In the end, the only heritage we have is our planet, and I have decided to go to the most pristine places on the planet and photograph them in the most honest way I know, with my point of view, and of course it is in black and white, because it is the only thing I know how to do.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of preserving the planet and capturing its beauty authentically through photography.
Sebastiao Salgado reflects on the responsibility we have towards our planet as our most significant legacy. He expresses his commitment to documenting its untouched places, underscoring the purity of nature through his black and white photography, which aligns with his personal artistic skills and vision. This quote invites a deeper appreciation for the environment and challenges us to consider how we can contribute to its preservation.
In practice
This quote could be used in an environmental awareness speech to highlight the importance of protecting our planet.
I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a second. It's very instinctive. What you do is a fraction of a second, it's there and it's not there. But in this fraction of a second comes your past, comes your future, comes your relation with people, comes your ideology, comes your hate, comes your love - all together in this fraction of a second, it materializes there.
As in any person's life, there have been difficult moments: I have a son with Down's syndrome; through my photography, I have witnessed all manner of human degradation. But there have also been very happy moments.
There are moments that you suffer a lot, moments you won't photograph. There are some people you like better than others. But you give, you receive, you cherish, you are there. When you are really there, you know when you see the picture later what you are seeing.
So 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.
My way of photographing is my way of life. I photograph from my experience, my way of seeing things.
You photograph with all your ideology.
In most mills, only the best portions of the best trees are used, while the ruins are left on the ground to feed great fires which kill much of what is left of the less desirable timber, together with the seedlings on which the permanence of the forest depends.
Beauty is nature's brag, and must be shown in courts, at feasts, and high solemnities, where most may wonder at the workmanship.
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd, I stand and look at them long and long.
This is a delicious evening, when the whole body is one sense, and imbibes delight through every pore.
The preciousness of life and the changes of weather and the beauty of seasons - all those things have always sort of dazzled me.
I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.
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