MediaStorm is saddened by the passing of the legendary photojournalist Sebastião Salgado.

We had the honor of spending many hours with Salgado while producing a film on his personal journey and remarkable body of work for the ICP Infinity Awards in 2022.

During our time together, Salgado told MediaStorm “a good picture, a fantastic picture, you do in a fraction of a second, but to arrive to do this picture, you must put your life in there.”

Salgado was born in Brazil on February 8, 1944. He grew up on a farm with his seven sisters.

Salgado originally pursued a career in economics graduating with his masters degree from the University of São Paulo. After beginning his doctorate, he moved to London and worked as an economist for the International Coffee Organization.

Around the age of 26, he began to develop an interest in photography.

It didn’t take long to develop his skill, and within several years he decided to pursue a second career as a photojournalist.

In 1979, he joined Magnum Photos continuing on as a member until starting his own agency in 1994.

“My career is about patience. It’s about observation,” he said. “It is about the pleasure to be there.”

His long term projects, including Other Americas, Workers, Gold, Kuwait, Migrations, Rwanda, Genesis and Amazonia, have defined his career.

Salgado, who died at 81 on May 23, 2025, has served as a source of inspiration to generations of photojournalists, and his work has resulted in significant social impact.

It will continue to do so forever.