The photography world lost one of its most vital voices last month, when Sebastião Salgado passed away. He was a titan whose vision shaped not just images but worldviews. For many of us, his work was more than inspirational. It was foundational.
I still remember the first time I opened Genesis. It was like stepping into another dimension, a monochrome reflection on the natural world that managed to be both intimate and immense. The scale, the silence, the staggering beauty of it all, stopped me cold.
That moment was my turning point. I didn’t just want to take photographs. I wanted to make work with meaning, weight and a reason for it to exist.
And I wasn’t alone. Salgado’s work lit the way for countless photographers seeking more from the medium, those drawn to storytelling with purpose and substance.
If you're a photographer or someone curious about the medium, there’s no better time to explore Salgado’s body of work. Not out of obligation, but because you may, as I did, uncover a new way of seeing.
His projects, such as Workers, Migrations, and Genesis, are not just visual records; they are moral documents. They ask us to slow down, to witness, and to care.
What set Salgado apart wasn’t just his technical mastery or his preference for black-and-white film; it was his unwavering commitment to humanity.
Whether photographing gold miners in Serra Pelada or the untouched landscapes of the Galápagos, he approached every subject with reverence and empathy. His camera was never invasive, it was invitational.
In a time when photography can feel disposable, Salgado’s work reminds us of what the medium is capable of. His photographs stay. They demand presence.
ABOVE: A video by Taschen about Sebastião Salgado's Genesis
That clarity of purpose inspired a generation, myself included. Salgado not only shaped how I shoot, but he ignited my love for photobooks. Genesis was the first book that made me understand photography as a long-form language, a deeply considered statement rather than a single moment.
That spark eventually led me to a career working with photography books, but the roots of that journey trace directly back to him.
His legacy isn’t just in the prints or the pages. It’s in how he carried himself. As an artist. As an environmentalist. As a human being. Through Instituto Terra, the reforestation project he co-founded with his wife Lélia, Salgado didn’t just observe the world; he helped heal it.
His was a life lived in full alignment with his values, and we need more of that in the arts.
If you’ve never explored his work, now is the time. Start with Genesis. Then go back to Workers, to Migrations, to Sahel. Let it challenge you. You may find, as so many of us have, that the bar for what photography can be suddenly rises. And once you see the world through Salgado’s eyes, you can’t unsee it.
The world was better for having him in it. And through his images, it still is.
You might also like…
Take a look at more of the best books on photography, and see where Salgado ranks among the best photographers ever.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
