Pictures & Words #2

Alec Soth explores the relationship between photographs and text, giving special emphasis to "The Sweetflypaper of Life" by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes.
For more on DeCarava & Hughes, visit the LBM Newsletter #8: littlebrownmush...

[@didiMao]

Every few months I return to these videos for focus/inspiration

[@slicedmittens]

two? in three days? what did we do to deserve this

[@Camerasnaps]

If you need a fix in between you can try some on my channel.

[@jowallace5811]

Alec, you are the most eloquent of ramblers

[@ashimayadava]

Cant get enough of the pictures and words series! Splendid as usual, Alec.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thank you

[@ZisisKardianos]

For those interested in other DeCarava books, I'll suggest to look for the MOMA catalogue published in 1996. It is simply titled DeCarava Retrospective. An exquisite catalogue of 280 pages. And here is a tip. Because the book is rare and hard to find, you can download it in its entirety in pdf from the MOMA website but you have to search past exhibitions to find it. I tried to post the link to the pdf page here but it seems that my post was deleted. Thank you Alec for another great video!

[@clementfauquet8419]

I couldn't find it on MoMA. Could you send it in MP ? Thanks

[@robertjean-gilles8615]

“the sound i saw” is also an authored book by DeCarava. But in that book the text and photos are all done by him. Great stuff in there, highly recommend. Overall love this little series, nice work✊🏾

[@wdworden]

I'm enjoying these talks very much. Thanks Alec

[@robertbonella1806]

Thanks again. Thrilling to discover new books I have never heard of or seen.... not sure where or how one would even discover them otherwise. These talks are so helpful & inspiring.

[@ak4good]

Thank you so much for another insightful, thoughtful lecture. This is such an amazing resource. So glad I found your channel.

[@aaronrferguson]

Great video Alec, thanks for sharing

[@RR-bd4bm]

Fantastic! I love the pace, the choice of books and the straightforward commentary. Thank you.

[@scottmcwilliams2378]

Thank you! I found this series of videos while recovering from Covid and love them. The Lange and Taylor example unlocked a year-long sticking point for a couple of photobook projects I’m currently attempting to wrestle to completion. I also find myself asking about the nuance of real-time versus story time when sequencing images. Finally, I really appreciate the quality of the PIP shot of you speaking while interacting with the book. Your insights are generous gifts for which I’m very thankful.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thanks Scott

[@thepixeleo]

It's really nice hearing you talk Alec! Thanks for the lecture :)

[@nnelgsiggah]

Thank you Alec. So very interesting. I feel so very grateful and privileged to be able to view your insightful talks on photography. I can’t wait for the next one.

[@floberardinucci1435]

These beautiful books show how important it is to write what you know. I would also say that to photograph what you know brings veracity to one"s work. And the powerful combination of the two elevates both to a higher level of understanding.

[@jarmalmartis4050]

Thank you so much for introducing me to Roy DeCarava's work. His pictures are very beautiful. It's always great to see black life photographed with humanity. Speaking of, Gordon Parks was a black photographer who shot for the FSA, if I'm not mistaken.

[@deanpeterson_]

These are my favorite videos on youtube.

[@BehindThePhoto]

wonderful. thank you.

[@joeltunnah]

I’m fascinated by democratic small paperback photography books like “Flypaper”. It’s really a rare thing. We’re so conditioned to think that photography books have to be oversized hardcover coffee table affairs.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

I agree

[@omarozenir2763]

I've been very much enjoying these videos Alec. Thanks a lot! I love books with words when done well. Two I've been coming back to again and again are "Self Portrait With Cows Coming Home" by Sylvia Plachy and "Atget", the MOMA book with text by Szarkowski.

[@simonpetergreen]

your series is a brilliant contribution to youtube and many thanks for your time and energy - i am studying MFA Photography (UK)

[@chopster01]

Another great one. Ordered the new monograph, will track down Sweet Flypaper. Thank you!

[@JerryAdam]

Thank you for starting this series, Alec - it's interesting to hear your thoughts on the topic! I like how pictures can add or shift the meaning of words/phrases/sentences, and vice versa. To me, adding words to a picture has an analogous effect to adding colour to a black and white image. It either creates a completely new layer of meaning or it shifts the ones that are already there. Based on his Instagram feed, Jeff Mermelstein also seems to be interested in this topic at the moment.

[@seniorcolman]

My highlight of the day!

[@josephmontez879]

Great video Alec

[@koishes00]

love these videos

[@fathersamuelissa3474]

wonderful and insightful with love and respect

[@clementfauquet8419]

Hi Alec, since you started talking about "Pictures and Words", I kept in mind DeCavara's "The Sound I Saw" depicting, if I remember correctly, a NYC jazz scene. The pictures were really good but the addition of poems and texts never took for me. Maybe it was the overcrowded layout and the french translation (being French) but in the end it kept me out and I never looked thoroughly at the work. Another work combining both is Harry Gruyaert's "Made In Belgium" whose pictures went alongside Hugo Claus' poems. The layout was more classical and you could pose to read and think of the relation between both. I guess I'm rambling too and I'll conclude also saying your doing excellent content and that I've always been interested in your work for it's hazy fantasy of America that hits so well the European eye. Take care, Clément

[@AlecSothYouTube]

The edition I have of "The Sound I Saw" isn't great, and I don't respond to the text either. But I talked with a friend who told me that book changed her life.

[@clementfauquet8419]

Well, that would make an interesting chat!

[@igorynowicz9049]

It feels like the photos in The Sweet Flypaper often act as replacement to words rather than just visualising/accompanying the text.

[@coffeepyros]

Thanks again for the rambling! Very interesting to see and think about. One very small thing, that I noticed is that the mic is sometimes picking up *something*. Not sure what it is, I'm no audio person. Could be table movement? Chair movement? I'm not sure. Happens when you move books around and not when you sit still. I think it's only audible because your surrounding is so quiet and your voice is so calm.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Yeah, table. Bugging me too.

[@taylorervin264]

Weegee's Naked City I think is a brilliant (and very funny!) marriage of pictures and words. Would love to hear you talk about it.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

I'm a big fan. Hopefully someday I'll get to it.

[@paultrantow5759]

Hi everyone, Note that there's a modern printing of Sweet Flypaper, hard-bound, and large format (9.5" x 10.75"). Note also that while it's lovely, it's also apparently out-of-print and sort of pricey. But please keep an eye out for one nonetheless. It's one of my few really treasured books.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

Thanks Paul

[@louhautdavid6451]

Talking about pictures and words, I'd like to mention a kind of UFO. Jean Le Gac is a french painter, but also categorized as a conceptual artist. He told the story of Florent Max, a fictional painter. It's a kind of investigation about the vocation of the artist, using photographs and cutlines as if it was in newspapers or magazines. I think he had a good time telling crazy anecdotes...

[@PhilippeCastelneau]

Thanks for the video, greatly interesting as always. One thing though, you said there were no black photographers working for the FSA, but I believe Gordon Parks did at some point. Of course, he probably was the exception. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to do those videos.

[@AlecSothYouTube]

I didn't mean to say that. There are no black photographers represented in "12 Million Black Voices."

[@LewisCooley]

Getting stoned and listening to Alec Soth should be illegal.

[@photographicphilosophy8869]

It is where I live BUT FUCK EM this is to good not to enjoy elevated 👌

[@mattdayphoto]

10/10

[@LewisCooley]

@@mattdayphoto Wow the Matt Day? I watch your stuff stoned too good sir, bless you for the service and vibes you provide.

[@lucaantonioforte3486]

Powerful.

[@albano.garcia]

"Once" by Wim Wenders is another interesting example of words interacting with photos

[@wandawanda5962]

it's lovely to just hear someone talk about something that they thought about a lot. how you are not invited to do lectures at university I do not understand

[@Camerasnaps]

Interesting

[@tatianapovaliaeva]

advertising in the middle((( nooo please nooo