" #47 Hermans Bed, Kenner, Louisiana by Alec Soth from Dissolutions (Sleeping by the Mississippi)
I became a photographer to engage with the physical world. Photography gave me an excuse to drive around and watch light bounce off things. I also enjoyed the process of converting this light into physical emulsions. But the goal of bringing these documents together as books and exhibitions was much more ephemeral. I want my photographs to function as springboards for memory and imagination.
My first project, Sleeping by the Mississippi, was made out of a desire to drive along the Mississippi River, but I rarely photographed the river itself. By depicting a puzzling mix of people and places, m...