The Salt of the Earth Page #2

In August 1969,

Sebastian y su Lelia if marcharon of homeland

and they took a boat to France.

Sebastiao while continuing his training as an economist,

Llia studying architecture.

A memorable day, she bought a camera for their work.

And we really had fun with her was Sebastiao.

The first photograph was taken Llia, of course.

Sebastiao entered the International Coffee Organization

and they moved to London.

With the idea of ??a career in the World Bank,

often he traveled to Africa to study development projects.

Llia's camera was taking

and always he returned with many pictures.

Realizing that those pictures

They met him much more than economic reports,

both took a bold decision.

He had to take the enormous risk

to abandon his promising career as an economist

to start from scratch.

They returned to Paris and spent all photographic equipment cost.

For a time, Sebastiao tried photographing sports,

made portraits, weddings and even naked,

before finding his calling.

Those are my first photos.

We were in Tahoua.

Two young mothers queuing

to receive food.

It was a time of great drought in Niger, 1973.

For Lelia was more difficult because she was pregnant.

I remember once we were there,

in a friend's house in Niamey.

Then came the marabout of Niamey.

Llia was wearing shorts, she was gorgeous.

And the marabout came, sat down,

and said Lelia.

"Come out, sit on my lap."

"Oh," I said,

"Marabout sir, there is a small problem,

this woman is pregnant

our first child.

You better stay here. "

He understood the need ...

the lack of synchronization at that time.

And finally, we talked so much that it was a kilo of sugar,

as happy as if he had gone with Lelia.

His son Julian was born in Paris in 1974.

There's my future colleague and co-director.

Llia continued to support Sebastiao around as a young mother.

He worked hard in their studies

and to present the work of Sebastiao everywhere.

In magazines, newspapers and agencies.

And so,

after some relevant publications,

both they found the courage to conceive her first major photographic project.

"Other Americas".

It would take Sebastiao throughout South America.

The small Juliano got used

the long absences of her father.

OTHER AMERICAS:

After leaving Brazil in 1969,

I started to really miss Latin America.

And I decided to make a trip

to neighboring Brazil.

Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia ...

Also it sounded to see mountains of Latin America.

The Andes.

At that time, Latin America, there was a profound social upheaval.

Theology of Liberation.

On that trip I met a young priest in Ecuador,

Gabicho named.

We fear the same age, a young photographer and a young priest.

He was the one who carried the word of God,

farmers organized into cooperatives, introducing solidarity.

And when he had all these communities to reach,

I could make impressive trips.

Here we were more than 3,000 meters.

Sometimes we climbed slopes of 600 to 700 meters per day.

But I greatly enjoyed living in this landscape,

in those communities.

These are the Saraguros, a group of Indians in southern Ecuador.

Very religious, but also heavy drinkers of alcohol.

More than half of the community, on weekends, men and women

They are completely drunk.

The farmer left

It called Lupe, Guadalupe.

Lupe was my friend.

At that time, I had very long hair,

blonde and very long.

And he had a big beard, redhead and blonde.

One day we were walking through the mountains,

He approached me and told me. "Look, Sebastiao,

I know that you have sent from heaven. "

Because according to legend Saraguros

the gods, to the image of Christ,

They return to Earth to see them, to observe

and see who deserved heaven.

While touring the mountains, he took the opportunity to tell his life.

He firmly believed that I was there to observe them.

And up there counting their behavior.

I had never seen before, an entire people

another rhythm of time.

The time I spent with Saraguros seemed a hundred years.

Everything was so slow.

It was another way of thinking, another speed.

There were fatalism in their faces.

This is in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico,

is a group of peasants called mixes.

There, everything is medieval, the plow, all ...

It was the profound Latin America.

He was a peasant village,

but more important was the music that community.

It was a people who loved music.

All members of the community who could play an instrument

They did not need to work.

They worked as musicians.

They let me sleep a few days

in a cement room, very cold,

to see if reluctant, if you really wanted to stay.

As I managed to resist,

I was taken from there and took me to a house.

I went more to the community.

And for me it was a pleasure.

We became friends and coexisted in harmony in the community.

This is in northern Mexico, are the Tarahumara.

They are great runners are runners.

They walk away.

My God, it was hell follow these aborigines

they were not walking, flying!

This is a Tarahumara,

with his face well marked, well lived.

With her beautiful hair, great hair.

Several times they came to my camera

and they made me feel a sound technician.

They told me things like I was recording them.

The strength of a portrait is that in that split second

We understand a little the life of the person photographed.

The eyes speak volumes, the expression of the face.

When you do a portrait, is not you alone who takes the picture.

The person offers photo.

Those trips were very important to me.

To return after years without stepping on my country, to be here.

The essence was the same, it was my continent, we were very close.

"Other Americas" led him to Sebastiao eight years.

On this trip to South America deeper

he simply disappeared for long periods.

Julian grew up with a father who was almost always absent.

His parents could at least correspond.

Clearly this occurred before the current media.

Each time he returned home to see his family

and edit your photos with Lelia.

Sebastiao seemed like a great adventurer to his son.

A superhero, rather than a photographer.

i And cut!

I am, thirty years later.

Finally, I joined my father in one of his missions.

A Wrangel,

a desert island in the Arctic Ocean.

Sebastiao hoped to photograph

the last great gathering of walruses.

I wanted to find out who the man was,

the man he had only known as father.

I wanted to find the photographer, adventurer, for the first time.

Cursed Bear!

We had the bear.

Incredible! It has made everyone from getting into the water.

What are you thinking?

What are you thinking, Father?

I'm thinking, you know, doing this will be difficult.

I do not know if it's okay.

It is different when the bear is close, we can take a picture with him closely.

But with a scenario that is not good.

We have a document of the bear, but we do not have a photo.

This is not right.

There's nothing behind.

Nothing to frame the photo, to beautify the landscape.

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