<img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/5185/cmohqlr8x57fq48pa65x12dkk.webp" alt="image" containerstyle="width: 100%; height: auto; cursor: pointer; " wrapperstyle="display: flex"><h1 id="9a91093f-028f-4785-bb40-060e8aef0d79" data-toc-id="9a91093f-028f-4785-bb40-060e8aef0d79" style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">Sebastião Salgado’s words of wisdom.</h1>Here are some of the late, great Sebastião Salgado’s tips, advice, words of wisdom and his black and white film and digital workflowSebastião Salgado&nbsp;is a Brazilian social documentary photographer whose work is defined by massive, long-term projects and a profound respect for the human condition. Unlike the spontaneity of Cartier-Bresson, Salgado's approach is one of deep immersion and ideological commitment, often spending years on a single thematic essay like&nbsp;Workers&nbsp;or&nbsp;Genesis.Here are some of his great tips and words of wisdom<ul style="margin-top: 0in;"><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Prioritize Education Over Technical School: Salgado advises young photographers to study anthropology, sociology, and economics. He believes that to photograph the world, you must first understand the political and social forces that move it.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Invest in Good Shoes, Not Just Gear: He famously stated that "it's more important for a photographer to have very good shoes than to have a very good camera". This highlights his belief that the story is found outside, requiring constant movement and physical endurance.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Earn the Photograph: He views the camera as a bridge to build trust. Salgado often spends weeks living with his subjects—sharing meals and learning their language—before ever taking a picture, turning the act from "taking" to "receiving".</li><li style="line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Use Small Apertures for Deep Detail: He rejects the modern trend of "creamy bokeh," preferring to shoot at small apertures (typically&nbsp;f11 to&nbsp;f16 or even smaller). He believes everything in the frame—the person, their tools, and the landscape—is equally important to the narrative.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Commit to Long-Term Projects: Salgado works on "stories" rather than individual images. He believes that spending years on a project allows you to truly understand your subjects, moving past your own initial concepts to capture the essence of a situation.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Shoot Against the Light: Instinctively drawn to the high-contrast light of his childhood in Brazil, he frequently shoots into the sun. This creates rich contours and dramatic silhouettes that have become a hallmark of his style.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Strip Away Colour for Emotion: For Salgado, black and white is a strategic choice to reduce "distracting" colours. It forces the viewer to concentrate on the personality, movement, and light/shadow of the subject rather than their clothing or surroundings.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Layer Your Composition: His work often features "layered depth," with distinct visual interest in the foreground, middle, and background. This technique situates individuals within their broader environment, providing vital context for their lives.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Maintain the Subject's Dignity: He believes there is no reason to take a photograph if it does not make the subject look noble. Even when documenting immense suffering, his goal is to convey resilience rather than sensationalism.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Prepare Before You Field: Salgado estimates that field time is only 1% of the work. The majority of his time is spent on research, conceptualization, and design—often spending years organizing the structure of a project before the first expedition.</li></ul><h2 id="fb65dd71-a5bc-4452-b741-d2b219a669f3" data-toc-id="fb65dd71-a5bc-4452-b741-d2b219a669f3" style="font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">&nbsp;What equipment and film and digital workflow did Salgado use?</h2><img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/5185/cmohqeuta5c9047paf6o7bzur.jpg" alt="image" containerstyle="width: 100%; height: auto; cursor: pointer; " wrapperstyle="display: flex">Sebastião Salgado's&nbsp;transition from film to digital was born out of necessity—specifically, the damage caused to his film by repeated airport X-ray security. To maintain his signature "soul," he developed a meticulous "hybrid" workflow that translates digital information back into the physical world of silver gelatin<ul style="margin-top: 0in;"><li style="line-height: 18pt; background: white;">The "Tri-X" Grain Emulation: Salgado found digital files too "flat" and "surgical". To solve this, he used&nbsp;DxO FilmPack&nbsp;to scientifically apply the grain and tonal response of his beloved&nbsp;Kodak Tri-X 400 film to his digital RAW files.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Analogue Selection Process: He refuses to edit on a computer screen. Instead, he follows his traditional film routine: creating&nbsp;digital contact sheets&nbsp;and physical "work prints" which he reviews with a&nbsp;magnifying loupe&nbsp;to select the final frames.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Creation of a Physical Negative: In a unique step, his chosen digital files are sent to his studio in Paris, where they are transformed into large-scale&nbsp;physical black and white negatives.</li><li style="color: rgb(10, 10, 10); line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Traditional Silver Gelatin Printing: These digital-born negatives are then used by master printers, such as&nbsp;Pablo Inirio, to create traditional silver gelatin prints in a darkroom.</li><li style="line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Small Aperture, High ISO Philosophy: Using&nbsp;Canon 1DX bodies, he leverages high ISO performance to keep his aperture stopped down (often&nbsp;f/11 to f/16) even in low light. He views digital noise as a non-issue since it blends seamlessly with his added film grain.</li><li style="line-height: 18pt; background: white;">Two-Exposure Merging: For tricky subjects like icebergs or sand dunes, he developed a technique with&nbsp;DuPont&nbsp;that involves merging two different exposures to extract maximum detail and tone from highlights and shadows.&nbsp;</li></ul><img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/5185/cmohqaeq259rzdfqy4g54a6uj.jpg" alt="image" containerstyle="width: 100%; height: auto; cursor: pointer; " wrapperstyle="display: flex">

Sebastião Salgado’s tips and advice to photographers 

Sebastião Salgado's tips, advice and his black & white workflow

 What equipment and film and digital workflow did Salgado use?

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Sebastião Salgado's tips, advice and his black & white workflow

Sebastião Salgado's tips, advice and his black & white workflow

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