BENDING LIGHT

Eric Meola discusses his love affair with the power of colour across his illustrious, decades-long career in photography

- Kim Bunermann

Colour is a powerful tool in shaping the subject and directing the visual language of photography, and its evolution has been nothing short of fascinating. From the moment Thomas Sutton created the first colour photograph in 1861, the landscape of photography began to change.

However, even after Kodak introduced its first commercial colour-positive film, Kodachrome, in 1930, it took several decades for colour photography to gain widespread acceptance. Initially viewed as a mere novelty, colour became recognised as a serious artform thanks to pioneers including William Eggleston, who gained acclaim in the 1970s.

Eric Meola is renowned for placing colour at the core of his work. In his book, Bending Light: The Moods of Color, published by The Images Publishing Group, he explains that "colour is my subject, as much as the subject itself." With a career spanning over five decades, he brings a wealth of expertise in colour - however, he is not just known for colour photography. Meola's iconic works include the black-and-white image for Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run album, a 1971 cover of Time featuring opera singer Beverly Sills and the celebrated 'Coca Kid, which was included in Life's '100 Magnificent Images' in 1997. His contributions to the photographic industry were recognised in 2023, when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographers of America.