Research Notes: Alec Soth -

Photographer Research -

Alec Soth -

Born: 1969
Died: N/A
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Occupation: Photographer
Group: Magnum Photos

• Soth's work had been referred to as cinematographic and almost like a fantasy.
• He is a member of Magnum Photos.
• His work features the ordinary people and everyday objects.
• Soth has said that he wants his work to display a "narrative arc and storytelling".
• Soth has photographed for many publications within the field of newspapers and magazines.
• Soth founded the publishing company 'Little Brown Mushroom' where he published people who work in a similar narrative way to himself.

Alec Soth Examples:

This image is part of the series "Sleeping by the Mississippi" with the subject of the image being an apt fan of aviation. The muted colours are like that of a polaroid picture which are often associated with intimacy between friends and family photography. Soth, therefore, creates an individual narrative and shares intimate nature with his subjects.

This photograph depicts convicts completing rehabilitation and work in Kentucky. The parallelism between the convicts and the holy cross could be considered a juxtaposition as often crimes are considered sins. The image also depicts a repentant nature implicitly. The narrative is open and could unravel in many ways and therefore keeps the audience intrigued.

This final image is variant from the other two. This photograph is from the series "Songbook" which is a black and white series. The work features stark contrasts between youth and aged and their cultures in my opinion.