Demystifying the “boring” photography of William Eggleston

With today’s digital photography and mobile photography, it’s now easy for anyone to become a photographer. Everyday scenes and commonplace subjects easily become the gateway to photography. However, photographing the mundane and the everyday isn’t new — just look at the works of photographers like William Eggleston.

But, this style of photography isn’t particularly appealing to everyone. Most of the time, it even makes viewers wonder what’s the point of the photograph or the body of work. So, to help us make better sense of this style, Alex Kilbee of The Photographic Eye decodes the mystery behind the “boring” photography of William Eggleston.

These photos of banal objects and random scenes confound people. What’s the point? What are they even about? Even Eggleston himself only had “life today” for an answer. So, Kilbee’s deep dive into his work and style makes for an interesting brain picking. Whether you’re currently into this approach or not, the video above should encourage you to start digging a bit deeper.

Apart from some basic facts about Eggleston, Kilbee covers some topics that provide additional context for his work. The idea to photograph the “ugly,” for example, came from Eggleston’s observation that he had nothing nice to photograph. So, a friend suggested that he photograph the “ugly things” instead, and it all started from there. “If you’re around where there’s nothing traditionally worth photographing, then just photograph the things that are of rubbish, boring, dull,” Kilbee noted. It was an obvious choice, and one that Eggleston took seriously.

The appeal of William Eggleston’s work lies not in some profound reason or story, but in its fluidity and reactivity. His personal rule is to photograph something only once — he documents what catches his eye, reacts to it, and moves on to the next subject. So, whether you’re feeling stuck in your photography or could use a creative exercise, try capturing the boring and the banal. Put your instinct to work and don’t overthink. You’re free to photograph whatever you like, in whatever way you want it.

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