Sebastião Salgado was born in Aimorés, Brazil in 1944. Before becoming a photographer, Salgado originally studied as economics and earned his MA from São Paulo University in 1968 and a PhD from the University of Paris in 1971. He worked at the International Coffee Organization in London which required him to make frequent trips abroad. His interest in documenting his trips started his interest in photography. By 1974 Salgado was freelancing as a photojournalist for the Sygma agency in Paris. Following his work for Sygma, he then began working for Gama from 1975 until 1979, when he joined Magnum.
Salgado has produced various extended documentary series throughout his career, many of which have been published. He has also won many honors for his work.
Salgado’s style is high contrast black and white photography, documenting those in desperate economic cirumstances. His images feature portraits of individuals and their lifestyles. He persists on documenting his subjects in series rather than singluar photographs. His images communicate a subtle understanding of their social and econimic situations without soliciting pity like many other photographs of Third World countries do.
I was particularly drawn to his images because of the rawness and purity. Salgado’s images carefully communicate the circumstances of these individuals through candid photographs. I personally enjoy black and white photography, and I was so intrigued when I was viewing his work. The images are so strong and impactful, I was able to grasp their lifestyles without feeling sorrow.
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/sebastião-salgado?all/all/all/all/0
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/sebastiao-salgado-forest-trees-180956620/
PhotoChronologies 