Sebastião Salgado. Children

If you care about refugees, if you love children, if you just want to be reminded of the variety of humanity on this planet, or if you want to be moved to tears by the most beuatiful photographs of children, then buy this book. You won't regret it.

In his introduction Salgado makes the point that in all situations of crisis, be they man made or natural, children are ever present and always the greatest victims. In spite of their plight they can also be an encumbrance to the documentary photographer, for their boundless energy can detract from the impact of the story he or she is trying to tell. Children also love the camera and since 1971 Salgado’s strategy for dealing with this paradox has been to take time out from the main story to make portraits of who all wanted their picture taken. On his return to his home in Paris he was struck by the manner and degree of seriousness with which the children approached the act of having their picture taken. To use old, clichéd, and entirely appropriate adjectives, these hauntingly beautiful portraits of refugee and migrant children do indeed, as their author intends, allow them a brief opportunity to stand before the world and say “I am”. Neither names nor genders of the sitters are included in the captions at the back of the book which simply reveal the locations where the pictures were made. The expressions on the faces of these small prisoners of fortune remind us of their individuality, innocence and hope; while the captions and the backgrounds of the portraits clearly point out the bleak future that they must all too soon confront.

Excelente livro com ótimo acabamento. Imagens que proporcionam reflexão e incentivam o olhar crítico em razão de sua dimensão social e artística.

Die Bilder in diesem Buch erreichen das Herz.

Estos niños están tan bien reportados que parece que te miren en directo. Libro bien editado, fotos de gran calidad

It might not completely change you, it might not determine you to take action, it might not make you cry or feel pain or joy, it might not set your thoughts on fire, it might not deeply touch you... But then again, I hope it will! A classic into the work of Salgado. Wonderful children portraits from around the world, capturing beauty, innocence and at the same time complexity.

朝日新聞に載っていた紹介記事を見て購入しました。その記事に添えられていた1枚の写真にひかれました。男の子がじっとカメラを見つめている写真でした。その瞳がとても力強く、その少年はまさに堂々としていました。写真集のタイトルから私が想像した“子供”とは少々様子が違っていました。自分の息子はこんな表情をしたことがあっただろうか。その少年と息子を重ね合わせて考えていました。実際写真集を拝見し、思わず手を差し伸べてあげたいと思わせる写真の中にも、瞳を輝かせている子供や、誇りに満ちた表情の子供の写真も見うけられ、複雑な環境におかれた子供の持つあらゆる面がこの写真集に表れていたと思います。