photojournalism

Mere words cannot do justice to the images contained in this book. To describe them as powerful, moving and dramatic only hints at the impact that they can have on the sensitive viewer. Salgado has poured his heart and soul into these photographs, and it shows in the intense humanity contained therein. I find myself returning again and again to "Workers" and each time feeling greater empathy for the people whose lives of labor are so stunningly displayed. Salgado's technique and vision are unsurpassed, but it is his passion that makes these photos so awe inspiring. He has indeed performed a great service to manual laborers everywhere by showing their struggles to the rest of us, who now must accord them a very large measure of respect and admiration.

Salgado's eyes capture a world forgotten to most of us: a world where humanity is subjected to hard, unending labor. Here machines tower over their workers as hapless captives, as if man and machine have traded roles in some dark nightmare. And even amidst this bleak picture, Salgado has found a spark of humanity, still afire, testifying that their struggles are, in a way, still our own. An engrossing book. (updated to fit on my member page)

At first glance this book is very intimidating by size. I was overwhelmed by the amount of photos Salgado took of his subjects, which in this book were the workers around the world. As I flipped through each page I began to think of rather than looking at a book of a photographer's work, it seemed as if I was looking at a photo album dedicated to hard laborers. Each photo is extremely vivid and beautifully shot. In addition, each photo gives the impression that Salgado puts thought and emotion before shooting his subjects. This is apparent by the many angles he shot his subjects and more importantly the extreme close-up shots he had. In many of his pictures Salgado appears to capture not just the action of the subject, but the emotion and story as well. You can't help but sympathize for each worker. Furthermore you start to realize how much the world depends on this type of labor in order to move forward. In a sense, this entire book give a view into all the hard work it takes to create all the luxuries we take granted for.

The entire book itself is very high quality. Each picture is printed clearly and at a large scale to show each detail of Salgado's work. It's also neatly organized rather than photos jumbled everywhere. Photos are separated by the location where they are shot. Moreover, aside from the large scale photos in this book which take an entire spread, there are some fold-out pages that contain smaller photos which give it that "photo album" feel.

This book is evidence of how great of a photographer Sebastiao Salgado is.