Book Review: Gathered Leaves
Courtesy Mack Books
Written by Nikkala Kovacevic
Copy Edited by Erin Pedigo
Gathered Leaves, even in its earlier iteration, displayed an unimaginable photographic scope on the part of Alec Soth. While still separated into each of his published books, this decade-spanning collection takes you on a fluid journey through Soth’s American journey, as well as the development of his personal style and direction.
It can easily be said that even on their own, Soth’s photographs are deeply personal. The trust he builds with the individuals or places he photographs is evident, so much so that many of them feel like an intrusion on a private moment or story that we as viewers are being given special access to. Soth not only captures the visual beauty of his travels, but clearly translates the multifaceted lives and stories of the subjects he chooses to capture.
Courtesy Mack Books
This iteration of Gathered Leaves offers a much more personal look into the process and stories behind each of Soth’s books. With now completely redesigned pages, Soth has also added a plethora of notes and anecdotes to each of his photographs. Beginning with a map pinned with all the places he has traveled, Soth walks us through a never before seen perspective on his works; that being his own.
It is important to note that the book reads more like a diary or scrapbook than it does a traditional photographic collection. There is a certain beauty to the standalone images present in its earlier version, with only a small glimpse of the stories Soth collected visible to the viewer. That being said, it would be a crime for the detail and effort of not only Soth’s photographs but the investigation and connections he built in order to capture said photographs to be concealed from the public.
Courtesy Mack Books
Some of his notes are as simple as what he was thinking in the moment the photograph was taken, while others tell the complete story of the individual he photographed, the circumstances that got them to where they are now and the dreams they wish to fulfill in the future. Soth’s goal in creating this book was to fill out the gaps in his documentation of America, acknowledging that while he can only capture these moments in words or photographs that last a fraction of a second, within these pictures is an abundance of life and history just waiting to be shared.
“What I want to share is not a two-dimensional map, but the spirit of the open road that Whitman described as ‘loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,’” Soth said. Every pin in his map now has attached to it a story or simply a moment in time that has been permanently stamped into Soth’s mind, a complete collection of one person’s travels and richness of the stories often left behind closed doors.
Courtesy Mack Books
