144: A Divertissement for William Eggleston
atelier ying, nyc.
Every so often I get the urge to return back to my origins in photography, which also means returning to the work of William Eggleston, someone I greatly admire and whose work is difficult to imitate.
Designing a homage for this great photographer is not easy either, so can we do it together?
If you draw an imaginary centerline either vertically or horizontally through many of his photographs, chances are you'd find elements that cause tension along these centerlines, either pushing or pulling the viewer in /out of the frame. It is a long these centerlines that you find yourself in a kind of vertiginous state. Critics have called it kind of terrifying place but it simply is tension caused by the push and pull--- a familiar concept in the field of painting, which Eggleston spent his college years studying.
It is within these tension-filled areas that one also chances upon a haiku moment. In this respect I find that Eggleston communicates most effectively onto the photographic print the most intimate of viewfinder moments.
His photographs are gems of this particular aspect.
So why is it so hard to imitate? I think one reason is that it can be difficult to find an Eggleston moment without resorting to using a long lens which has its own characteristics. Eggleston however skillfully uses close to a 50mm prime lens. This is like Tiger Woods driving with a No. 2 iron, not a very forgiving choice indeed.
And should you have the good fortune to find an Eggleston moment in your viewfinder, then you have to contend with the fact that he also factors in color, further complicating and compacting his composition.
I find traces of his style resonant in Vivian Maier and Gary Winogrand, although Eggleston is not as obsessive; he chooses to print. For this sole reason, I chose not to fit his homage with a viewfinder experience, which I would do without hesitation for the other two photographers.
For unexplained reasons I find him to be photographically related to the writer Ernest Hemingway. Perhaps it is a certain style that's difficult to imitate and yet also a style with a certain kind of straightforwardness, simplicity and purity.
My design: a black leather alligator valise containing a horse racing set for its vintage pleasures and charm.
Inside the miniature horses are driven by a Victrola-like mechanism. A silver flask of bourbon and race forms are provided. On the side of the enclosure is a small chute-like metal ashtray and a hidden drawer of cigarettes.
Design, text and drawing are copyright 2013 by David Lo.
144: A Divertissement for William Eggleston
atelier ying, nyc.
Every so often I get the urge to return back to my origins in photography, which also means returning to the work of William Eggleston, someone I greatly admire and whose work is difficult to imitate.
Designing a homage for this great photographer is not easy either, so can we do it together?
If you draw an imaginary centerline either vertically or horizontally through many of his photographs, chances are you'd find elements that cause tension along these centerlines, either pushing or pulling the viewer in /out of the frame. It is a long these centerlines that you find yourself in a kind of vertiginous state. Critics have called it kind of terrifying place but it simply is tension caused by the push and pull--- a familiar concept in the field of painting, which Eggleston spent his college years studying.
It is within these tension-filled areas that one also chances upon a haiku moment. In this respect I find that Eggleston communicates most effectively onto the photographic print the most intimate of viewfinder moments.
His photographs are gems of this particular aspect.
So why is it so hard to imitate? I think one reason is that it can be difficult to find an Eggleston moment without resorting to using a long lens which has its own characteristics. Eggleston however skillfully uses close to a 50mm prime lens. This is like Tiger Woods driving with a No. 2 iron, not a very forgiving choice indeed.
And should you have the good fortune to find an Eggleston moment in your viewfinder, then you have to contend with the fact that he also factors in color, further complicating and compacting his composition.
I find traces of his style resonant in Vivian Maier and Gary Winogrand, although Eggleston is not as obsessive; he chooses to print. For this sole reason, I chose not to fit his homage with a viewfinder experience, which I would do without hesitation for the other two photographers.
For unexplained reasons I find him to be photographically related to the writer Ernest Hemingway. Perhaps it is a certain style that's difficult to imitate and yet also a style with a certain kind of straightforwardness, simplicity and purity.
My design: a black leather alligator valise containing a horse racing set for its vintage pleasures and charm.
Inside the miniature horses are driven by a Victrola-like mechanism. A silver flask of bourbon and race forms are provided. On the side of the enclosure is a small chute-like metal ashtray and a hidden drawer of cigarettes.
Design, text and drawing are copyright 2013 by David Lo.