Sebastiao Salgado is a Brazilian photographer. He was born in 1944 in Brazil. He attended the Federal University of Espirito Santo for his Bachelor of Arts degree, obtain his master’s degree from University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, and finally received his PhD from University of Paris. Salgado was an economist, but he gave up that career and started taking his photography career more seriously in 1973. He likes to take photographs in black and white. I like the sharpness of his photography and the high contrast between black and white. One specific photograph I like by Salgado is the “Kuwait oil fires.” The content of the photo is a flaming explosion in the frame. There is also a person standing in the picture with what appears to be water splashing on him. The explosion happens quickly, and the photographer was able to capture that in sharp detail. I believe during this photo shoot, the workers are trying to burn off the natural gas so they can get to the oil reserves. The workers would throw a flammable object into the gas pit and ignite it on fire. I believe Salgado was able to capture the ignition of the gas pit. Which can be seen by the flaming explosion. I also liked that there are a lot of fast movements in the picture. Hence it was impressive that Salgado was able to capture all the objects in such detail. The rapid splashing of the water in black and white makes it look like both snow and magma being sprayed onto the individual. This photograph gives out a sense of danger. With an explosion in a wasteland. It is interesting to have a chance to view this sighting. I think the photographer was trying to capture something that is rarely seen. The location being in a wasteland and only the individual at the job site can witness such a view, it makes for interesting photography. I believe photography is a great tool to use to show others interesting scenes. I believe the photographer is trying to capture the details of the explosion. To capture the fire in detail with water spray on the side. Due to the photograph being in black and white, there is no blue hue added to the water particles. Because the hottest parts of the explosion are also bright white. This makes the water look like burning hot magma, which makes the photograph more intensive. The photographer uses the rule of 3rd for this piece of work. None of the subjects are in the middle. By focusing on the middle between the water and the fire. He was able to capture both objects with detail. This creates an asymmetrical photograph. The details of the explosion were able to capture my eyes as a viewer. Then slowly identifying other objects in the photograph. I think this is a very interesting photograph. There is a lot of action and movement within the frame. I can understand why the photographer would want to capture that moment. 

Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastião_Salgado

https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/sebastiao-salgado-photojournalism/