Saturday, April 11, 2015

Salt of the Earth

I have been a big admirer of the work of Sebastião Salgado for several years now. I was drawn to him as a photographer but I admire him more as a human being, a man with genuine concern for others and the world around him.

After earning a master’s degree in economics from the University of São Paulo he began work as an economist for a development bank, travelling to much of Africa. In his 30's Salgado chose to abandon his career as an economist and pursue a new love, photography.

As a social photographer his projects took him to the four corners of the earth.  His recent work includes "Genesis" which documents the world's forgotten people and places. He has spent much of his life using his photography to shine a light on the fate of the outcast and now his story is being told in an upcoming documentary "Salt of the Earth".

copyright Sebastião Salgado
Sebastião Salgado, Serra Pelada Gold Mine Brazil, 1986

I also very much enjoyed his TED Talk called "The Silent Drama of Photography". It is centered around how a valley in Brazil where he grew up as a child was de-forested and what they did about it.

His work is a reminder that while we, as a civilization, have so much more to accomplish the rewards of doing so can be very profound and the joy immense. Hope you enjoy and thank you for stopping by!