Might want to watch this one. I’ll let Tatiana do what she does, but anytime I see something in regard to Salgado I typically stop what I’m doing and at least give it a cursory glance. Remember, I already know a fair amount the guy. I’ve attended his talks, purchased his books, and I’ve cursed him endless times out of jealousy and rage. “I could do this stuff so easily if I could catch a break.” You know, what photographers do behind each other’s backs. And here is where I have to be me. I’m not sure we have another Salgado coming along. If we do, I’ve not yet heard of this person.
I’m not sure the industry could even support someone like this.
I worked at Kodak Professional and know of some of the Salgado related stories. Will these stories be rewritten in the modern era? No. Not a chance. But collectively we have changed. Our attention span, our greed, and our need. We need more, want more, and the timelines have changed. I also think our dedication and motivation are more tied to the other than they are to ourselves, one reason why so many twenty-somethings complain about not having motivation. (Film coming about this.)
My mom knew of Salgado. That should tell you about how his work has become part of the fabric of our time. A testimony to tenacity. If I had to choose a photographer to emulate, he would be near the top of the list. (I have a friend who worked for Playboy for thirty years, and I’m only human.) I would also note that Salgado’s wife and team are integral. You can make the best pictures in the world, but if you don’t have a plan you are dead in the water.
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I just watched this. Not long after my wife and I moved to France we visited Avignon. As luck would have it, like almost every other city we visited, they were having a photography exhibition: Salgado at the Palais des Papes. Stunning. His stories have impact because the photos are so f%*king good.
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Ya, he knows what he is doing and he puts the time in. Always has.
I read Genesis back in 2021, and drooled over every page. It’s what turned me on to the possibilities of black and white.
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He turned me toward the light back in 1991.
This Dude is on another level… I suspect he’s using God’s personal dark room.
Tad 🤣🤣🤣 Dan.. I’m so glad you referenced T. Hopper! She’s so good! I know you have in the past. But spill the beans .. Do you watch her regularly? I’m not asking if you go out of your way to watch her but do you watch her a good amount?
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I’ve never listened or watched her before. I don’t really watch anything regularly. I try to avoid watching something unless it’s semi-mandatory.
At Paris Photo I saw a Salgado picture that gave me goose bumps even before I read the name plate. How does he do that?
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shoots into the light……
I saw his GOLD exhibition at Bene Taschen Gallery here in Cologne like 3 years ago and it wasn‘t the huge prints that I was most excited about but a rather small frame..just legs and feet, dirty, sweaty, working their way in the gold mine. His eye for details and composition is just out of this world. I don‘t know if it was cropped but it didn‘t and still doesn‘t matter. A magician.
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That’s a good observation. At Paris Photo I’m always drawn to the smaller prints. Went to a party the other night, a beautiful house filled with art. There was a small piece on the wall as well and the owner and I were both drawn to it more than anything else.
Salgado. What a giant.
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He’s the man,.
Martin Parr has just released a video interview with Trent Parke on YouTube. Two great videos to watch now.
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Studs.
Sean: Thanks so much for your calling out Martin Parr’s interview with Trent Parke. Listening to Trent speak I was as much in awe of his passion, not only for photography, but for self-expression and originality, as I was when I watched the An-My Lê video. One of the things they both said was that everything has now been photographed thousands of times and the challenge is finding a way to capture through photography a new way of seeing what is in front of your camera. Daniel has always talked about this too but for some reason the videos finally rattled my brain enough to make a difference.
From the very beginning, when asked why I enjoyed photography so much I would respond with, “I see the world around me as a beautiful place and want to share that beauty with others.” Along the way I’ve lost sight of that while making a buck by photographing what others wanted me to. But it’s always been in the back of my mind and it’s now shifted to front and center where it belongs. In essence, seeing both of those videos was a good kick in my ass.
So thanks…
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Evolution. We can’t be the same photographers we were thirty years ago. We have to adapt, evolve, and sometimes that can mean walking away from photography.
You’re welcome. Parr has a lot of interviews with great photographers on his channel but Trent Parke was the one that got me really excited.
I realized that professional photography wasn’t for me a long time ago and walked away from it. One of the best things I ever did regarding photography.
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I feel the same. I’ve always loved Parke’s work. And he seems like such a normal Aussie dude.
I was in a visual arts program during the early 1970’s when I realized that I loved photography but I also liked to eat. I was a rocks, streams and mountains guy at that time and there was not much money in that. So I did a 90 degree, changed majors and started a career in what was then called Data Processing.
Photography remained a part of my life but an expensive one. I wanted to have it pay for itself so I did the typical stuff: portraiture, small events, weddings. Between my day job and my part-time job there was not much time for self-growth.
I enrolled in a university level certificate program in photography and with the help of those instructors crystalized what I want to do with my photography. Daniel’s interviews and recommended readings played no small part in my realizing what I aspired to do as well. Through his blogging and videos he introduced me among others to Trent Parke, whose photography which resonated so much with what I am trying to do with my own photography.
So that’s where I am today: just doing what I want to do, sharing my work with people who appreciate my style and have great constructive criticism, and totally unconcerned about “making a buck”. I’ve had a website for a couple of years that I now use mainly to share with family and friends. There’s a “Contact Me” page on the website and thus far have not received a single enquiry. And that’s fine with me.
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Hey, glad I could help. It does feel counterintuitive at times I walk away from the commercial side of photography. But, it’s such a great place. The commercial side is getting worse, at least to anyone who knows. However, if you were in a job you detested, and suddenly you can make a living with a camera, it might seem incredible. To each his/her/they’s own.
I was lucky enough to take a workshop with Trent and Martin in October. Life changing. Great guys.
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Legends.
Now that’s made me jealous.
I had an opportunity to leave my day job and go into photography fulltime, doing weddings, events, headshots, etc. I was spending all my spare time doing these side gigs the last thing I wanted to do was pick up a camera when I had some spare time on my hands. After a particularly long stretch of nightmare clients, I decided to stick with my day job, spend time while working the day job thinking about the photo/writing projects I wanted to work on for myself, and building the energy to pursue what I wanted to do when I had the time. It changed everything for me. Now I just shoot what I want to shoot, pick the projects that speak to me, and retirement has given me the time now to go for it. I’m not known for my great decision making prowess, but I’m sure glad I didn’t turn my love of photography and story telling into a grind.
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Jon, you and I are one and the same. My wife asked me a few days ago how often I felt stressed. I said “Hardly ever now, but the last few years of my photography life were pure Hell.” I realized a few days ago, I’m not content with the status quo. I need to evolve. As a person, as a photographer, and that meant leaving photography behind. I don’t see it as a bad thing, or negative. It was pure good.
After reading this blog post and watching the YouTube video, I looked up a Salgado documentary called “Salt of the earth”. Currently queued to watch when I get back home tonight. (Under 3 bucks to rent HD on Amazon).
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Yep, that’s the one.
I own that documentary, it’s brilliant. No matter what anyone thinks of his work technically or compositionally, his work has had more impact on social issues than any other photographer of our era.
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Hard to argue with that.
It was a HEAVY for a viewing before bedtime. Staring into the eyes of his subjects in giant 4k brilliance. I don’t know how TF he keeps his soul and hope for humans and nature, after documenting and embedding himself in the worst that humanity has to offer. He did mention the toll it took on him and that he would often put down his camera in tears. The EYE to see and the sheer STRENGTH to endure the seeing. Damn. (Part of me wants to drop kick my camera into the Atlantic and part of me yearns to train my eye into a fraction of his vision.)
I’m watching and thinking of a quote from the film “8mm”:
“If you dance with the devil, the devil don’t change. The devil changes you.” Joaquin Phoenix – Max California
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I’m always a bit skeptical to believe the “put my camera down and cried,” thing. Most of the photographers I’ve met who do this kind of work are incredibly focused, selfish some would say. They are so driven. They will often say things like that to soften the palette, but most of the time they are after ONE thing and ONE thing only. Photographs. They are, after all, trying to make a living.