We are animals, born from the land with the other species. Since we've been living in cities, we've become more and more stupid, not smarter. What made us survive all these hundreds of thousands of years is our spirituality; the link to our land.
Sebastiao SalgadoIn GENESIS, my camera allowed nature to speak to me. And it was my privilege to listen.
Sebastiao SalgadoMore than ever, I feel that the human race is one. There are differences of colour, language, culture and opportunities, but people's feelings and reactions are alike. People flee wars to escape death, they migrate to improve their fortunes, they build new lives in foreign lands, they adapt to extreme hardshipโฆ.
Sebastiao SalgadoIt's not the photographer who makes the picture, but the person being photographed.
Sebastiao SalgadoI tell a little bit of my life to them, and they tell a little of theirs to me. The picture itself is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sebastiao SalgadoSo many times I've photographed stories that show the degradation of the planet. I had one idea to go and photograph the factories that were polluting, and to see all the deposits of garbage. But, in the end, I thought the only way to give us an incentive, to bring hope, is to show the pictures of the pristine planet - to see the innocence.
Sebastiao Salgado