Mitch Epstein, Madison Avenue, New York City, 1973

Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970-1980, a shiny new tome by Kevin Moore, probably won't have the same eye-candy impact for black-and-white photography purists as it would for, say, us common folk. Flipping through its 301 pages of brilliant imagery by the likes of William Eggelston, Stephen Shore, Helen Levitt and Mitch Epstein would mean that said purists would probably bethisclose to jumping on the color bandwagon, so avoidance of Starburst is necessary in order to maintain color abstinence. Even one small peek could result in elevated seratonin levels. Sheer joy could abound. Prolonged exposure to the most vibrant members of the color spectrum could result in conceding defeat to an invention that's soooo twentieth century (color photography came about in 1907; da Vinci's camera obscura in 1519). In the event of such an aberration, the converted would have to sit still, their faces bright red, while the flying pigs are released from their frozen circle of hell and a choir of angels materializes out of thin air to serenade them with a heavenly rendition of---what else?---"Kodachrome."

William Eggleston, Jackson, Mississippi, 1969-70

(Left): Helen Levitt, Untitled from the project Helen Levitt in Color, 1971-74; (Right): William Eggelston, Morton, Mississippi, 1969-70

Neal Slavin, Star Trek Convention, New York, 1976

[Images courtesy of Hatje Cantz Publishers via Planet]

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