Meet a master storyteller

Alec Soth is regarded as one of our leading contemporary visual storytellers, and helms the latest online course from Magnum Photos. Niall Hampton finds out more

- Niall Hampton

With notable works including Sleeping by the Mississippi, Niagara and Broken Manual, the American photographer Alec Soth is widely celebrated for his distinctive – and often surprising – images. Halfway through the last decade, though, he stepped back from photography and spent a year making sculpture instead.

Fortunately for his followers, this period was only a sabbatical from photography and gave Soth the space and time to recharge and recalibrate. In 2019, he returned with I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating, a work that stood out from much of his previous output.

This collection of images is inspired by one of Soth’s favourite poems (The Gray Room by Wallace Stevens) and explores the intimacy of personal space.

A case study about the book and how it was put together is just one element in Alec Soth: Photographic Storytelling, the latest course from Magnum Learn, the online learning portal of the Magnum Photos agency.

Storytelling is a vital aspect of photography and, as one of its leading contemporary exponents, Soth is a great choice to helm this course. He offers a range of insights into his creative process and working practices, delivered via interviews and behind-the-scenes case studies.

An eloquent and engaging tutor, Soth doesn’t shy away from talking about the setbacks he has faced during his career. And his insightful advice for overcoming them and moving forward is a key takeaway of the course.