2 1/4 by William Eggleston

: cover

2 1/4 by William Eggleston, 101 pages, Twin Palms Publishers, 1999

William Eggleston is another master of 70’s color photography besides Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld and Joel meyerowitz. This book represents Eggleston’s classic images taken between 1966 and 1971, in Mississippi and Tennessee.

While Stephen Shore captures the whole 70’s suburban landscape, William Eggleston rather clips details from it. The object he clips is a car, a billboard, a cafe or power lines at time. These objects he clips appear to us as “sad and joyful and indifferent” images, according to Bruce Wagner.

Effectiveness of faded suburban details may be not what we should read primarily from his photos. I think we should rather eye the way he clips: unique close-ups captured from medium/low angles and in square frames. I think there is a distinctive relation, so to say, a fond detachment between Eggleston and things he captures.

Incidentally, our models and layouts used to be captured from high angle. Athearn and Atlas capture their products from high angle showing their roofs. Kato and MTL capture from medium heights: roofs are barely shown. Legendary Model Railroader Magazine seems prefer high angle photos for the cover photo. To the contrary, fresh Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine seems prefer medium/low angle shots.

Thus, the heights of the angle of model photos differ according to purposes and/or tastes, and are seem becoming progressively lower. Off course, specifications of recent cameras would contribute to it. But, I think the change of relation between us and the models also act on it.

High angle is said to be the angle of the transcendency. To the contrary, medium angle is said to be the angle of citizen. We are not the transcendencies, but only a modeler today. Thus, medium angle would be appropriate for us. Accordingly, a hint for improving our model photo value might have hidden in the margin between the two, our photo and William Eggleston’s medium/low angle photo.

some of the photos in this monograph can be seen here;


本書はWilliam Egglestonという写真家の作品集である。
William Eggleston は、以前紹介したStephen ShoreやJoel Sternfeld、Joel meyerowitzらとともに、1970年代アメリカNew Color Photographyを代表するひとりである。

本書では、Egglestonが生まれ育ったテネシー・ミシシッピ両州のいささか寂れた光景が、比較的低いアングルから正方形のフレームでとらえられている。本書のタイトル「2 1/4」はこのフォーマットに由来する。廃車体や朽ちた看板のクローズアップなど今となっては類型的ともいえるが、当時は新しく評価された。

本書は模型・レイアウト制作に直接役立つものではない。盗むなら、Egglestonの低いアングルのクローズアップがもつ意味だろう。模型を低いアングルで撮った写真は、最近雑誌・ブログなどでよく見る。それらの模型写真と本書に収められている写真との間の差異に、われわれの模型写真の価値を高めるヒントが隠されているように思う。