Eggleston

 

 I'm surprised I hadn't heard of William Eggleston before this exhibit popped up, but the images I saw were definitely familiar. My appreciation for older color photographs is so high that it nearly turns into envy, and Eggleston's work didn't fail to impress me. The compositions and subjects of so many of his photographs seem as arbitrary as those a kid might take if he got a hold of his parents' camera, but the color really draws your attention. The above shot wouldn't be effective in black and white because the colors add to the balance of the frame. My envy grows when I see a picture like this because this is the kind of color I'd like to see in my own work--varied and well placed but slightly muted in tonality--the kind that seems like it could only come from a different time period. The yellow in this photo is so striking, but it isn't too loud or distracting; and the blue and red in the frame create a spectral symmetry that, despite a seemingly uninteresting composition, adds a new dimension to the shot. If I could achieve something in the same vein as this sort of color in my own photos I'd be extremely happy.