How photographer Sebastiao Salgado sees the world

It wasn't always Sebastiao Salgado's dream to become a photographer. Born on February 8, 1944, the Brazilian first worked as an economist for the International Coffee Organization in the early 1970s. Then, in his late 20s, he discovered his passion for photography while on a business trip to Africa. He was soon working for well-known agencies such as Sygma, Gamma and Magnum.

From pristine landscapes to coffee farmers, Salgado has documented a diverse range of subjects. His photojournalism projects have made him an international star. In 2021, he was awarded Japan's Praemium Imperiale, one of the most important art prizes in the world. His work often focuses on Indigenous peoples living in the Amazon rainforest (pictured).

For his photo series "Amazonia," Salgado took 48 trips into the Brazilian rainforest and photographed the complex lives of the Indigenous people who hunt and fish there. Here, Salgado — who is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador — captured Waura Indigenous people fishing in Brazil's Lake Piulaga. The scene is located in the Mato Grosso region that is also threatened by deforestation.

It took several years for Salgado to recieve permission from the Brazilian military authorities to take photographs in the Serra Pelada gold mine in northern Brazil. In 1986, he photographed the harsh conditions under which around 50,000 workers toiled in the mountainous region in powerful black-and-white images.

Salgado worked on his "Genesis" photo essay project for eight years. Traversing 32 countries, the photographer ventured into remote regions, trekked through deserts and forests. He even photographed landscapes from a helicopter. Time and again, he met people who live in harmony with nature and photographed their way of life in his signature chiaroscuro, black-and-white, style.

Salgado aims to show viewers what treasures will be lost if humankind does not work together to protect the environment. "I hope that people who see my photos will get closer to our planet and take a step in its direction," he told DW in 2013. His project, Instituto Terra, has planted more than 2.5 million trees native to Brazil in deteriorated land in Aimores, Minas Gerais.

"We humans have always placed ourselves above all other races, dominating and destroying everything, and we will get to the point where there will be no more room for us on this planet," Salgado told DW. "That’s why I think we should be more self-critical and worry more about others." Many of the photographer's pictures feature animals and their habitats — which are being displaced by humans.

Joining him on his travels for the "Genesis" photo project was Salgado's son, filmmaker Juliano Salgado, and German director Wim Wenders. The filmmaker is a big fan of the Brazilian photographer's work and once described him as a "hero of peace." The footage from the trip was used to create the 2014 documentary "The Salt of the Earth."