Jordi on Salgado

[Kari Eloranta <eloranta@lammio.hut.fi>]

Jordi Vidal <h115457902@abonados.cplus.es> wrote:

>As far as I know, and just to tell you, I know It from the person  
>siting besides him in the car and shooting with him in Brasil for  
an >NGO Salgado knows when he has to go, where he has to go and the  
>driver takes him there, the whole  rolls , lenses, cameras, etc  
stay >in car with the driver, he only takes the essential and shots,  
and >he's got enought, thats it.
>Maybe it was different few years ago but not now.
>And I think you can tell just looking to his pictures, they are  
>still great..but something is missing.

>Jordi Vidal

Interesting stuff Jordi. I take it that this was for Terra? That  
time and place thing sounds like demonstrations etc. In the preface  
of Uncertain Grace (UG) there is description of the type of approach  
that I talked about. It was also his mode of operation in the Gulf  
oilfields (according to Camera and Darkroom I think a few years  
back).

Maybe this is indeed THE reason behind the difference between his  
early work (Sahel, Other Americas and UG) and later Workers & Terra.  
There was a short thread about this a while back - many people seem  
to consider the former stronger myself included. And I know from  
experience that there is no way of catching images like some of  
those in UG with that quick approach i.e. crashing in with an  
assitant and a pile of gear. No, you have to blend in. Go humbly in  
a bus and be patient and win the trust of the people first. It  
sounds romantic but it is actually slow and sweaty and not glamorous  
at all....


Kari