank you John, glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks for this lovely essay.
I think his work reminds me of the fact that old toys and furniture at some stage become valued because they disappear from every day life, going from mundane to rare.
Although obviously, for people like me ( non American) his photos are always exotic.
What a great channel, I'm happy I found it. Please continue!
Thank you! Will do!
Some of these photographs seem like icons of my childhood in the sixties. They are so uncontrived they are intimate. I almost feel like I’m looking at an old family album.
I’ve learned a lot from your presentation on Eggleston. Color seems to be the most compelling element of his photography; the subject matter and composition secondary for the most part.
It does feel that way doesn't it? Some of his compositions are just 'umm, O.K, whatever', but generally his use of colour is as you've mentioned, quite strong.
Some of his compositions are pretty good too. The red ceiling with the wires coming out of the light like a spider's web is great. His most famous work of the tricycle in the driveway taken from ground level is outstanding. I think his compositions are under-rated.
@@ThePhotographicEye His color was not his choice, he isn't Picasso. The film stock (Kodachrome) he used determined his colors.
@@jimmason8502 He chose where to point his camera when he clicked the shutter button ie at which colors his camera was pointed. That's not determined by the film used.
And Picasso isn't all that and a bag of chips. I, just the other day, drew an elephant, while just doodling around, that very much looked like a Picasso work. I wasn't even making a huge effort, just doing random sketches on a sheet of paper to pass some time and that is one of the things on that page. Can I sell it for a huge sum?
Thank you for your insight! Eggleston caught my eye, and now so has your channel. Subscribed. :)
Awesome! Thank you! I'm so pleased you love the shows.
I really enjoy these biographical histories. There are plenty of videos about technical stuff, but this examination of the people doing the photography is actually more helpful than instructions on the mechanics of it all...because at the end of the day, the camera only captures what it is directed at by the person behind it.
Probably the most pertinent comments I heard about Eggleston's work. A great lesson about photography and I would say art in general, which I feel sometimes perverted by over thinking. I admit that reflexion can be part of the process, but it can't replace truthfulness or instinct, as much as we aspire to share emotions.
Thanks for the comment.
Absolutely, things like instinct are so often played down these days. Probably because you cant really quantify it, or neatly package developing it into a 5 min tutorial!
Thank you very much. My dad was an amateur photographer in the 60's. He took b&w photos, except when we were on vacation where he took colour slides. I like to watch the photos of William Eggleston because they make an impression on me. I am not capable of analyzing a photo, but I know if I feel something when seeing it.
After leaving this video, I'm going to buy a book of Eggleston! Thank you for sharing! 😎📷👍
Haha, my pleasure Bryan! Enjoy!
They're hard to find and very expensive.
Thank you, this was very interesting and in some way inspiring. To accept things as they are and make the most of them. As we all sometimes wait for that perfect moment before we take the camera out and release the shutter, whereas quite often the pictures of ordinary we take without thinking turn out to be most captivating.
Glad you enjoyed it! Perfect, like sharpness is, to paraphrase, a bourgeois concept
Wonderful content, both from you and Eggleston
I remember when Szarkowski announced that MOMA was going to have its first color photography show. Everyone that I knew who was involved in photography was wondering who it would be and many, including myself, were sort of disappointed that it was Eggleston. He was more or less unknown, outside of a small circle. However, over the years, many of his iconic images like the tricycle or the boy pushing grocery carts in the evening sun, are so ingrained in the photographic lexicon that I look on them fondly. In the 60s there were several photographers who were pushing the boundary of color including Pete Turner, Eric Meola, and Jay Maisel who at the time I thought were more deserving.
Or... Saul Leiter. I tend to see Leiter's photographs like painting, where Eggleston's photographs are... photographs. Not saying one is superior/inferior to other, just saying they have different styles.
I have to say that with the exception of the integration of color, his work just seem to be snapshots to me. This, of course, is a personal taste. I think his choices and juxtaposition of color elevate them above snapshots but still!
That's the thing isn't it? Quite a lot of his work I'm just meh about, but some of it I really enjoy.
His red roof is just so, well, it's a red roof in a studio. His work with cars though really really appeals to me but never gets the same attention as that red roof!
I do agree - but can most street photography from the analogue age not be regarded as snapshots ?
@@ivanosrin2126 Interesting standpoint - what makes you feel there's a distinction between analogue and digital with the idea of snapshots?
As a counter point I'd argue the reverse is true - as with digital, for the main part, people are less selective about what and how they photograph when on the street.
I love Eggleston. I love Shore. Yes, the subjects were mundane, but boy, the play with colours and the play with light.
I really like how you explained why he was "controversial".
So glad I found your channel Alex (& so far, out of the vids I have watched, not a single talk about equipment!).
Hi Ashely,
Thanks for commenting. It was great to have you watch the videos and I'm pleased you're enjoying them.
Yes, I'm not fussed about gear reviews. I'll all the ideas and no gear...
Great episode Alex. It'd be great if you could get info from the people who were at the height of their monochrome game back then, but who were also secretly worried that colour was about to knock them off the top spot. I'd be curious to hear what they really thought.
Hi Mik.
Thanks a great suggestion - thanks for taking the time to comment!
excellent video thank you. i will do more research on this.
Great video and presentation on a unique photographer. I think his work is unique in that he seemed to photograph the mundane and use color to his advantage. Some have a love - hate relationship with his work. While the color and composition is excellent, some have argued that his work is no more than amateur photographs found from that era. If nothing is appreciated from his work, I think that the retrospective insight into life and how people lived decades ago is definitely worthy of credit.
Thanks for the comment.
You're quite right that his photography is one of those 'marmite' things. (here in the UK, Marmite is a spread you either love, or hate!)
For me, Eggleston is like a band who produced some outstanding tracks, but also missed the mark occasionally.
I think William Eggleston’s photos are joyful, I like the colors, subjects and humor- he is a fish that swims against the current while most photographers swim with it.
Thank you for this video, well presented and thought provoking.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for looking at Eggleston in a different light. Great piece.
Thanks for watching
I love when an educated person speaks. Thank you for posting this.
Absolutely excellent and enjoyable! Best Regards, Lp (for Jeff Sparks).
Thanks Jeff! Glad you like it
I’ve not looked at egglestons work before , but having spent 39 years shooting B&W and having recently published a book of street images in Kolkata in colour , the two disciplines are so different. Shooting in colour is far harder and to produce images that have impact, and give you pause to look again is to me a great skill. I think the colours that were produced using the colour films of the day certainly add to his images. But looking at them now they are certainly an historical record of how we lived and where we are now . The comment by bresson that these images are BS because they are colour is more a comment on bresson than eggleston. Photography for bresson and his like was about , light and shade , shape and form , which didn’t require colour .
20 years ago I too would have dismissed this work, but not now.
Well done on the great unbiased commentary
It has done what all good discussion should, make you want to go back and look again.
Best regards
Paul Holmes
I too feel the historical record of them. They are reminders of a world I was born into (mid 70's) which is only half seen out of the corner of our eyes these days.
@@ThePhotographicEye I graduated from high school in 1974 and spent most of the rest of the decade in the US Army (and took a lot of photographs during my time in service). When I look at Eggleston's photography, even though I remember that time, he seems to be presenting alien landscapes. I can only determine from this feeling that, actually being familiar with the time yet feeling that way, his work evokes (in me, at least) a sense of alienation. This is particularly odd, because I look at the work of many photographers who worked years, decades, before I was born, and their photographs evoke in me a sense of belonging, and even loss for something that is gone past that I never actually knew.
Although I'm more a b&w film person, this video and Eggkeston's work has made me look at the overlooked and is helping to break out of "I've got nothing to photo more" mode .
Another great, thought-provoking video. Thank you very much.
Thanks for your interesting take on Eggleston! The idea that either something resonates with your, or it doesn't, and that that is about the only honest thing anybody can say is certainly one I can appreciate.
For me, the work of Ernst Haas resonates a whole lot more than Eggleston's, so I find it a bit strange that it is rarely mentioned that Haas had a retrospective solo color show at MOMA almost 15 years before Eggleston (1962 vs 1976), with more photos than Eggleston (80 vs 75).
Hi Karsten.
I think there are some photographers who almost 'elbow' their way into the consciousness and myth grows around them.
Someone else also commented on the fact that Haas had a retrospective prior to Eggleston, and what I stated was incorrect and a myth that kept being spread. The source I got that information from was, or at least seemed to be, pretty reliable. Just goes to show how we (me!) should check what we discover.
Thanks for commenting.
@@ThePhotographicEye Happens to everyone :-)
.. and in the next few lines it may be happening to me, as I'm quoting from my almost 70 year old brain and memory.
Nevertheless, it seems that there is a line of thinking that suggest that if Eggleston had not been out of a very well connected Southern elite, and therefore was able, as an unknown photographer to get at meeting with John Szarkowski, the story about Eggleston could have been a very different story. In short, it is suggested that he was very much a Szarkowski invention. Ironically, Szarkowski was already the director of MOMA when Ernst Haas had his solo color show much earlier, but he seems to have 'inherited' that show from his predecessor, and not to have liked Hass work very much.
On a different note, when you have a photographer who seems unable, or at least very unwilling to talk about what he is doing, and also is unable to edit (select for a show) his images, I find it difficult to evaluate that persons talent. Admittedly, he made some great photographs - but would he have been able to pick them himself? To quote a photographer, whose name I have forgotten: "It is not difficult to take a good photograph, that can happen to anyone. The difficult part is to know when you have done it!"
I enjoyed this immensely. Liked and subscribed.
Welcome aboard John, glad you liked it
Great video! Very informative! Loved it
Thanks - glad you loved it
If anybody is interested - a new book of Eggleston photos is due out this August. "William Eggleston: Mystery of the Ordinary" - August 8, 2023
Hello Alex. I’m a novice amateur, happy to find your channel, you’ve got a great presenting style and I love your choice of images. Keep them coming!
PS: would be great to hear your thoughts on Gianni Berengo Gardin, also I’m curious if you have any thoughts about photography theory for novices? I’ve been looking at pictures, but haven’t found much good theory yet.
Hi there!
Thanks for commenting, and I'm glad you're finding these videos helpful.
I will add Gianni to my list, great suggestion!
What sort of photo theory would you be interested in hearing about? It's sometimes tricky to know where to begin, so I'm happy to follow your suggestion and put a video out about some theoretical concepts. There will be on about composition once I'm done with the 'Art of Seeing' series - th-cam.com/play/PL8enfj6Qv2nvjVL7kGLADLqG0CeO6_2M7.html
Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it.
Alex
Thank you for this helpful insight into a photographer's work. I've been looking for a source of deeper reviews into photographs and the photographers, so your work is most timely. Regarding Eggleston, perhaps he is the first real street photograper (wide angle lens and all) in color.
Glad it was helpful Ted. I've been mulling over starting this channel for some time now, so I'm glad to see it's proving useful.
Great video, images and commentary. Subscribed.
Thanks for the wonderful input David, I'm glad to welcome you to the channel.
Love what you're doing with these videos. How about something in the future on the portraiture of Mike Disfarmer.
I love his work .I have many of his books .I've just ordered The Outlands.my own photographs are definitely inspired.by Eggleston.his work is unpretentious.and what you get is the everyday elevated into a kaleidoscope of pure colour and beauty.
Great video!! Best regards from Switzerland.
Thank you very much!
Excellent video. I completely agree with what you are saying. Photography; like most things in life, should reflect and provide choice. Those who like it, like it and those who don’t will find a form that they do. Thank goodness for the individual, without them photography would not be what it is.
I love your perspective and kind of "open door policy" with regards to art, and the respect that it is personal. One can choose to see, beautiful. Thank you
Thanks Dan. Its such a personal thing, it would be silly for me to exclude any photography I didn't much care for. The point of the channel is to expose people to as many photographers as possible so they can broaden their horizons.
Heard of WE but not really looked at his work from the samples you display I quite like them simple uncomplicated and a colourful record of life in his time. Nice video Alex cheers.
Thanks for the comment Paul! Glad you found it helpful and enjoyable..
Just caught up with this. Very interesting. I find him so difficult to appreciate because some of the photos look like trivial snaps, whereas he did some photographs in Europe around a dozen years ago and there is one, basically of a construction site or similar, where he makes a huge pile of sand look beautiful. Another instance: the picture at around 3:30, in something like a 707, sums up the glamour of air travel in the seventies perfectly, he's well worth studying.
Like Monty Python, Eggleston created some great work, but also some real dross. I think the people who don't like his images pull out the dross (like the freezer pic for example) and cite that as how poor he is. The airplane one I feel the same as you, but to some they say 'well, I would have seen that and not bothered to take the picture because it's boring.'
I really enjoyed your video about Eggleston. It is nice and refreshing to see an open minded and thoughtful review, rather than an obtuse close minded critique that is really just an opinion.
Thank you so much!
Great video as allways! :)
Thank you! Cheers!
I didn't understand Eggleston until I heard him say in an interview, "I photograph fields of colour". They it all fell into place.
Another insightful exposition. Thank you Alex.
First off, I LOVE your channel! Secondly, I'm just getting into photography, but one does not need to be an expert photographer to be able to recognize amazing photography. Certainly, one could be struck by a bolt of awe, just staring at a photograph and simply cannot bring to words what it is that's got them snared... This is art in general, isn't it? And being a poet, I can speak to that. Having said that, I'm 4 minutes into this video and still haven't seen one of his photographs that made me want to look twice. I suppose this was mold-breaking stuff back in his day, and one could argue that great art has no regard for time, and that I thoroughly agree with, but I still don't see the genius behind his work. Then again, some women only need a whiff of a daffodil to fly over the moon while others would rather go for the scent of jasmine. in other words, to each their own. Let me finish watching :)
Edit... Having gone further into the video, I did see some of his work that I like... some :)
Thanks for this essay!
You're very welcome!
Thank you for your input on this topic ! Its truly fantastic and is helping understand Egglestons work a little bit more! To simply just enjoy photography and if we are lucky possibly convey a message, emotion or simply create art!
The work is stunning. I prefer the little moments that may seem mundane in everyday life over the grandeur of the preposterous. I shoot more grandeur and I long for realness.
I find the colors in his shots interesting but not the light nor the subject matter nor anything else. I think the secret to liking Eggleston is the fact his work is like the mac and cheese of the art world: It's always the same, not too exciting, a little bit tasty but boring.
@@jimmason8502 great analogy - I can't stand mac and cheese and I can't stand Eggleston's photos.
I love your content, keep it up!!
Thanks! Glad you like it.
Great talk. Really did Eggleston proud.
Really enjoyed this video its really hard to find a good quality video on Eggleston and with quality photos .Also would you consider doing a video on Phillip Lorca dicorcio?Probably most underated photographer around always wondered why he was never asked into Magnum
Glad you enjoyed it Enda.
This lack of good videos about various photographers was one of the reasons I wanted to start this channel.
Cheers for the heads up about Phillip Lorca Dicorcio - will certainly consider him!
Thanks again for watching.
@@ThePhotographicEye agreed theres not a whole lot of quality videos out there on the greats.Ill look forward to seeing more
Thank you, I grew up near Memphis and this is what life really looked like
Hi Alex, stumbled upon your channel by chance and thoroughly enjoyed this and a few other videos already! I’m amazed by the quality of the content, delivery and production given that you’d started the channel just a few months ago. Keep at it and all the best in acquiring more subscribers, you certainly deserve it!
Re: this particular video - I have to admit I was drawn to it by the click-baity name 😉 I didn’t mind since it’s not a diss, but rather a very thoughtful take on Eggleston’s work and “overrated” is actually an oxymoron when applied to it because of his unpretentious nature.
Anyways, the reason I’m bringing it up is that I have in mind what I truly believe is THE MOST OVERRATED PHOTOGRAPHER, and not just in photographic terms - it is Peter Lik 😂
Thanks Alec - I'm glad you liked the video :D Second time today I've seen Peter Lik mentioned ;)
Someone must tell Me please what did he use?
Did he use medium format mostly? I'm trying to pinpoint the focal length he used
I feel like it's 35mm?
It really doesn't say much about the characters of Cartier-Bresson and Adams that they can criticize another photographer's work. I, personally, count Eggleston as one of my favorites.
Context is all I suppose. Ansel wasn't exactly guishing with praise for a lot of photographers (he was none best thrilled with Steichen being appointed DoP at MOMA. Calling his appointment 'the death of creative photography'!)
A strange response from HC-B who was influenced by Cubism and Surrealism.
I taught Photography for 12 years, gained 2 Licentiates and have never heard of him?
@@stephenmason5682
Must not have existed then if you have never heard of him.
@@edwinparker6732 I have doubts about the accuracy of the HCB quote.
Another awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was most helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. Philip Williams Newport News, VA
Glad it was helpful!
Inspiring presentation!
Really inspiring. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My pleasure!
I cant stop agreeing with you!!! Nice video.
Awesome! Thank you! Great first name BTW :D