I took a turn around Salgado’s exhibition yesterday. It all and more than I expected. The quality of the hang and printing astounded me and the beauty of seeing grain was staggering in these large black and white prints.

I overheard a young person (that is someone not my age by years) asking a compatriot how a charging elephant could have possibly been shot on film. I sighed but my faith in human nature was restored by the response ‘Just how do you think photographs were made before DSLRs?’ I quickly moved out of earshot to avoid hearing anymore heretic comments. What was intriguing about this show was that there was no disclosure of camera or media for the the hordes of photographers who feed on this information like starving Piranha. This was a merciful exclusion by either the curator or Salgado – I care not whom made the decision but I welcome it.

This exhibition was and is about environmental issues on a global scale. Foe me, the images of remote peoples were not necessarily relevant and apart from one or two contextual images such as cattle herders or the reindeer Nenets, they did little for me. Glacier images were stunning and to read that the third largest freshwater supply on the planet was locked into one glacier disturbed me especially when one looks at what I assume was deposited pollution upon the crevasse ridden surfaces.

This is a must see exhibition of any photographer or individual with any inkling of interest in the planet we live on.

Allow 1½ hours minimum to peruse these images. Thanks to Geoff Buono from UCS for arranging this trip.