Biography: Born in 1969, Alec Soth is an American photographer, who resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. In 2007, Soth created the book Paris/Minnesota.
Significance: Soth is known for creating "large scale American projects," which usually turn into books. He likes to show the space in between the subject and the photographer, not just the image he takes. He truly can tell a story with his photography. He is known for creating a bond with subjects, even if they are strangers and photographing people that might not be expected.
Composition: All of his photos in this piece of work are unique. He used both indoor and outdoor lighting. In some photos it is known that he is there, while in other it is more candid, like he is being ignored.
Concept/Aboutness/Idea: In this work, Soth shows the distant between the two places: Paris and Minnesota. He does it in a way where he is not passing judgment. He is simply trying to represent the places as they are. He is not showing the literal distant, but the differences that separate them so greatly.
Method: I think it is really important that he did candid shots of people doing what they would normally do. He didn't set things up to try to represent the places; he just chose different things that went on the city to try to describe it best.
Motivations: Soth was trying to represent each city to show how different they were from one another. Like I said previously, he tries to capture the space in between the subject and himself; he is trying to show the space that is in between Paris and Minnesota. He is not saying that one place is better, just different.
Opinion: All of Soth's work is good, but it's not the type of photography that appeals to me most. This piece, however, I greatly related to. I'm from the Midwest, but don't have any intention to stay here. I love Paris and what it represents. I can definitely understand the distance between these places. While I do have a preference and think that Paris is a better city, I like that he doesn't try to represent it that way. I don't think it would work if he did because to some people, Minnesota is a more preferable place to live than Paris. This piece is so easy for me to relate to, and that's why I think I really like it so much.
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