robertcbyrd Loc: 28754

I thought this might generate some interest here.

https://bittersoutherner.com/southern-perspectives/2022/my-cousin-bill-william-eggleston?utm_source=The+Bitter+News&utm_campaign=2f1355ce87-2022_01_11_COUSIN_BILL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8269ec3593-2f1355ce87-92568185&ct=t(2022_01_11_COUSIN_BILL)&goal=0_8269ec3593-2f1355ce87-92568185&mc_cid=2f1355ce87&mc_eid=b0170a89ad

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

It's William Eggleston who is The Godfather of Color Photography. Maude Schuyler Clay is his cousin who is interviewing him.

robertcbyrd Loc: 28754

Yes, I had noticed that little faux pas in their setup.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Hmmmm? First color photo in 1861 and the first commercially sucessful color system hit the market in 1907. And Ansel Adams (+a bunch of others) started doing color in the 30's right after Kodachrome came on the market.
Hell, I was shooting color negs and slides like crazy in 1966 while I was in the army-mostly Kodachrome in an Argus C3, then I got a Miranda Sensorex and brought home over 3000 negs and slides from Vietnam in early 69. Color movies were common and rapidly replacing black and white. Even TV was in color and B&W TV was fading away in 66 when he took up color photography.
The big magazines were using color like crazy before this guy took up photography, let alone color photography.
He did record a "region" of the South which has many regions that are different from each other so even saying he made a record of the "South" that was disappearing is a bit of a stretch.
He was a good photographer, but...????

So it is a bit pretentious to consider this guy the "God Father" of color photography. Or have I missed something?

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I think The Godfather of Fine Art Color Photography would be more accurate. He is the first color photographer taken seriously by the fine art world. Ansel Adams' color work was not on the level with his B&W work.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

That is still a stretch. The big mags like Life and Saturday Evening Post, and Nat Geo had a lot of very high end and even "Fine Art" color work from time to time. Then in 1971 Smithsonian Magazine really started showing a lot of "Art" color photos.

And I will bet that a bunch of people in Europe etc. could take a run at that Godfather title.