On a recent visit to London, I took my Canon 5D with the Canon 50mm f1.8 STM lens. This is my favourite and lightest combination to carry around. The purpose of the visit was to walk around. These deck chairs were sitting on the grass outside Battersea Power Station in brilliant sunshine, and their colours shone like a beacon.
After all, colour is the 5D’s thing. Straight away, I thought, William Eggleston. I took just one shot.
This photo pays homage to William Eggleston through several visual and stylistic choices that are characteristic of his work:
- Bold Use of Colour
- Eggleston is often called the “father of colour photography” in the art world because of how he embraced saturated, everyday colours.
- The bright yellow and blue chairs in this photograph mirror this aesthetic — ordinary objects elevated through their striking colours.
- Everyday Subject Matter
- Eggleston’s genius was in finding beauty in mundane, often overlooked scenes of daily life.
- Two simple deck chairs on grass — not traditionally “artistic” subjects — become visually compelling through framing and colour.
- Formal Composition
- The symmetry of the two chairs, side by side, gives the image a quiet balance. Eggleston often arranged ordinary things with a painterly eye, allowing geometry and placement to speak.
- Play of Light and Shadow
- The sunlight casting shadows onto the fabric adds depth and subtle detail. Eggleston frequently worked with natural light to reveal texture and atmosphere in ordinary spaces.
- Sense of the American Vernacular
- While Eggleston photographed primarily in the American South, his spirit was in documenting the everyday vernacular – ordinary chairs, streets, storefronts, homes. This photograph channels that same idea with its bold colours of the commonplace.
This image echoes Eggleston’s style by turning something as simple as two deck chairs into a vibrant, formal image, in his style. Copied but never beaten.
Exposure: 1/250s f8 100 ISO.
Battersea to The Walkie Talkie Building
We kept walking from Battersea along the south bank of the Thames to The Walkie Talkie building for evening drinks.
I waited 25 minutes to get this shot with just two people in it. This has to be one of London’s favourite photo hotspots!
Exposure: 1/640s f5.6 100 ISO.
Exposure: 1/500s f8 100 ISO.
Exposure: 1/125s f8 100 ISO.
Having arrived at The Walkie Talkie, it was time for beer and medals.
Hot tip! If you want to go out for a drink around the square mile, Thursday is the day of the week to go! Lots of atmosphere.
Photography is about enjoyment. None of these photographs is going to win any serious competition. But then again, you never know. Photography is a subjective art form, and I’ve seen some very odd images win things.