Snapshots
Garry Winogrand once said he had a burning desire to see what things looked like photographed. My desire is the same, only in color.
"At the age of twelve, I bought my first camera by mail order. It was a cheap 35mm model with no light meter. I would spend hours in front of my house photographing automobiles as they passed. The process was an experiment in exposing film in different ways and achieving different results. This experience hooked me on the magic of the medium."
As a student, William Greiner became friends with a young woman from Memphis, Tennessee, whose father happened to be a patron of color photographer William Eggleston. She introduced Greiner to his work through the catalog for William Eggleston's Guide, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. On a school break in Memphis, Greiner was introduced to the older photographer and they became friends.
Greiner later studied color photography in Boston with Jim Dow. Returning to New Orleans in 1986, he worked as a real estate consultant and did not photograph regularly again until 1989. Since that time, he has completed six bodies of photographic work in color. His most recent project, The Reposed, publishes his Louisiana cemetery photographs.
J. Paul Getty Museum interview Sept. 1999
About William Greiner
William Greiner was born in New Orleans on September 8th, 1957. He holds an MBA from Suffolk University in Boston, and a BFA in photography from Tufts University. Greiner has held countless solo and group exhibitions, and his work can be found in as many public collections and publications around America and Europe.