AllMovie

Photographer William Eggleston sparked a revolution in the art world with his 1976 one-man show, "William Eggleston's Guide," at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Eggleston's spare, enigmatic images of the American South and his creative use of the possibilities of dye-transfer photo printing helped to redefine the aesthetics of color imaging and since then he's been hailed as "the father of color photography." French filmmakers Cédric Laty and Vincent Gérard examine the artist, his art, and the culture that informs his work in the documentary By the Ways: A Journey With William Eggleston. Featuring interviews with the often tight-lipped photographer, By the Ways also includes extensive footage of the American tableaux that dominate Eggleston's work, tributes from fellow artists (including David Byrne), and a look at the artist at work, both with his camera and in the lab. By The Ways: A Journey With William Eggleston received its North American premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival; another film on Eggleston, William Eggleston, appeared a year earlier.