20 Quotes by Alec Soth

Whether you are Minor White or Robert Frank, almost every photograph starts with an act of pure description – a window. But every now and then you catch a glimpse of the photographer’s reflection. The mirror is just another function of the window.

Watching my daughter sort of live in this world where a photograph is not something to keep a memory. It’s something to just speak with. It’s language.

Photography’s future is infinite and bright. It’s growing exponentially, so that’s great, but for me as a practitioner, that exponential growth makes it even more problematic. And so for me, it’s got me more engaged with storytelling.

Photography, for me, is a lot like web surfing in real life.

For me, photography is as much about the way I respond to the subject as it is about the subject itself.

I didn’t want to pretend to be a conceptual artist that charges $10,000 for an experience. It’s just not what I am. I’m a photographer and I make prints. And people buy a print, and I understand that. But I’m uncomfortable with buying an experience.

The people that I photographed allowed me to photograph them because they didn’t want to be alone, and the truth is I didn’t want to be alone making the pictures.

I’m like the annoying guy in the street.

It’s a weird combination that makes a great picture. It’s a complete mystery to me.