Alec Soth + Stacey Baker: This is what enduring love looks like

Commissioned Portrait and Meeting Stacey Baker

Alec Soth receives a commission from Stacey Baker to take a portrait of her parents. He becomes more interested in photographing Stacey herself. Stacey later leaves her job as an attorney to study photography and meets the director of photography at the New York Times Magazine.

Commissioned Portrait

• Alec Soth receives a call from Stacey Baker, who wants him to take a portrait of her parents after seeing his photographs in an art exhibition.

• Initially, Alec assumes that Stacey is a wealthy oil tycoon, but later learns that she took out a loan for the commission.

Interest in Photographing Stacey

• While taking the picture of her parents, Alec becomes more excited about photographing Stacey herself.

• The portrait he takes of her ends up becoming one of his best-known portraits.

Stacey's Career Change

• After meeting Alec, Stacey leaves her job as an attorney for the State of Texas to study photography in Maine.

• During her time there, she meets the director of photography at the New York Times Magazine and is offered a job.

Exploring How Couples Meet

Alec and Stacey discuss their fascination with how couples meet. They decide to collaborate on a photography project exploring this question.

Fascination with How Couples Meet

• Stacey expresses her obsession with how couples meet and asks Alec about how he met his wife Rachel.

• Alec shares the story of meeting Rachel at a high school football game when they were teenagers.

Photography Project Proposal

• Inspired by their conversation, Stacey proposes doing a photography project exploring how couples meet.

• Alec is interested in the question but also curious about why it fascinates Stacey since she has never had a boyfriend.

Speed Dating in Las Vegas

Stacey and Alec decide to have Stacey participate in speed dating as part of their photography project. They attend a speed dating event in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day.

Speed Dating Event

• Stacey and Alec attend what is advertised as the world's largest speed dating event in Las Vegas.

• Stacey goes on 19 dates, with each date lasting three minutes.

Ice-Breaker Questions

• Participants are given ice-breaker questions to initiate conversation, such as asking about the kind of animal they would be.

• Stacey shares her experiences with some of her dates, including Colin, Zack, Chris, Carl, Matthew, Austin, Mike, Cliff, Bill, Spencer, Craig, William.

Real Love vs. Photographic Love

Alec reflects on the difference between real love and photographic love while observing Stacey's dates. He emphasizes the beauty of vulnerability in photography.

Difference Between Real Love and Photographic Love

• Alec realizes that real love is different from photographic love while watching Stacey's dates and discussing them with her.

• He ponders the nature of real love and how it progresses from an initial meeting to a lifelong connection.

Beauty of Vulnerability in Photography

• As a photographer, Alec finds the quality of vulnerability to be the most beautiful aspect.

• He witnesses numerous examples of vulnerability during the date-a-thon event at which he saw Stacey's dates.

Exploring Real Love at Sun City Summerlin

To further understand how relationships develop beyond initial meetings, Alec and Stacey visit Sun City Summerlin retirement community in Las Vegas.

Visit to Sun City Summerlin

• Alec and Stacey visit Sun City Summerlin, the largest retirement community in Las Vegas.

• They aim to explore how relationships progress from initial meetings to long-term connections.

The transcript ends here.

How Couples Met and Stayed Together

This section explores the stories of different couples and how they met and stayed together. The focus is on the endurance and commitment in their relationships.

Meeting Through Unconventional Circumstances

• Dean, a photographer, met his wife Judy at the same age when Alec met Rachel. They both had successful careers that caught each other's attention.

• George met Josephine at a parish dance when he was 18 and she was 15. They didn't overthink their early choices, simply following their feelings.

• Bob and Trudy initially weren't particularly attracted to each other on their blind date, but they still got married soon after.

Overcoming Challenges in Relationships

• George and Mary's second marriage started with him owing $9,000 in taxes. Mary helped him get out of debt by managing his paychecks for a year. Despite George's struggles with alcoholism, Mary stood by him even after threats of violence towards her and her children. Eventually, George joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober for 36 years.

Endurance in Relationships

• The narrator reflects that what fascinated them more than how couples met was how they managed to stay together through the challenges of life. Both singles and couples showed resilience in trying to connect with others or holding onto each other after decades together.

Cherishing Memories

• Joe and Roseanne had an old wedding photograph that they both carried in their wallets for decades, symbolizing their enduring love for each other.