A Different Light: The Photography of Sebastião Salgado

by Parvati Nair

A Different Light is the first in-depth study of the work of Sebastião Salgado, widely considered the greatest documentary photographer of our time. For more than three decades, Salgado has produced thematic photo-essays depicting the massive human displacement brought about by industrialization and conflict. These projects usually take years to complete and include pictures from dozens of countries. Parvati Nair offers detailed analyses of Salgado’s best-known photo-essays, including Workers (1993) and Migrations (2000), as well as Genesis, which he began in 2004. With Genesis, Salgado has turned his lens from human turmoil to those parts of the planet not yet ravaged by modernity. Interpreting the photographer’s oeuvre, Nair engages broad questions about aesthetics, history, ethics, and politics in documentary photography. At the same time, she draws on conversations with Salgado and his wife and partner, Lélia Wanick Salgado, to explain the significance of the photographer’s life history, including his roots in Brazil and his training as an economist; his perspectives; and his artistic method. Underpinning all of Salgado’s major projects is a concern with displacement, exploitation, and destruction—of people, communities, and land. Salgado’s images exalt reality, compelling viewers to look and, according to Nair, to envision the world otherwise.

Genres: Photography

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2011

Reviews

[Duke Press]

“Through exhaustive research on Salgado's work, Nair raises critical questions on ethics, politics, history, photography, and aesthetics. . . . Particularly poignant are the intimate conversations among Nair, Salgado, and his wife, Lélia, which add tremendous clarity to Salgado's worldview. Highly recommended for fans of Salgado's work and for those interested in photojournalism, documentary photography, and global humanitarian issues.”--Shauna Frischkorn, Library Journal

“[A]dvance[s] a perceptive, penetrating understanding of social and natural discord encoded in the photographs.”--Giovanna L. Costantini, Leonardo Reviews

“[T]his treatise is useful for its focus on Salgado and its contribution to the search for answers about the ongoing presence of what often seems an unsolvable but significant concern. Nair's book highlights another central core within Salgado's ongoing visual investigation: the varying relationship(s) between humans and the land. . . . Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.”-- C. Chiarenza, Choice

[Jaie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salgado is one of the most eminent photographers of our times. His work points to struggle and a planet in captivity by it's human occupants. But what is the role of the photograph? Is a photo of struggle allowed to be beautiful? Does that subvert it's purpose? The book addresses some criticism of Salgado and opens the door to the possibilities of aesthetics in modern times. With globalisation and capitalism rendering much of the world uninhabitable, in effect, under attack- much of this is unseen - where enters the lens of those like Salgado. Politics of the "other", what one does exactly when viewing a photograph, when meeting the gaze of the other feature in this book. Parvati Nair explores where the meaning of Salgado's work lives in his images that are at the fore of the high end art world.

[Robert Vaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Salgado's photography, but the book left me wanting more.