Jay Maisel

One of my favourite photographers for his use of colour is Jay Maisel; Although Maisel has photographed many celebrities, I am more drawn to his distinct use of colour and light. Maisel works with very simple but definite blocks of colour and light. His work almost looks as if it has jumped out of a rule book on use of colour as it is so simple in appearance, as are the titles to go with them. Although many of Maisel’s prints are true to his block work style, he has several images which work more with the qualities of light than with bold, bright colours. When looking at images such as ‘Restaurant Roof’, I felt like I was viewing the work of a different photographer as this particular image has an almost ‘Van Gogh’ like quality to it. On closer inspection however, I noticed that although Maisel was in this case working with light rather than colour, he had still captured the subject in definite blocks of the varying forms of light.

On reading further into Maisel’s work, I discovered that his preferred method is to forget about complicated lighting set ups and mainly shoots with one lens, looking for interesting shapes, colours and light around the city. I feel that when learning the art of photography, this is a valuable lesson to learn and a great way to exercise artistic flair.

Before discovering Maisel, I had worried that in order to develop an artistic voice I would have to quash parts of who I am in order to pursue a particular type of photography. I now understand that this does not necessarily mean a choice between vibrant or muted colours or between landscapes and close ups but it is about the individual style in which these elements are used.

Ernst Haas

Vienna born Ernst Haas wasn’t professionally trained but quickly became one of the most celebrated and influential photographers in America in the 1950s.  His first essay, "Homecoming Prisoners of War," shot in Vienna led to an invitation to join Magnum as a result of the feelings and empathy evoke by the images. Dissatisfied with monochrome, Haas moved quickly into colour photography, creating essays on New York, Paris and Venice; his New York essay got him a 24 page spread in Life magazine.

Haas was interested in the super-reality of dreams and this is clear in all three essays; many of his images look more like paintings than photographs as a result of his use of colour. Although distinctive in style, each set has an individual feel corresponding to the city it represents.

Haas uses bold, colours with strong shadows in his New York essay, many images taken at night to show the bustling nature of a city that never sleeps.

Much softer contrast and dreamy pinkish tones reflect the romantic nature of a weekend in Paris.

Similarly romantic, Haas’ Venice essay introduces the blues associated with the city’s waterways; even the image of the arches shown below has the feel and rhythm of water with its colour and repeated pattern.

Having developed a firm hold on colour, Haas turned his attention to the use of slow shutter speeds to capture movement. In his essay on bullfighting, he managed to capture the graceful element of what is otherwise a brutal sport. Haas described this as ‘the beauty of a fourth dimension, which lies much more between moments than within a moment.’

William Eggleston

‘Genius in colour’, William Eggleston has a very distinctive style combining ordinary, everyday subjects with strong colours, giving a rather surreal result. Influenced by the endless amateur snaps being developed in an industrial photo lab, Eggleston draws the viewer in with images which at first appear to be almost snapshots but something in the lines, the angles and especially the colours gives these images an edge. Whether photographing a bike or an elderly lady, Eggleston’s slightly surreal images evoke a tension akin to that of a Hammer horror film.

Eggleston first started working with colour film in 1965 after almost a decade of using monochrome. The photographer thrived at the introduction of this medium as his selective use of colours complement the awkward angles already used to create that Eggleston tension; this is an artist with a clearly defined voice. John Szarkowski, of New York’s Museum of Modern Art is quoted as saying that Eggleston had ‘learned to see in colour’.

Eggleston wasn’t always so celebrated; his exhibition, entitled 'Color Photographs' appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976 and was cited as being the most hated exhibition of the year. One critic suggested that the photographs 'would be unacceptable if submitted by one of my basic photography students'. Hilton Kramer's review in The New York Times finished his critique by saying: 'The truth is, these pictures belong to the world of snapshot chic.’

Looking deeper into Eggleston’s images, it is clear that although, true to snapshot style, the main focus is in the centre; the edges of these images contain details of people and objects which give additional meaning.

William Eggleston was also criticized for using expensive dye-transfer technique for prints of such everyday objects. Eggleston uses this process as it enables him to control the colours individually, exaggerating them in order to achieve desired results.