Sebastião Salgado

Sebastião Salgado was a renowned Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist, celebrated for his striking black-and-white imagery that captured the dignity and struggles of people around the world. His work focused on themes of migration, labor, and environmental conservation.

Early Life & Career

Born in 1944 in Aimorés, Brazil, Salgado initially trained as an economist before transitioning to photography in the early 1970s. His travels to Africa while working for the International Coffee Organization sparked his passion for visual storytelling. He later joined Magnum Photos and eventually founded his own agency, Amazonas Images, with his wife, Lélia Wanick Salgado.

Major Works

• Workers (1993) – A global study of manual labor.

• Migrations (2000) – Documenting displaced communities.

• Genesis (2013) – A tribute to untouched landscapes and indigenous cultures.

• Amazonia (2021) – Highlighting the beauty and fragility of the Amazon rainforest.

Legacy & Impact

Salgado was deeply committed to environmental restoration. He and his wife founded Instituto Terra, an organization dedicated to reforestation efforts in Brazil. His life and work were featured in the documentary The Salt of the Earth (2014), co-directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.

Sadly, Salgado passed away at the age of 81 on May 23, 2025