Backyard photographs (in times of turmoil)

Alec Soth discusses the value of simple photographs during difficult times. The work discussed is:⁣
⁣
"Landscape Stories" by Jem Southam⁣
"Thresholds" by Jo Ann Walters (published in "New Color/New Work")⁣
"Summer Light" by Dag Alveng⁣
"Des Oiseaux" by Terri Weifenbach⁣
"The Window of my Studio" by Josef Sudek⁣
"Standing Still" by Robert Adams⁣
"How Can Black People Write About Flowers at a Time Like This" by Hanif Abdurraqib

[@ucevrim]

please never end this series.

[@JohnnyMcMillan]

If there is anything truly positive to come out of covid and lockdown it's that we've been blessed with this video series. Whether Alec was planning to do all of these or not before Covid hit, every single one of them has been amazing. So many thanks Alec!

[@PresleyMartin1]

Over the years I have loved painting, sculpture and ceramics, but photography always left me a bit cold. This past year that changed. Photography works so well in the book format and during the pandemic I had time to sit in the backyard and dig into photobooks. They have been incredibly soothing and enlightening. I now have a love for photography and this video series is adding to that love and introducing me to new artists each week. When the museums are closed and you're under curfew there's still the backyard and books.

[@colorgal]

Absolutely so moving. That line in the interview with Hanif Abdurraqib left me in tears. Your words about these series are so poignant as are the images. Thank you for this one which is now my favorite one so far...

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thanks so much Eve

[@MrrZogs]

so sincere and genuine. Thank you for this Alec. A true therapy

[@velenux]

man, I'm just 1 minute in, and I totally understand where you are coming from, but remember: Art is never inconsequential. It's one of the few things that can keep us going even when everything else seems to turn to ash. Stay strong.

[@nimam6724]

Thanks for the time and sharing your thoughts, Alec. Highly grateful for your words.

[@goldleafill]

Learning about the work of Sudek from this video so just want to give you my gratitude 🙏🏼 I deeply resonated with his work 🩵

[@richardsambrook8985]

This was a wonderful talk Alec - your best so far. Connecting art to events - much to think about...

[@susanneh2207]

Thanks again for all your work you do! These videos are so great on many levels!

[@markkinsman5013]

Well done Alex! Thank you for sharing these wonderful examples of work done in everyday settings. It is emotionally grounding, like sitting and just breathing on a quiet Sunday morning.

[@ak4good]

Thank you so much for making these. Really appreciate learning about these works with such thoughtful insights from an accomplished artist.

[@drumnature]

Thankyou for this. What was said about the flowers at the end was deeply perseptive...

[@JaneAlynnPhotography]

These talks are so inspiring to me, especially at a time like this. I llways appreciate your insights and reflections.

[@dianakorniichenko]

Thank you for this, Alec. To me it is paramount…exploring the immediate surroundings and staying present in it.

[@stuartbaines2843]

Thank you for making me slow down and Listen 👌 A Very absorbing exploration of the simplicity Photographs.

[@ijo58media2]

I really enjoy your work Alec........ and your calmness.

[@phiswe]

Henri Cartier-Bresson on Ansel Adams and Edward Weston: “The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks!” What Cartier-Bresson was missing in that remark is that it is precisely the possibility of art that makes the world worth living in in the first place. There’s nothing futile about “photographing rocks” the way Adams and Weston did it. The one garden book I have is Paul Strand’s The Garden at Orgeval, which is also excellent.

[@joeltunnah]

Cartier-Bresson, like most artists, contradicted himself in many places. He did not call himself a photojournalist, and had no interest in news photography, or war zones.

[@josephmontez879]

Great video Alec. Thanks for sharing your insight.

[@dafnilianantonaki5345]

thank you so much for sharing your knowledge , your thoughts and your sensitivity !

[@alexander.starbuck]

Thank you so much for making this, for your time and effort. It means so much to some of us, who are just beginning this journey of photography.

[@winetime69]

Another thought-provoking episode. Thank you Alec for making me think.

[@nickh2816]

thanks so much for this Alec.

[@frankv.9525]

Alec, you continue to inspire us with your expertise every week. You're a National Treasure!

[@TheKuldi]

Alec, you have such a soothing voice. Perfect for this kind of stuff!

[@jeremybrake6718]

one of the best vlogs I've seen! especially loved the ending

[@herbertacciaio]

after knowing Sudek's story I promise I'll never complain about carrying my 8x10 camera anymore ;-) thanks again for your kindness in sharing what you know about photography, uman beings with a camera, their stories and books...thank you so much

[@setantabooks3629]

One of the best of these lectures so far, such beautiful books. "Summer Light" is so amazing📚

[@chopster01]

This was wonderful

[@jonpadrnos3304]

Was totally struggle with this feeling... Thank you for this reminder.

[@georgeelsasser]

Thank you Alec. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this as I did your presentation some years back in Charlottesville at LOOK3 photo festival. I have always enjoyed that "new color / new work" Sally Eauclaire book.

[@MichaelCroghan]

There is a real sense of place about these series of work, epitome of which is Robert Adams. What they convey to me is a movie, a slow still movie like that of Andrei Tarkovsky movie, slow deep and meaningful. You the viewer decide the pace of how you see the images, but they stay the same stillness, a somber passing reflection of a metaphorical self. You get what you can not get with a single real life view, you get a feeling of an experienced place lived in, a forced expanded sense of a view, great depth of a single place giving you a fuller view of the same place, time passing with a hint of meaning usually sentimentality. They are like cut film stills literally of a movie, the the zen of place and soul, a David Hockney collage portrait of place. Can not wait til the next video, hopeful Bill Brandt pops up somewhere

[@samuelberry4064]

Really enjoyed this one, thank you for this.

[@gabrielzampogna3838]

Thank you Alec! Greetings form Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@CarmineGroe]

Thank you Alec. You are an inspiration to so many. Is that alone a reason to continue to do what you do? We hope so.

[@giulianomarialodi3722]

Thank you Alec!

[@jameshendrick2099]

Thank you, Alec.

[@fado605]

Very thoughtful video. Thanks.

[@kimay63]

Wow, I love this so much i had my boss listen. This was for me to see and hear 👂...

[@goldleafill]

Also the poem and closing statements, wow 💐

[@ritwikroy6189]

Landscape Stories is probably my favourite book of colour landscapes. It's been out of print but I managed to acquire a copy last year. I also devoured Songbook and I Know How Furiously Your Hear Is Beating this week. Thank you again for these wonderful videos.

[@photovincent]

Again, an interesting cross-section of the photobook universe. It’s also a very kind thing to buy discounted photobooks in bulk as gifts - not just for the recipients, but even more so for the author who gets the extra name recognition

[@AlecSothYouTube]

So nice to hear, thanks Hank

[@JandKninjas123]

Thanks for sharing Alec, this one was especially comforting. My thoughts on subject matter during times of turmoil have changed a lot over the past year, and it was nice to feel some reaffirmation about making 'escapist' work. That Hanif poem you quoted was really really wonderful too. His writing has a way of getting inside of me like nothing else. Thank you for all these videos

[@bunbunbear94]

Excuse me for commenting this when the video has been out for almost a year now, but thank you for introducing me to the work of Terri Weifenbach through this wonderful talk. I've never heard of her before, but now I'm deeply touched by what I've seen of her photography so far.

[@philcrean]

Well put thoughts again...thank you.

[@hoagyguitarmichael]

Thanks for introducing me to Josef Sudek

[@ysrtttoff3262]

Very inspiring , very helpful thank you!

[@so_bland]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[@nickfanzo]

Great stuff

[@richarddewit5993]

Fantastic. Merci.

[@neeravnaik]

Thank you Alec. I needed this today. We are in midst of ferocious COVID second wave here in India and everyone around is caught aflame. Mind is heavy dealing with trauma and dread everyday. I realized I have a whole series of photographs of my apartment window from last year and had just recently started venturing out photographing nature little bit far and about. But now again i am back staring out of that window.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

wishing you the best Neerav

[@neeravnaik]

Thank you

[@daveortiz2897]

Amazingly thoughtful, empathetic and "timely". Thanks so much for this.

[@ohdandan]

Thank You.

[@ricosjugos8490]

hermoso. Muchas gracias

[@CatMilton1]

"Thank you". I don't feel qualified to write anything else but please do know some 'thank you's' are offered in courteous passing and others because one is left gratefully speechless. This one is the quiet version of the latter - and is true of your whole series of videos, not just this one. My life is richer for them.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

I appreciate it Cat

[@baltimorejac]

Thank you for articulating so well through these examples. You reveal the thing I think many photographers struggle with during the last year and whenever moments that seem to cry out for photographs occur. It is reassuring to know sometimes what is necessary is not more photographs of tragedy or trauma but more of a celebration of beauty. I am also reminded of moments of loss, the last moments with a loved one or at a funeral and what place photography has there. Thank you for this perspective.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thanks Jacob

[@robertbonella1806]

Wow this was tremendous on so many levels. Thank you.

[@dqmoser4128]

AS many others have said, Alec, this series is wonderful and this talk in particular very moving. Your even keeled thoughtful delivery makes them all the more pleasurable... I feel as if I've gotten into a good graduate program, my only tuition the annoying 3 seconds of youtube commercials every few minutes, a small price to pay. are YOU making any new work these days. I mean, other than this terrific series?

[@krthanasis]

Your way of interpret the images and the works you choose to show are so inspiring to me ! I am so glad you make these videos ! Thank you !

[@Lorenzoking03]

Your videos are so specific and open in the same time that I usually see it on Saturday morning before my photography trip around my town. So inspiring! thanks!!

[@orestisf]

Thank you for the constant inspiration...

[@juliend4260]

Thanks for sharing these beautiful books Alec! Looking forward to the next video :)

[@Pawel001L]

Thanks Alec for sharing these. Especially, in such difficult times. Much appreciated! Stay safe. Best, Pawel

[@andrea_armbruester]

Ok, I‘ll keep it simple: Thank you again, Alec Soth. Highly appreciated, especially now.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thanks Andrea

[@davidfearn8635]

Utterly wonderful and inspiring. So thoughtful. I love the thread of humility across all the work here, having the power of large format produce such delicacy. Implicit here is of course Alec's own work, esp some of his window-framed photographs. From a uk perspective reminds me of quite a lot of John Blakemore's output alongside Jem Southam.

[@photouyfreak3890]

I think that if you go to Josefa's studio today, everything's still there, even the tree. It's like the photo continued to change after his death

[@berrickswampwallaby]

I love this channel, Alec. Do you do requests? Following Robert Adams, could you have a look at The New Topographics? Thanks/

[@stephenfowler7583]

Thanks

[@tokonomura6393]

Coming home after work to a Alec Soth video. Thank you Alec.

[@bubbadoma]

I needed this today... thank you.

[@bradyrobinson5282]

Holy Sh!# those Sudek photos! they instantly make me want to say The Best whatever about them but I do dig alot and theres too many different best's so I guess its me lacking better words... theyre Great though! thank you for all these Videos. Could only be corny through an extra corny lens thats for sure.

[@eliudcarrizales7815]

¡Right On! Brilliant Alec, Just Brilliant. 👉👏👏👏 Being able to create and communicate new worlds is what sets artists on another level. Keep them coming. ☘️

[@goldleafill]

Well done 🩵

[@christianstraub5579]

Thank you so much! Deep, thougtful and uplifting too. I really appreciate that you share your treasures and insights here. I am curious each time, which connections you will draw between different books and artists. I enjoy your meta stories about photography!!! Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany).

[@bowenisland100]

Another thoughtful essay - thank you. I liked when you slipped and poetically described the moisture on Sudek's window as perspiration.....maybe in a way that's more accurate than condensation.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

I cringed at that in the editing, but c'est la vie

[@majki3144]

Dear Alec. We are waiting for next lecture. Your students around the world.

[@lockeempty4333]

i come from a place where people are arrested and jailed on what feels like, a daily basis, for protesting and calling for social reforms. it does feel that much of what we do is meaningless. but then one politician on trial for public assembly charges, who is in her 70s, would say that "matter cannot be destroyed" - that what we do inevitably will affect something or someone, and that it matters that we continue doing what we do. idk how some can use the law of conservation of mass to cheer others up but damn... sorry for the rant

[@antoniorussell9893]

Thanks Alec.

[@DreDay4K]

Beautifully said

[@danielemilazzo432]

Alec, do you know if the images by Robert Adams were on large format?

[@DRGBTL23]

35mm

[@xagikneex]

Alec, first of all thank you for showing us the amazing work, most importantly Sudek’s work. 2nd of all, what’s happening in your home state is an effect of a nasty cause. Unfortunately it has to happen in such a way, due to people anger and the way the process it. Lastly, I hope you and your family stay safe. RIP to DW

[@neilgenower9950]

Is it a coincidence that you've chosen photographs through a window, looking out and the freedom of birds in flight? The juxtaposition of the cage and the free flight depicts a sense of being trapped. Lockdown, potential violence, barbed wire around the courthouse. With hope, things will now relax somewhat and you can visually ingest some wide ranging and expanding vistas.

[@chrisburns6031]

Reminds me of Sudek's garden response to the Iron Curtain

[@33India6]

Thanks for this Alec, I absolutely needed this today!

[@marklevine1100]

Your video made me think about my own practice of photography. When I'm putting my eye to the viewfinder, am I at the same time sticking my head in the sand? Maybe some of the problems we're facing in this country have gotten worse because we're all retreating to our metaphorical backyards. Specifically I'm thinking about Netflix, social media, gaming, and other distractions. The camera is a powerful tool, especially when it's pointed outwards as well as inwards. Another great thought provoking film!

[@joeltunnah]

Speak for yourself, I’ve not retreated one bit this whole time. I was riding the empty subway alone in April 2020.

[@tplyons5459]

It's now a year since you made this video and the world is on the verge of WW3. I'm now pushed out the door to photograph the world before it's messed up big time

[@user-ov1mv5mt1z]

Thanks again! but could you keep subtitles in your videos please ?

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Sorry, but I don't have enough traffic to afford this. It costs around $1.25 per minute.

[@user-ov1mv5mt1z]

​@@AlecSothKZbin Even automatic? I see.I didn't know.

[@Dtynw1]

That salsa commercial was crazy!

[@adamkencki]

pretty good take on Sudek there Alec. not 100% accurate, but good :-)

[@dqmoser4128]

Adam, where did Alec miss the mark on Sudek? Curious. Thanks.

[@adamkencki]

​@@dqmoser4128 it´s just little things. So Sudek was originally a bookbinder and after the war, he obviously couldn´t work as one. He lived in Invalidovna after the war (house for invalid veterans) and although he was photographing before the war, this is where he took a serious interest in photography and actually did some kind of a requalification course. He was very much influenced by purists like Clarence H White and Czech-American Drahomír Josef Růžička, who was the first to introduce Prague to American purism. He finished photography studies in 1924 and started his trade in the small garden atelier in a courtyard in 1927 where he also lived for a long time. (contemporary minimalists with tiny houses would love it there it´s really small :-) The studio had a large window (more like a glass wall on one side) and a couple small other windows. It used to belong to a photographer called Laube who was photographing soldiers from a nearby barracks. Sudek worked with the designer Ladislav Sutnar ho later emigrated to America in 1939. Sudek started making contact prints in the 1940s, before that he was enlarging prints as was normal at that time. I think he started photographing still lifes on the window and later discovered the window as a subject. (his still lifes were very much influenced by Carravaggio and Josef Navrátil) An unconfirmed rumour is that his sister Božena was boiling water in the atelier to make the windows dewier :) She was a very important person in his life and basically devoted herself to him and his career. She was taking care of the business, she was a great retoucher and also made sure he ate :) I think it is important to mention her because I am not sure he could have done it without her. Sudek had a couple of assistants who mostly travelled with him to shoot on location (Petr Helbich for example). The atelier burned down in 1985 while his sister was still living there after Sudek died and later replica was build in 2000.

[@dqmoser4128]

@@adamkencki Thanks for that, interesting. Time to take my Sudek book off the shelf and look more closely at it.

[@josephoxandale]

I wonder if there's some other class of photographers who have made photos of the inside of their cramped miserable city apartments...

[@elrinmeyers1560]

What even is my recommended

[@HHCronikO]

The contorted tree branches sketch a looming swastika. I rather see the tree not as a general metaphor of Sudek himself, but specifically as Sudek under the third reich.

[@JohnKrill]

Yes, you're a national treasure but unfortunately wood products have become more valuable. 😃😄😃😁