Across 19 lessons and more than five hours of material, we'll be covering a wide variety of topics; from Alec Soth's early development as an artist, where he finds inspiration and a deep-dive into his key projects, to his insights into portraiture, editing and sequencing, and creating a photobook. You will also follow your tutor as he navigates a range of different photographic scenarios creating new work, initiated after a random act - a dart thrown at a map.
Episodes Season Season 1 · 0/19 0/19 watched · 2019 S01E01 Beginnings 2019-10-01
Learn about your tutor's background and early artistic development, including how a search for creative expression led him to the medium of photography, as well as jobs he worked in previous to his artistic career. more S01E02 Approaching Photography 2019-10-01
This lesson covers a range of topics, from the limitations and possibilities of the photographic medium to the language of images. Soth speaks about his approach to photography and long-term projects, the importance of digging into the history of photography, and more. more S01E03 Inspiration & Influences 2019-10-01
This lesson, Soth shares his sources of inspiration, from sculpture to poetry. He gives an insight into who and what has influenced his practice and describes the importance of looking to other disciplines when making photographic art. more S01E04 Creative Development 2019-10-01
Soth describes his experiences and milestones in the development of his artistic practice, from early projects - successful and otherwise - and his technical evolution, to the first ambitious project that preceded his seminal work, Sleeping by the Mississippi. more S01E05 Key Projects: Sleeping by the Mississippi 2019-10-01
In this lesson, your tutor discusses the evolution of his breakthrough project Sleeping by the Mississippi, which culminated in the landmark monograph that propelled him to international recognition. more S01E06 Key Projects: NIAGARA 2019-10-01
NIAGARA, Soth's sophomore project, represented a new challenge in the photographer's career. He shares his experience of creating a new major project following the success of Sleeping by the Mississippi, which brought a new level of scrutiny and expectation. more S01E07 Key Projects: Broken Manual 2019-10-01
Soth presents Broken Manual, a project which explores the desire to disappear. Telling the story of people who crave an escape from their lives and civilization, it represents a departure from the pure documentary approach that Soth was known for, moving instead toward a more conceptual, fragmentary approach to narrative storytelling. more S01E08 Key Projects: Songbook 2019-10-01
Songbook, Alec's fourth major monograph, began as a series of newsprint publications - the LBM Dispatches - created with the writer Brad Zellar. This body of work saw Soth draw on his early years as a local press photographer, working in black-and-white with flash. more S01E09 Key Projects: I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating 2019-10-01
This lesson focuses on Soth's most recent project, I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating. A lyrical exploration of the limitations of photographic representation, this project was produced after a twelve-month period of re-thinking his creative process, particularly surrounding portraiture. more S01E10 Building a Narrative Project 2019-10-01
This lesson explores a variety of topics on the theme of building narrative photographic projects, from ideas and research, to venturing out into the world to make the work. Soth explains how to work with personal impulses and weave real-life elements together to construct a story. more S01E11 Case Study: The Griz 2019-10-01
In the first of three case studies, we follow Soth as he navigates an arranged portrait scenario with a famed local fisherman, Dick 'The Griz'. more S01E12 Case Study: The Canvas 2019-10-01
In this case study, we witness how a serendipitous encounter by a lake can result in unexpected yet effective outcomes. more
S01E13 Case Study: The County Fair 2019-10-01
In our final case study, Soth takes us to a County Fair in search of subjects. Through observing a variety of photographic approaches, we learn different ways to capture scenes and subjects in a chaotic environment. more S01E14 People 2019-10-01
Why photograph people? In this lesson, Soth shares an insight into why he makes photographs of people, how he selects subjects, and the challenges and rewards of portraiture. more S01E15 Editing & Reflection 2019-10-01
In this lesson, we learn how Soth approaches editing and sequencing, two vital components of photography. Soth also reflects on the work he has made during the three case studies, considering the successes, the failures and everything in-between. more S01E16 Photobooks: Part One 2019-10-01
During this lesson, Soth walks us through the evolution of his seminal photobook, Sleeping by the Mississippi, from spiral-bound book maquette to published monograph. Soth also shares insights into his second published project, NIAGARA. more S01E17 Photobooks: Part Two 2019-10-01
In this second lesson covering photobooks, Soth speaks about Broken Manual, Songbook and I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating. Soth also shares insights into self-publishing and the importance of making objects. more S01E18 Outputs 2019-10-01
Soth shares his experience with his projects’ outputs outside of books, including methods of producing and sequencing prints for exhibitions, and curating social media feeds and navigating engagement with others. more S01E19 Advice 2019-10-01
In our final lesson, Soth shares advice on topics including: assertiveness when shooting, flexibility in artistic style, how to manage preconceived visual ideas, adapting to mistakes, and securing funding to sustain your practice. more 
