Advice on visual storytelling from Alec Soth
Alec Soth: Photographic Storytelling consists of 19 themed lessons and case studies. Here
are just some examples of the course tutor’s many insightful observations and useful advice1 Look outside photography for
inspiration – Soth cites the work
of film directors and poets. Poetry is
complementary to photography because
there are gaps and a lack of information.2 Acknowledge the things that
authentically inspire you: authenticity
makes things interesting. “It’s good practice
to write things down and to [keep a]
journal,” says Soth.3 For Soth, photography is the art of
editing: “The very act of taking a
photograph is leaving something out.”4 Digital cameras may have made
photographers more productive, but
“all the more reason to spend more time
on the editing and sequencing and putting
images together in a meaningful way.”5 It’s useful to develop some critical
distance from your photographs,
says Soth, by not starting to edit any
new images straight after taking them.6 Soth suggests printing images out
small on a laser printer, then looking
at them together, in pairs or batches of
five, to establish how they can flow best.1around eight US states, working as a reporter
and photographer covering local events, and
producing a newsprint publication, the LBM
Dispatches. This wasn’t Soth’s first work to
appear on newsprint, though; he used it for
The Last Days of W, which marked the end
of George W Bush’s presidency in 2008.
Featuring a series of photographs made to
document eight years of life in America under
President Bush, Soth gathered the images
for this alongside his other work, showing
the benefits of having more than one
photographic project in progress at one time.
Songbook (2015) gave Soth the chance
to create a more lyrical version of the LBMDispatches. Following an extended spell
teaching teenagers across the US in his
Winnebago Workshops, Soth felt he
needed to reflect on the beginnings
of his career and took up meditation.
He found that this changed his sense
of identity as a photographer.
“I have always viewed photography as
separation: you’re separated [from your
subject] by a piece of glass. I didn’t want to
make pictures anymore that came out of
disconnection... I wanted to celebrate the
connections between things instead.”
After his sabbatical from photography,
Soth photographed Anna Halprin, a dancerand choreographer at her home – “a woman
whose art was all about connection” – and
although he didn’t want to start a new project,
this and other images he shot became I Know
How Furiously Your Heart is Beating (2019).
Lighter in tone than Soth’s previous works,
the book includes the use of subtle recurring
motifs as links between some of the images- birds, in this case – and to emphasise the
sense of connection the photographer is
striving to capture. With other hallmarks of his
photography on display, I Know How Furiously
Your Heart is Beating is a significant addition
to Soth’s body of work and leaves his fans
curious to discover what he will do next...
How to sign up
for the course
Alec Soth: Photographic Storytelling is the
second course to be offered on Magnum
Learn, the online learning portal of Magnum
Photos. It runs for over four hours and costs
$99. To watch the trailer, and find out how
to sign up, go to: learn.magnumphotos.comIn the course, Soth
offers tips on how to
sequence images
in photo books.Pro
in
focus
12 DIGITAL CAMERA^ APRIL 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com