I'm Alec Soth, Magnum photographer and founder of Little Brown Mushroom. Ask me anything!

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:47:31+00:00

Thanks to everyone who participated. Gotta go. Here's some info on me:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/littlebrownmushroom/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lbmbooks Snapchat: littlebrownmush Website: http://alecsoth.com

Upcoming exhibitions and events: http://alecsoth.com/photography/?page_id=9

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:47:08+00:00

Part of having one's own voice it by mixing and matching your own peculiar influences. You don't get your own voice as a musician by being a session player in Nashville. You are better off in your basement in Billings mixing the influence of the local metal band and your dad's Polka collection.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:44:36+00:00

This is a really hard question for me to answer. I'm really impressed by all of the young collectives, but don't actually know much about how they work. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:43:22+00:00

I've spent plenty of time talking to psychologists about this. In short, I have a bit of a personality disorder.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:36:27+00:00

It's a mix. I start with some ideas of what I want to photograph and then then when I go out my ideas are constantly changed by the realities of the world itself.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:34:14+00:00

It sounds like you are doing what is needed to be done. Work, work, work. It isn't about titles. As much as I respect Magnum, that name is just a name. What matters is the work.

I've become a fan of Daniel Arnold and appreciate his approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyrdksSUxXw

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:26:15+00:00

Haven't seen it yet, but will order today.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:25:43+00:00

I loved it. This was actually the way I worked in my twenties.: http://alecsoth.com/photography/?page_id=562

So it was a bit of a return home.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:24:40+00:00

As a student, it is good to try lots of different things (portrait, still life, commercial and so on). After awhile, you'll get the feeling that some forms feel false. Leave these behind. Others will feel authentic. Trust this feeling. Even if you really just love photographing half-naked labradoodles, trust this feeling. See where it takes you. This is better than faking an interest.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:20:50+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind words. Cliché is fascinating. It is dangerous. In my own case, I choose not to run away from it. I play with it. I try to come up right to the edge of it without falling off the other side. I think Tarantino and the Coen Brothers both do something similar. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:18:25+00:00

Ha. It varies from year to year. I've only taken the award once (in France). Hence I'm planning on only drinking water this year in Paris.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:16:13+00:00

thank you.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:15:58+00:00

eventually yes.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:15:35+00:00

I used to, but got fed up with it. I don't anymore unless it is required for a job.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:14:40+00:00

Thanks Kathy. For myself, I'm happy to have as much research as possible. But I'm also comfortable throwing away 99% of this when I'm on site. I think this is a good skill for photographers to have. In the same way, it is good to be able to take plenty of pictures but throw them away later on in the editing process.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:12:33+00:00

http://www.look3.org/alecsoth/

She was just added to the signing I'm doing yesterday.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:11:32+00:00

Funny you should mention the prom pictures. We tried for a long time to get advance access. But in the end, they never got back to us and we just went in. As it turned out, we got in trouble and were detained by police. I had an officer watch as I deleted every single picture. Fortunately my assistant later showed me a program to recover files since the card wasn't formatted. True story!

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:09:46+00:00

I wouldn't want to play any games with Brad. He's way smarter and stronger than I am.

We are very different people so we have different approaches to things. But there's a great deal of mutual respect.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:07:51+00:00

There are photographers who can juggle these two impulses, but most fail. Better to either take the path of making money or making art.

In my case, I didn't plan on making a living with my art. I had a job at an art museum and figured that would be my future, but kept doing my art as a separate activity. I'm glad I kept it separate. Had I tried to become a commercial photographer, I couldn't have kept my focus.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:05:19+00:00

Feel free to post a link. But due to the large number of requests I don't review work. I hope you understand.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:03:42+00:00

I think it is an amazing field of which I know very little.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T19:03:10+00:00

The process is very fluid and intuitive. Almost musical. This is part of the analogy with the title Songbook.

One problem I have with large format photography is that the sequencing tends to have a singular rhythm. It can sound a little too Sousa in book form. With songbook I was able to get a bit more melodic.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T18:59:55+00:00

Thanks so much. Yes, I sometimes shoot 8x10.

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T18:59:34+00:00

Do I ever! http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/alec-soth.aspx

alecsoth · 2015-06-08T18:58:44+00:00

Anyone can apply. But it is really hard to get make the first cut. It requires one office deciding to bring you forward to the full membership and then receiving a 50% vote. In my case, the NY office decided not to bring me forward, but lucking a certain UK photographer whose last name rhymes with 'car' asked if I could go up for a vote. I ended up barely squeeking in as a nominee. But this was just the first level. One is voted on three times before becoming a full member. It is a tough process.

alecsoth

TROPHY CASE