Finding his way (5/5)

Color counts. The Steidl edition on the left and the 1992 edition of Ancient and modern (Random House). Both were printed with a 175 screen.

A wonderful and very welcome reprint of 'Chromes', which was originally published by Steidl in 2011 (and these first edition copies are alarmingly expensive). A box set of three books with 432 pages and 344 Eggleston photos. Several of these have been published before, especially in the now well-known 'William Eggleston's guide' (1976) and 'Ancient and modern' (1992).

The first photo in book one is the head, shoulders and pillow of the sleeping man, and the last photo in book three is virtually the same shot only this time his eyes are open and looking at the camera (has the book's editor assumed that all these intriguing photos will have opened the reader's eyes?). Eggleston is now considered the master of making commonplace come alive with his photos. They were taken in Memphis and the surrounding countryside between 1969 and 1974 with about sixty percent as exterior shots of a slightly decaying man-made America. The colors can vary enormously suggesting that the photographer was finding his way with compositions and color. His famous shot of the red ceiling and one bulb light fitting is repeated in book three (page 117) but this time the ceiling is a vibrant blue.

What I really liked about these books is their large size  (twelve and a half inches square) so that the photos even with their generous margins are equally large and printed with a 175 screen. It's such a pleasure to look at great photos presented in this format.