In this article, James Maher also discusses Eggleston’s early career and his struggle with connecting with a subject matter in his ‘boring, ugly’ town. The article also explains that Eggleston was largely influenced by other prominent photographers such as Robert Frank, Walker Evans and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Yet there is also evidence of some influence from photographers that focused on very different subject matters, like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Maher explains, ‘He is showing all of these everyday moments and objects in a grandness that separates them from their typical functionality. Every detail and inch of the photograph counts, just as it would in a large format landscape. He instills a strange elegance and beauty into these nondescript objects. You can take nothing for granted in an Eggleston photograph.’
Maher goes on to explain… ‘Eggleston’s work is far from documentary in nature. He gives us an invitation to interpret what we see. His familiarity with his subjects only enhances the strange and eerie world he is capturing. A feeling of unease permeates throughout his work, and you can get hints about his temperament, but Eggleston is not cooking us a meal; he is laying out the carefully prepared ingredients.’ I like this idea that Eggleston is photographing his familiar surroundings, yet the photos are left open to the interpretation of the viewer. They may be objects or spaces that are reminiscent of a similar space in the viewer’s life – which will hold different meanings and connotations for each spectator. I want my photos to achieve the same thing.
Eggleston was perhaps most well-known for the colour he used. In this article, Maher describes this as Eggleston’s ‘tool to display a world where the ordinary was as important as anything else, if not more-so.’ I’m thinking of working in colour for my project to begin with, but I will decide on the colours and tones as the work progresses and I begin to establish a style.
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