Sebastiao Salgado's Genesis comes to London

Sebastiao's incredible Genesis series is in London. For the last 4 years and for 4 more still, Salgado is "seeking out places that are still as pristine as they were in primeval times, places that provide hope." The results, as you might expect, take your breath away.

All images copyright Sebastiao Salgado / Amazonas / NB Pictures.

Sebastiao Salgado is my favourite photographer, with Martin Parr a close second. I hesitated about posting this next bit, but I think it's interesting.

Salgado didn't directly inspire the project below, but that style of photography did.

For several years now we've been working with The Omerta Group a financial services Executive Search firm. The identity we created involves us using a different, stunning, black and white landscape photograph every time we produce something. Since we started we've bought a collection of these images and we add the red flash in post production.

The identity works across printed materials a well as the web. This approach gives them a very powerful and strong image. It's also startlingly unique in the financial services arena.

Let me be very clear that under no circumstances do I want to be so gauche as to make any comparisons between us and Salgado, but I thought you might like to see how different things inspire us and the work that results.

The exhibition ends in January, but do yourself a favour and go now.

Comments

[ManxStef]

After seeing Salgado's photographs of people mining gold in Brazil – probably his most famous shots – I've been a big fan ever since. To those who've not seen much of his work, I'd highly recommend his book "Workers" as an excellent introduction – or going to see this exhibition, obviously! I find there are very, very few photographers capable of capturing the world in quite the way he does.

Interestingly, the iceberg image above looks completely different in the linked gallery page: much less dark (perhaps a touch too light even, there's no true black there), I think someone at the Guardian may have gone a little overboard before putting them on the site.
http://www.hackelbury.co.uk/artists/salgado/genesis/genesis_pic16.html

I'm intrigued as to how he works, I'd guess that he still shoots on film (from the grain) and there's obviously some burning going on with the sky. I wonder if he scans and adjusts in Photoshop, or if each print is individually "performed" in a traditional darkroom? God, I wish I could afford one!

(By the way, Ben, love the Omerta identity.)