9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Alec Soth: So about 10 years ago,[br]I got a call from a woman in Texas, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Stacey Baker, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she'd seen some of my photographs[br]in an art exhibition 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and was wondering if she could commission[br]me to take a portrait of her parents. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Now, at the time I hadn't met Stacey,[br]and I thought this was some sort of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 wealthy oil tycoon and I'd struck it rich, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but it was only later that I found out 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 she'd actually taken out a loan[br]to make this happen. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I took the picture of her parents, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but I was actually more excited[br]about photographing Stacey. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The picture I made that day[br]ended up becoming 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 one of my best known portraits. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At the time I made this picture,[br]Stacey was working as an attorney 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for the State of Texas. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not long after, she left her job[br]to study photography in Maine, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and while she was there,[br]she ended up meeting 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Director of Photography[br]at the New York Times Magazine 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and was actually offered a job. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Stacey Baker: In the years since,[br]Alec and I have done 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a number of magazine projects together, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we've become friends. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 A few months ago, I started talking[br]to Alec about a fascination of mine. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I've always been obsessed[br]with how couples meet. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I asked Alec how he[br]and his wife Rachel met, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he told me the story[br]of a high school football game 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 where she was 16 and he was 15, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he asked her out. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He liked her purple hair. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She said yes, and that was it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I then asked Alec if he'd be interested[br]in doing a photography project 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 exploring this question. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 AS: And I was interested in the question,[br]but I was actually much more interested 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in Stacey's motivation for asking it, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 particularly since I'd never known[br]Stacey to have a boyfriend. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So as part of this project,[br]I thought it'd be interesting 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 if she tried to meet someone. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So my idea was to have Stacey here[br]go speed dating 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) (Applause) (Music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 SB: We ended up at what was advertised[br]as the world's largest speed dating event. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I had 19 dates 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and each date lasted 3 minutes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Participants were given a list of ice-[br]breaker questions to get the ball rolling, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 things like, "If you could be any kind[br]of animal, what would you be?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That sort of thing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My first date was Colin. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He's from England, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he once married a woman he met[br]after placing an ad for a capricorn. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Alec and I saw him[br]at the end of the evening, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he said he'd kissed a woman in line[br]at one of the concession stands. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Zack and Chris came[br]to the dating fun together. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is Karl. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I asked Karl, "What's the first thing[br]you notice about a woman?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He said, "Tits." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Matthew is attracted to women[br]with muscular calves. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We talked about running. He does[br]triathlons, I run half-marathons. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Alec actually liked his eyes and asked[br]if I was attracted to him, but I wasn't, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I don't think he was[br]attracted to me either. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Austin and Mike came together. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mike asked me a hypothetical question. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He said, "You're in an elevator[br]running late for a meeting. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Someone makes a dash for the elevator. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Do you hold it open for them?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I said I would not. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Cliff said the first thing he notices[br]about a woman is her teeth, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we complimented each others' teeth. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Because he's an open mouth sleeper, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he says he has to floss more[br]to help prevent gum disease, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and so I asked him how often he flosses, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he said, "Every other day." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Now, as someone who flosses twice a day, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I wasn't really sure that[br]that was flossing more 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but I don't think I said that out loud. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Bill is an auditor, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we talked the entire[br]three minutes about auditing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The first thing Spencer notices[br]about a woman is her complexion. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He feels a lot of women[br]wear too much makeup, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that they should only wear enough[br]to accentuate the features that they have. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I told him I didn't wear any makeup at all 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he seemed to think[br]that that was a good thing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Craig told me he didn't think[br]I was willing to be vulnerable. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was also frustrated when I couldn't[br]remember my most embarrassing moment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He thought I was lying, but I wasn't. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I didn't think he liked me at all,[br]but at the end of the night, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he came back to me and he gave me[br]a box of chocolates. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 William was really difficult to talk to. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think he was drunk. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Actor Chris McKenna[br]was the MC of the event. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He used to be on[br]"The Young and the Restless." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I didn't actually go on a date with him. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Alex said he saw several women[br]give their phone numbers to him. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Needless to say, I didn't fall in love. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I didn't feel a particular connection with[br]any of the men that I went on dates with, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I didn't feel like they felt[br]a particular connection with me either. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 AS: Now, the most beautiful thing to me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 -- (Laughter) -- as a photographer 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is the quality of vulnerability. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The physical exterior reveals a crack[br]in which you can get a glimpse 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at a more fragile interior. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At this date-a-thon event,[br]I saw so many examples of that, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but as I watched Stacey's dates[br]and talked to her about them, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I realized how different[br]photograph love is from real love. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 What is real love? How does it work? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In order to work on this question[br]and to figure out how someone goes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 from meeting on a date[br]to having a life together, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Stacey and I went to Sun City Summerlin, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which is the largest[br]retirement community in Las vegas. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Our contact there was George, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who runs the community's photography club. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He arranged for us to meet other couples[br]in their makeshift photo studio. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 SB: After 45 years of marriage,[br]Anastasia's husband died two years ago, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 s owe asked if she had[br]an old wedding picture. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She met her husband[br]when she was a 15-year old waitress 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at a small barbecue place in Michigan. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was 30. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She'd lied about her age. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was the first person she'd dated. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Dean had been named Photographer of[br]the Year in Las Vegas two years in a row, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and this caught Alec's attention, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as did the fact that he met his wife Judy 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at the same age when Alec met Rachel. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Dean admitted that he likes[br]to look at beautiful women, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but he's never questioned[br]his decision to marry Judy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 AS: George met Josephine[br]at a parish dance. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was 18, she was 15. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like a lot of the couples we met,[br]they weren't especially philosophical 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about their early choices. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 George said something[br]that really stuck with me. He said, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "When you get that feeling[br]you just go with it." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Bob and Trudy met on a blind date[br]when she was still in high school. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They said they weren't particularly[br]attracted to each other when the first met. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Nevertheless, they were[br]married soon after. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 SB: The story that stayed with me the most 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was that of George, the photography club[br]president, and his wife Mary. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This was George and Mary's[br]second marriage. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They met at a country/western club[br]in Louisville, Kentucky called the Sahara. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was there alone drinking[br]and she was with friends. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When they started dating,[br]he owed the IRS 9,000 dollars in taxes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she offered to help him[br]get out of debt, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so for the next year, he turned[br]his paychecks over to Mary, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she got him out of debt. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 George was actually an alcoholic[br]when they married and Mary knew it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At some point in their marriage,[br]he says he consumed 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 54 beers in one day. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Another time, when he was drunk,[br]he threatened to kill Mary 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and her two kids, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but they escaped 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at a SWAT Team was called to the house. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Amazingly, Mary took him back, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and eventually things got better. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 George has been involved[br]in Alcoholics Anonymous 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and hasn't had a drink in 36 years. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At the end of the day,[br]after we left Sun City, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I told Alec that I didn't actually think 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that the stories of how these couples met[br]was all that interesting. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 What was more interesting 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was how they managed to stay together. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 AS: They all had this beautiful[br]quality of endurance, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but that was true of the singles, too. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The world is hard,[br]and the singles were out there 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 trying to connect with other people, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the couples[br]were holding onto each other 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 after all these decades. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My favorite pictures on this trip[br]were of Joe and Roseanne. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Now, by the time we met Joe and Roseanne, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we'd gotten in the habit of asking couples[br]if they had an old wedding photograph. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In their case, they simultaneously[br]pulled out of their wallets 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the exact same photograph. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 What's more beautiful,[br]I thought to myself, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this image of a young couple[br]who has just fallen in love 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or the idea of these two people[br]holding onto this image for decades? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause)