Two Photographers

April 23, 2020

Photographer 1:

Sebastiao Salgado was born on February 8, 1944, in Gerais, Brazil. During his childhood, Salgado traveled and trained as an economist. He earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. Prior to graduating, he worked as an economist for the International Coffee Organization. This required frequent travel to Africa on missions for the World Bank. It’s on these trips when he first started seriously taking photographs. Salgado chose to abandon his occupation and switch to a professional photographer in 1973. He is particularly noted for his social documentary photography of workers in less developed nations. He has traveled to over 120 countries for his photographic projects. Museums and other exhibitions are filled with his work throughout the world. He was awarded the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant in 1982, the Foreign Honorary Membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992, along with the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship in 1993. Salgado took this photo along with others and made a collection of many photos which he named Kuwait. This individual photo is named “A dessert on Fire”. These photos were meant to show the environmental issues and the destruction of natural treasures. The workers are also showcased throughout the collection, all seeming disheartened or broken. Salgado made it a personal mission to showcase what the conditions and feelings of the labor workers were like. He hoped to draw attention to these issues and was an advocate for proper moral treatment.

Photographer 2:

Ansel Easton Adams was born on February 20, 1902, and died April 22, 1984. He was a landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He particularly took photos of Yosemite National Park. He co-founded a group named f/64. This association of photographers pushed for "pure" photography, which favored sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph. The resulting clarity and depth of such images characterized his photography. Adams was forever passionate about environmental conservation, and his photographic practice was entwined with this advocacy. His work and his persistent advocacy helped expand the National Park System, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. Adams was a key advisor in establishing the photography department at the MOMA in New York. He helped found the photography magazine Aperture, and co-founded the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona. As you can see he is a very decorated photographer. This photo showcases El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The mist and fog encompassing the park added to the somber tone and the beauty of the park. This photo expresses the power and amazing attraction nature is. Even though the picture is black and white, the areas of white contrasted with areas of darker black give the pictures layers and tonal contrast, making it feel as if it’s in color. The jagged mountains emerging from all sides makes it feel as the image is closing in on the viewer, which represents the idea that nature is fading and humans must conserve and appreciate nature while we have it