Eggleston began to take photographs in 1962, after
becoming fascinated with the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. In the
mid-1960s, he experimented with colour photography, at a time when
serious photographers were expected to use only black and white.
His subject matter was drawn from his immediate surroundings in
Memphis and Mississippi, and often included friends and family.
The saturated colours of these photographs, achieved
using a dye-transfer printing technique, together with unusual camera
angles and atmospheric settings immerse the viewer in his unique
vision of the world. A selection formed the basis of a highly influential
solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the
accompanying book, William Eggleston’s Guide (1976).
His subsequent publications have included The Democratic Forest
(1989), Ancient and Modern (1992), and most recently Los
Alamos (2003).
