Jaú River, Jaú National Park, State of Amazonas, Brazil, 2019
“Photography is much more than just taking pictures – it is a way of life. What you feel, what you want to express, is your ideology and your ethics. It’s a language that allows you to travel over the wave of history.”
Economist-turned-artist Sebastião Salgado began his photography practice after his finance role with the International Coffee Organization and the World Bank led him to travel to tea plantations in Africa. Inspired by the people he photographed during his trips, Salgado quit his finance job to continue traveling and photographing the rest of the world and its inhabitants. His works highlight global issues relating to nature, workers, and the human condition, and while he believes that his photographs alone will not be able to change the world, he uses them as a vehicle for awareness coupled with larger movements for action.