Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/08/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] eggleston envy
From: "Rob Appleby" <rob@robertappleby.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 22:32:21 +0200
References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020814124314.024a8748@earthlink.net>

No aping is necessary, Carl ;-) Just go and do that thing you do.

I find Eggleston's wonderful soft and yet rich colour very appealing. I
don't know where it is, but there is a very simple picture of a woman
sitting on a swing seat that's one of my favourites. It's the colour that
makes it.

Some of his work is very crude, to my eye - such as the shot of a pair of
shoes under a bed, done with direct flash as I recall. A genuinely ugly
picture, whatever the intent. But I do think that when he does it right,
it's pretty unbeatable. He has hallmarked a style of photography, which is a
major achievement.

R.
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Pultz" <cpultz@earthlink.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 7:19 PM
Subject: [Leica] eggleston envy


> Bob wrote:
>
> "..the one thing about it that seems Egglestonian to me is the colour.
It's
> too dramatic - it doesn't really fit my idea of his work."
>
> The image on the N'Yorker site is brighter and more saturated than the way
> the picture looks in the book, 2 1/4. In fact, like several shots in that
> book, it is rather washed out, like a chrome that is a bit overexposed.
> It's rather soft focused, too, like he focused just a bit short of the
car.
> Someone else suggested these were old Ektachromes that were fading by the
> time the book was assembled in 1999.
>
> Anyway, I am crazy for Eggleston. Too crazy. I can't help imitating the
> guy, like one of the shots I just posted. If they start to be good
> imitations, I'll feel a little better about this.
>
> It seems that his work has gotten softer over the years, color wise. The
> stuff in Democratic Forest looks more subtle to me than the earlier work
in
> the Guide. I've never seen an actual print, so I don't really know how
much
> is production variations in the books I have.
>
> If I found myself in Hebron, I might be able to ape Mr. Appleby just a
> little. Astonishing work, sir, and an important story. I hope they know
> that not all Americans are against them, for whatever that's worth.
>
> Carl
>
> --
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>


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Replies: Reply from "Rob Appleby" <rob@robertappleby.com> (Re: [Leica] eggleston envy)
In reply to: Message from Carl Pultz <cpultz@earthlink.net> ([Leica] eggleston envy)