Reading 2: William Eggleston's Guide

1. The difficulty that Szarkowski faces switching from black and white photography into color is that old black and white photographs were not natural without color because in reality color exists and should exist in photography. But black and white photographs seemed to mean something more in photography without the need of color. 

1. He describes the successes of Eliot Porter, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz and Stephen Shore by them working with confidence in color photography. Working in color is a natural step for these photographers. Eliot Porter’s strength in color photography are landscapes, street pictures were Helen Levitt’s, Joel Meyerowitz’s and Stephen Shores’s greatest talent in color photography. Color is exceptional and descriptive in their eyes. 

1. The difference between a pedestrians photos and an artist’s photographs is that the artist feels not only comfortable with his work but that it is natural for him to take pictures. Unlike a pedestrian, they take pictures of anything that looks cool or nice and they just keep it with them. They don’t really go in depth about describing it like the lights and the shadows of the photograph. It is just another picture to them after all. 

1. The failures of color photography fall under two categories that consist of high pricing in creating color books and also describing life. 

1. Natural derived photographs have more meaning at describing life in a wider approach compared to regular snapshots that hold no real meaning in the person taking the picture. 

1. Szarkowski describes Eggelston’s photographs as being perfect and that the subjects are intriguing and vibrant and that they describe life. 

1.   What I found meaningful about this article is the fact of differences in people with a camera compared to people that are with a camera but bring out a whole new meaning in life and what they think when they take a photography. Some pedestrians that take photographs just take a picture but at the end of the day they don’t look through them and see much of a meaning behind them other then the day they were taken. A true photographer does not take any photograph, but takes a photograph that is meaningful to them. 

      In this article I also learned about how the medium of photography is portrayed. Other may still find photography sketchy and not a true art medium but I feel photography is art and it depends on the person behind the camera lens. Taking pictures of life in the moment is important because not every single individual will get to live a moment like that in their entire life again. So capturing an image of it right then and there is important. It is not always about a pattern but about something greater. 

Gregory Crewdson

I enjoyed looking at this photographic. If gave the the sense of an extraterrestrial figure above looking down on Earth. I like the idea of other beings being on outer planets watching on us. 

 Todd Hido

I liked the natural lighting hitting the woman and the drapery. And I like how the window is only partially opened. The woman standing in the window holding the drapery very casually is interesting as well. 

Alec Soth 

I felt sorry for the Siberian Husky in the barrier window. But the thing is the dog does not look unimpressed, he looks quite calm laying there which was interesting. Its unusual to see a dog in a window sill because usually felines hang out there and not dogs. 

Eliot Porter Photography

I have a very intense interest in nature photography and I found Eliot Porter's photography especially intriguing. I could not stop looking through his collection of nature photography on his website. This man has been through many different parts of the world taking pictures of live and fulfilling beautiful places around the world. This one image of a small waterfall really captured my eye not just because of the nurturing colors and textures surrounding the water fall but the water itself. The slow shutter speed of the water looks so gentle, soft, and cooling to the touch. The reflection in the water is also rather breathe-taking. 

 A fast shutter speed can be determined here in this fascinating image. As a mother or father bird leaves the nest of its young ones, the baby birds have their mouths wide open as though they are calling out to their parent to "come back" or I'm hungry again!" The nest where the baby birds lay looks quite sturdy and looks like it took a very long time to create. The sharp details of the blue and black birds wing-span is very great and so alive and free. Taking the chance to sit back to see wildlife is an amazing thing to view in this world. 

This forest looks dense and lonesome. It looks like a photograph from a movie with a character making their way through these woods and not noticing that their being watched. The great height of the trees are appealing to the eye and the open space is vast as well. Not a single animal or person can be seen in this photograph and that is another reason why this photograph is interesting. The height of where the tree's stands look like high place so I will have to assume the plantation and grounded soil where the tree's stand are high up. 

William Eggleston Photography

 The glazed and bright blue colors portray the subject of the image. Not a single person can be seen in the image, but the bright foliage can be seen with great depth of field. To the right of the photo is a building facing to the side with a small overhead porch. If this image was in black and white the sky will be blown with white light and the blue trees will be dark blacks with light detail. What I dislike about the image is the lack of sky and what I like about the image is the bright blue subject matter over casting most of the image. The relationship of color depicts a black and white resemblance and that is quite intriguing. 

 The subject matter characterizes five figurines of farm animals placed among a metal object which I guessed was the hood of an old automobile. The pig and two billy goats are a bright blue, the cat is a dazzling red and the bright golden duck is the brightest among them all. In black and white the red cat will be the darkest of all the animals and the bright yellow duck would be the brightest color of the rest of the animals. The hard metal that the figures are surfaced on will be a thick black color as well. I like how the yellow duck dominates the use of color portrayed in this image. I dislike that their are only five figures to view and not more. Eggleston use for color photography is interesting here but not as interesting. The subject matter is interesting but I wish there was more of the subject matter involved and maybe being that the golden duck would be the one that constantly points out of the crowd. The color relations are here in this image with all the figures being animals and that they are all following the golden duck leading the way. 

It is obvious here that the subject matter is the tricycle portrayed in an worm's eye angle view. The tricycle will have great details in the bike if it was in black and white. The tricycle's handlebars and the seating will have bright gray and white details. The wheels will be dark and the background of the two houses will be bright will small minor details as well. The rusted handle bars will have sharp great details as well and will be interesting to see in black and white. I like and I understand that the tricycle is the subject matter distributed here in the photograph and what I dislike about this image is the lack of mobility of the tricycle. It would look more interesting then it's side-view angle. Everyone has seen a tricycle in the side-view angle and I also would like to see the shadows on the subject on the pavement as well. The bright red handle bars really distinguish the use of colors in this image. Next it would be the blue tricycle's seat. The houses in the background are a dull beige and white color so they are not the most appealing colors here in this image. 

Edouard Boubat

 The first thing I noticed in this photograph was the many foot prints in the deep snow and the small figure towards the right side of the picture playing in the snow. I really enjoy looking at snow-seasonsed photographs. I have always loved the season of winter and this is a great picture to show how wonderful and relaxing it is. 

 This specific image really got my attention because it reminds me of a story that I am working on in my free time called "AquaMeow". It is a story I made up that involves myself as the main character with cat-like abilities and my powers are music. And as soon as I came across this photograph, I had to post it here because of the cat with it's head propped up over the music sheets. It's also as though the cat wants you to sing for it and is the audience. 

This photograph has a great deal of surrealistic qualities. With a young figure kneeling under the tree showing such expression in their body movements as they look up at the tree. The tree dominates most of the photograph and that is quite interesting. The seasons could either be winter or fall and that is another interesting aspect. The person is dominated with either leaves or snow and that is quite interesting. 

William Albert Allard

 From Allard's series of Untouchables, I got a glimpse of what it would be like to work with National Geographic. The thought of going out to many places and exploring the world amazes me and the though to build new memories of where you went is also amazing. I found this image interesting because of how it was shot and the hustle and bustle going on. The world is constantly going and the image makes it look like its going at a faster pace as well. 

 This young girl shivering and a dog sitting behind her and a person (not sure if man or woman) carrying a large sack on their back that has a blur image going on. The environment looks poor and it gave me the sense of feeling sorry for the young child shivering and walking barefoot with torn clothing. You feel a sense of sadness for the child. 

From William's "Blue" collection I found this image entertaining. Not just the subject but also the bright pink colors. With the main subject being the man with his arms open wide, shows a great expression. The people surrounding him all seem to be enjoying themselves and having the boogie sign in the background shows that they are having a really good time. I like the thought of enjoying life and living to the fullest and I get that alot from this image. 

Anton Corbijn

 The man in the foreground of this image captured my eyes because of how he is standing and the location he is standing in. He does not stand in the right or left and not really the center but just in the distant. It is as though he he is looking for himself and is in deep thought. The darkness below him is also very interesting and the brownish-yellow tint of hay also compels the image as well. 

 This man looks so relaxed with his electric guitar connected to the amp sitting on this small bedding. His position is quite relaxing and the wall light on the left-and side also shines light upon him and his hobby. I love music and I really enjoy this subject with his music. The drapery in the background also brings a nice touch with the texture details in the drapery. 

The expression on this man's face plays both mischievous and cunning. How his hands are places on the end of a table and how he looks at the viewer is very interesting. Smaller hands arise above his shoulders as though to show he has wings or is a mystical being coming out of his cave to come find you. A little bit of a thrill and suspense is portrayed well along with the darkened background. 

Burt Glinn

The imagery of having a good time is greatly portrayed here. The man towards the right-hand side of the photograph with the star hat with an umbrella in one hand and a wine or beer bottle in the other. Relaxation and complete peace is seen here. Other people in the image are enjoying themselves as well staying afloat in the water. The composition is very original in its own way because of what is taking place. 

The image of the two women, one wearing a dark colored blouse and the other sitting beside her with the light colored blouse looking just like the portrait on the wall behind them. I felt a very close resemblance with the women in the canvas compared to the real women standing in the foreground. For some reason the image of the women balance together in the overall photograph. 

After reading African Art in Art History III, this image reminded me of two images. One called Tuban Mask and the other called 5 masks in Performance. Both of those images look similar to this image above. All men are portrayed in this image with short grass skirts and clay covered bodies. They all have sticks as weapons and are all in different sizes. What is more intriguing is the masks they wear to conceal their true identity. I feel each mask portrays that person's personality and I the diverse culture of numerous people having many different personalities.