You can’t get into black-and-white photography without falling in love with Sebastiao Salgado. For tech-hungry photographer, his darkroom techniques were so particular that digital couldn’t find a way to mimic them until the past decade. Reports state that Canon went to his studio to help him produce the look he made but with their Canon 5DS. But his work isn’t about the tech. Instead, it’s about the intense and deep story-telling that black and white photography can do. His book celebrating the photographs he made in Kuwait are something that no photojournalist has ever been able to make or publish. They are both documentary and fine art. But most importantly, they’re some of the most breath-taking images we’ve seen in years.
When you look at the cover of this book, you can immediately tell that you’re going to be in for a unique story. What most of the West thinks about Kuwait has to do with war and oil. In this story, oil and war are the main characters. The supporting cast are the humans in the images. People from Europe, America, and the Indian Subcontinent are all seen in the photos. However, in many cases, one might not be able to tell the differences between them all. That’s because most people in the photos are covered in oil. What’s more, the fact that this is in black and white makes this series look even more timeless.
I looked at this book shortly after watching the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, and I was shocked to see that lots of the working-class fashion could’ve easily been worn today. Now, imagine that in black and white with oil, and several other modern things taken out of the frame. What you get are images that look really timeless.
Sebastiao Salgado opens up the book with big, beautiful text that’s easy for everyone to read. I truly appreciate this as sometimes, text is very small. That means you’ll need to lean over the book to read it, and therefore you might block your light source. But that’s not the case here. Mr. Salgado also translates things into a few other languages. I adore this level of inclusivity.
This book was published in 2016 while the images were shot in 1991. Sebastiao, in his intro, says that the images feel timeless. That’s very much the case as we’re still fighting in the Middle East and war continued into the 2000s.
Kuwait: a Desert on Fire takes both vertical and horizontal images, puts them all in the center of the page, and uses the longer horizontal real estate space to make them works of art. The pages have a single image per page. Each image looks like something that was matted and framed, but in truth, they’re really just part of a book. All of this adds to the overall viewing experience.
I chose a south-facing window and slightly elevated the book upward so that the light would softly bathe over the pages. Soft window lighting is honestly the best way to check out photo books. And the images here are entrancing.
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Several thoughts went through my head as I paged through:
- I feel like I’m looking at the work of Josef Koudelka’s brother.
- These images feel very wild. And in some ways they feel like the Wild West.
- This book made me stop and stare at the images so much.
As I paged through the book, I found myself breathing heavily with deep sighs of reverence. At times, I was even trying to catch my breath.
Part of the beautiful look of the book comes from the paper quality. It’s matte with a very soft shine on it. So it surely needs the right kind of lighting to ensure the best viewing. The pages also feel nice and solid with a bit of weight to them. With that said, the experience begs you to sit and stare at each image before you turn the page.
It’s crazy for me to think that masters like this are truly dying out, and it’s unfortunate that more people need to see this work. Sebastiao doesn’t shoot for an algorithm or a trend on social media. He’s telling a real story.
Kuwait: a Desert on Fire by Sebastiao Salgado can be had easily on Amazon. We’re giving it five out of five stars, and our Editor’s Choice Award.
