Alec Soth
미국 출신 사진작가 Alec Soth는
이미지 속에 숨어있는 이야기들로 암시를 주는
민속적인 요소들과함께 영화적인 느낌을 준다.
그가 Magnum에 들어가게 된 과정부터, 그의 작품에 대하여
그가 기자와 대화를 나눈 2004년 기사를 발췌하였다.
Q: Congratulations on your recent election as a nominee to Magnum.
Why did you decide to join this agency?
A: I love the history of Magnum. I particularly respond to the famous advice that Capa gave to Cartier-Bresson: 'Don't keep the label of a surrealist photographer. Be a photojournalist. If not, you will fall into mannerism. Keep surrealism in your little heart, my dear. Don't fidget. Get moving!'
I am more than capable of falling into self-indulgent mannerism. Assignment photography keeps me going out into the world and looking at new things. It keeps me honest. And yet I still feel this pullback toward art. I thrive on this duality. And it seems to me that Magnum thrives on this duality.
Q: Your camera of choice is an 8x10 view camera. Why use large-format?
A: Years ago, I made a list of my favorite photographers. An extraordinary number of them used the 8x10. I figured I might as well give it a try. And I fell in love. I don't think the camera is better than any other; it certainly is less practical than even a 4x5. But there is something magical about it for me. What I particularly like is the viewing experience under the dark cloth. The ground glass is big. Instead of jamming your face into the camera, you stand back. It is like looking at a painting on an easel.
Q: Can you describe your work process?
A: For the personal work, it is everything I just described: wandering, linking, serendipity. Assignment work is usually much different. A magazine usually hires a photographer to photograph something very specific. So I go and try to make the best picture I can. One of the reasons I joined Magnum is in hopes of getting richer assignments ? assignments that allow for wandering and discovery.
Q: Are there any photographers whose work has inspired you? If yes, can you say how and why?
A: The person I've been enamored with lately is Eugene Richards. He is one of the reasons I wanted to join Magnum. His latest book, 'The Fat Baby,' is a masterpiece. He is one of the few photographers who really figured out how to tell stories.
Q: Since joining Magnum, has your life been changed, and if yes, how so?
A: Magnum is helping me get better assignments. This has nothing to do with quantity (assignments or money) but quality. Quality is everything.
Alec Soth의 작품들 중,
Uniqjamie가 좋아하는 Niagara 와 Dog, days .Bogota를 소개한다.
<Niagara>
<Sleeping by the Mississippi> 이후 작품인 <Niagara>는
케나다와 미국을 갈라놓는 폭포와 관련된 작품이다.
이번 작품은 이전 작품들과는 확연하게 다르다.
특히, <Sleeping by the Mississippi> 를 접해 본 사람들은
아마 더욱더 놀랄 것이다.
그는
폭포와 같은 커다란 열정이 있다는
그 곳에서 촬영을 한
<Niagara> 작품에 대해
exploration of love and relationships
이라고 설명했다.
그는 1953년 마릴린 먼로의 영화를 통해
처음 Niagara 폭포에 대해 알게되었고,
영화속 나이아가라 폭포에서의 허니문에서,
그녀의 케릭터와,장미,그리고 그녀와 정신적으로 균형이 안맞는
그의 남편을 살해하기위한 계획을 꾸미는 비밀스러운 사랑
에 영감을 얻었다고..
사랑의 광경을 탐험하기를 원하며 떠났던
50일간의 나이아가라의 여행은
너무나 힘들고도 어두웠다고 한다.
처음 여행을 떠나기 전의 기대와는 달리
작업이 진행될수록 정신이 쇠퇴해갔으며
색감은 점점 어두워져갔다고 한다.
결국, 작품을 시작할 때
그의 아내에게,
"이 작품을 당신에게 바칩니다."
라고 했던 말을
바꿔야 했다는 그의 여담 :D
<Dog Days, Bogota.>
이 작품 서두에 써 있는 글이다.
My wife and I adopted our baby girl, Carmen Laura, from Bogotá, Colombia. While the courts processed her paperwork, we spent two months in Bogotá waiting to take Carmen home.
Carmen's birthmother gave her a book filled with letters, pictures and poems. "I hope that the hardness of the world will not hurt your sensitivity," she wrote, "When I think about you I hope that your life is full of beautiful things."
With those words as a mission statement, I began making my own book for Carmen. In photographing the city of her birth, I hope I've described some of the beauty in this hard place.
그는 Bogota에서 입양된 자신의 딸이
a real part of her history 로서 이 작품들을
흡수하기를 원한다고 하였다.
특히, 이유를 알 수 없는 강아지 사진들을
종종 볼 수가 있는데,
딸을 입양한 후로는, 거리의 아이들을
무시하고 찍을 수가 없어
거리의 개들을 대신 찍었다고한다.
불법 스크랩을 금지합니다
by.uniq jamie
