The silent drama of photography | Sebastião Salgado

I love a good TED Talk. Especially when the speaker is a photographer. And they don’t come more interesting than Brazillian Sebastião Salgado.

I first became aware of his work in the early 1990s. I saw some of his images of gold miners in Brazil and then later some of the work he produced in Kuwait of the teams fighting the oil disaster that happened there.

His work, in black and white, is incredibly powerful. He often tackles big topics yet manages to infuse them with depth and passion.

Producing bodies of photographic work which consistently convey emotion requires commitment and strength. Salgado seems to have an abundance of both. Take a listen to him share his passion in this video.

“When I was just starting out, I met Cartier-Bresson. He wasn’t young in age but, in his mind, he was the youngest person I’d ever met. He told me it was necessary to trust my instincts, be inside my work, and set aside my ego. In the end, my photography turned out very different to his, but I believe we were coming from the same place.” – Sebastiao Salgado