Sebastiao Salgado's Genesis
My tutor has mention Sebastiao Salgado's Genesis images as an area to look at to help me see outside my own photography and at the work of others in the black and white medium.
From the following link on the BBC website:
The project's title, Genesis, is about Salgado attempting to capture the planet as it once was, unspoilt landscapes, wildlife and remote communities that live as their ancestors did.
You could argue that these pictures present a world that does not really exist, a fairy tale, though you could also argue that most photographs are constructed to some degree or another, and stand or fall on the intention behind the work.
"It is about the unspoiled planet, the most pristine parts, and a way of life that is traditional and in harmony with nature - the way we used to be," says Salgado. "I wanted to present places that were untouched and remain so to this day."
I find his following quote very interesting and quite selfless:
"I don't want to provoke debate," says Salgado. "I just want people to feel closer to our planet. We are all so out of touch. We don't feel part of the planet any more, so we must turn back the clock to come closer to nature. We need to recover our instincts, to learn more about nature."
If anyone is unclear about the investment of time and effort to create his stunning images the following quote should do this in addition to reminding us that true greats are often unable to create the image that they want:
"In Bhutan, I spent two months walking over 600km in the Himalayas but, because of the monsoon rains, I could not use many of the photos I took there - they were not representative of how truly beautiful the area was”
Clive White offered some interesting insight in to the emotion one should attempt to capture within an image for a viewer to share,see my blog link http://warrenjonesphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/alfred-stieglitz-and-equivalents.html
Salgado himself provides some wonderful insight into his Genesis collection of images with this quote:
“In GENESIS, my camera allowed nature to speak to me. And it was my privilege to listen.”
I've included some of his images from the Genesis set below. All are very stunning.
I fell completely awed by his collection of images and perhaps now can begin to understand how an emotion can be captured by a photographer and shared with the viewer.
I've not been able to discover what format Slagado uses but if the finders of a fellow inquisitor are correct I believe he uses digital format, currently a Canon 1DS mk III. It would be interesting to know what processing techniques he uses and I think this is also not present in his book containing the Genesis images.
That for me is all a distraction; what I am fascinated by is Salgado's ability to completely immerse you in the image he has created. All the elements I have so far learnt about black and white photography are very much present in these images but the emotion of what he has seen and felt is very much contained in this collection. Hos work is truly inspirational and I think my photography ambition would be to create an image that contains the level of emotion and equivalent feeling for the viewer to share in the way that Salgado has managed within this collection.
If anybody viewing my blog would like to look at some more images contained within Salgado's Genesis collection then follow the link below:
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