Alec Soth is an American photographer known for his series that explore landscapes and portraits. The document summarizes a trip to see an exhibition of Soth's work at the Science Museum in London on January 28th, 2016. It provides details about four series displayed - Mississippi (2004), Niagara (2006), Broken Manual (2010) and Songbook (2014). The exhibition aimed to showcase the evolution of Soth's style over various projects. It also briefly discusses the work of photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, though the visitor found Soth's work more interesting.

1. LONDON TRIP
2 8 T H J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6

2. TRIP SUMMARY
• On the 28th January 2016, we took a trip into London to visit a photography exhibition at the
Science Museum. Then, we went on to Trafalgar Square to photograph London for our 4th Plinth
project. Beforehand, as I had no lessons prior to the visit, I went up to London early and went to
Camden. Whilst there, I decided to carry out a documentary-style shoot as the culture and
aesthetics of Camden are unique to anywhere else in London and so I felt that it would make an
interesting photo series.
• The exhibition we visited featured the work Alec Soth and Julia Margaret-Cameron. Alec Soth is
one of my favourite photographers and so I found his exhibition interesting and informative as it
explained the reasons and motivations behind his photo series’ and showcased his wide variety
of pictures. On the other hand, I personally did not enjoy the Julia Margaret-Cameron exhibit as
her work was not in the style of what I enjoy.

3. ALEC SOTH
• The exhibition showcased four of Alec Soth’s major works.
• The four pieces exhibited were Mississippi (2004), Niagara (2006), Broken Manual
(2010) and
Songbook (2014).
• The title of this exhibition was Gathered Leaves. This refers to just one level of
photography being as simple as sheets of paper being brought together.

4. ALEC SOTH – ARTIST STATEMENT
• Alec Soth is a magnum photographer. He explores
different forms of photography in the world and works
to create different types for his audience to encounter,
from museums to live workshops led from his
Winnebago.
• Like many great photographers and writers from the
American canon – such as Robert Frank, Stephen Shore
and Joel Sternfeld – Soth takes the open road as his
subject, but brings to it his own unique and modern
twist.
• Through haunting, intimate portraits, desolate
landscapes and wide open wildernesses, his work
captures a profound sense of what it is to be human.
Tenderness, joy, disappointment, fear or pride – his
striking portraits capture the rawness of human emotion
and the tension between our conflicting desires for
individualism and community.
• The exhibition is aimed to show the evolution of Soth’s

5. SLEEPING BY THE MISSISSIPPI
• The picture on the right is from Soth’s
Sleeping By The Mississippi collection.
• I like this image because of the high
contrast in colours. The background to
this image is quite dull as it is made up of
only grey tones, but the woman herself is
colourful due to her bright hair, clothing
and tattoo.
• On Alec Soth’s website, it states that this
picture was taken on Ash Wednesday. The
woman has a cross drawn on her
forehead, which could symbolise her faith
and religion. It could also suggest that
she was baptised as this is an element of
baptism.

6. SONGBOOK
• The picture on the right is from Soth’s
Songbook collection.
• I like this image because of the simplicity
of it. The picture uses just a garden and
four women as its aesthetic, but it is
successful in creating a message.
• The four women in the picture are all
‘Miss Model’ contestants. As we can see in
the image, each girl is unique and
different from the other. As they are all
models, this could connote how there is
not one definition for ‘beauty’.

7. NIAGARA
• The picture on the right is from Soth’s
Niagara collection.
• I like how the colour red is projected onto
Niagara Falls in this image and how it
slowly graduates into the ordinary blue as
it creates a beautiful effect and also
makes it pop against the colour of the
sky.
• Niagara is typically a ‘city for love’ as
many people go here to get married. As
red symbolises love and passion, this
could be the intent behind it.

8. BROKEN MANUAL
• The picture on the right is from Soth’s
Broken Manual collection.
• I like how the man in the centre of the
image is so small in comparison to the
trees, yet still manages to stand out
because of his dark clothing.
• The way that the man is being hidden by
the trees and the way that they tower
over him could suggest that he is lost and
feels overwhelmed. The fact that he is
wearing black could also connote sorrow.

9. JULIA MARGARET CAMERON– ARTIST
STATEMENT
• Cameron took up photography in 1863 at the age of
48 when she was gifted a camera. Her photographic
career only had a span of 15 years but she is
recognised as one of the pioneers who established
photography as an art form in its own right.
• Cameron’s photographs combined unorthodox
techniques with a deep personal vision.
• She used a lack of sharp focus which became her
hallmark style despite criticism at the time.