I think the concept behind Alec Soth's "Broken Manual" is interesting, but not very original. It's fun to take pictures of abandoned, dirty items that were obviously significant once upon a time, although that significance has long since been lost. But I feel like it's been done many times before. However, he does it well - the images are very attractive, I really like his style of lighting and focus. The subject matter is engaging, capturing my attention and drawing me into the image. Although the photographs are strong, they clearly benefit from being part of a series, because one lonely object is not as fascinating as a thousand lonely objects. I think Alex Soth's images are about each individual image and its objects, and the stories they hold.
Frank Relle's New Orleans work is very nice but I feel like the series is extremely redundant. Or maybe I'm just not interested in pictures of houses at night. I think he has done a really good job of lighting the houses, whether he lights them himself or uses street lights, it's very sharp and powerful. I think that Frank Relle's images are more about the look of the houses all together.
I think you should read into Alec's intent more. He is very specifically displaying imagery to build a perception of someone's life, not the lack thereof. Consider how the photos interact with one another and piece together the objects, spaces, and people to form a story. I think when you do that, you'll find this series more impactful, whether you like the photography or not.
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