Sebastião Salgado

This image is from the work of Sebastião Salgado-

An Uncertain Truth.

Oaxaca, Mexico, 1980.
These two men are in the middle of a thanksgiving prayer, thanking the Mixe god Kioga for a year of good harvest and asking for another to follow.

This was one of the easier images to look at in the book. It combines human and nature- showing these men in a humble moment. It has an airy, mystical quality. The background seems to go on forever- making you wonder what the scenery is like and how long it extends. The photo is balanced from left to right with the use of the trees. The two men seem at one with the trees, and take on a similar shape. Instead of a photo with a huge city and city life, this goes back to the roots.

I also chose this image to signify how the artist, Sebastião Salgado, affects me. The rest of his work is blunt and honest, showing human suffering. He photographs starving children of Ethiopia, among others, that is very hard to look at. Of all the photographers I looked through, this one had the greatest emotional impact on me. He captures the dignity of any people he photographs, even in the worst of times. Although these people are striped of everything, they have their dignity left. This makes you reflect back on your own life and think about your problems and how insignificant they truly are.

One thing that really sticks out with all his works is eye contact. His subjects look the viewer straight in the eye, engaging them to the fullest extent. They say this is how I am, not asking for pity or forgiveness, but showing themselves how they are. This act deserves the highest respect. It is hard for people to look at images of Sebastião Salgado, they certainly contract an emotional reaction. By showing this people, he is capturing their true beauty and giving them honor, respect and dignity. It is a different beauty from what we see every day in America.

There is a story he tells of a poor fisherman selling his fish. A young gentleman offered to buy all of them at any price the fisherman asked. However, the fisherman would not sell them because he did not like the gentleman- he explained he was "the master of my (his) own hunger". This shows the respect people have for themselves and their everlasting dignity. If you have nothing else, you must continue on with that.

You can check out his page: http://www.terra.com.br/sebastiaosalgado/index.htm

FINALLY... A Camera!

We have switched from using pinhole cameras to the actual one- which I am very excited for.
I've already processed one roll of film examining the apature. I took these pictures around campus- well pretty much right in front of my door and in teh commone room when teh snow started falling. I'm pumped to see how they came out.

My next two rolls are experimenting with shutter speed and then focusing on teh composition. I went home this weekend, so South Hadley, MA was my subject. I stayed around the house and took pictures of things I missed. It been a while since I've lived home, so these photos hold a sentimental value.
Tonight I plan on processing them- so hopefully all goes accordingly.

So far the class has been awesome- I cant wait till I really get a grasp on photography then i'll see what I can do with it. But until then- ill just have to work on the smaller things.

-Rach

A Few Thoughts

I'm waiting for my negatives and positives to rinse.

I will say this has been a very frusterating assignment. My camera would work, it wouldn't- Certain things would come out great but the rest was blurry. The whole process of testing positives itself is also tedious.

But... it is pretty cool to have a couple done. I'm excited to see what came out when I go back to check.

Will I be here for only one more hour? Or will it be another late, late night?

I have a more connected feel to the photos I develop- more so than picking up some pics at CVS. I like my subjects so far- but I don't think they are too deep. I know I can go further. This assignment is like testing the waters.



I can't wait to start with my camera, and get rid of that box that is falling apart. Within the next week to come, I'll be writing about just that.
This was just a little somethig I found on utube, and though it was cool:


http://youtube.com/watch?v=I80OC5gGjsA&feature=related



enjoy.




-Just waiting for my last positive to dry! It is 12:39am... offically +8 hours spent on this project. Worth it tho.

-Rach