Economics PhD Sebastião Salgado only took up photography in his 30s, but the discipline became an obsession. His years-long projects beautifully capture the human side of a global story that all too often involves death, destruction or decay. Here, he tells a deeply personal story of the craft that nearly killed him, and shows breathtaking images from his latest work, Genesis, which documents the world's forgotten people and places.

Sebastião Salgado: The silent drama of photography

The silent drama of photography

Reviving a dead land: 2 million trees planted turned a barren farm back into a lush rainforest, sequestering 100,000 tons of carbon.

Photography as life: Transitioning from economist to capturing humanity's essence, confronting despair in Rwanda, and rediscovering hope.

Rebirthed a rainforest by planting 2.5 million trees, showcasing the power of ecosystem restoration to rebalance nature.