This is an essay that left me feeling hungry for more. I sincerely hope you will return to the Nordeste of Brasil and specifically to this family. You have just touched the surface; there is so much more of the story to learn and to tell.

Marco, you are a truly gifted photographer. You have a fine eye and the soul of an artist. In my opinion this essay is a beautiful blend of documentary and fine art. Follow your own path, my friend, and let the opinions of others–myself included–wash off your back. It sounds like you have already chosen a worthy mentor in Ernesto Bazan. Listen closely to him and maybe to a few chosen others, but do not let too many voices confuse your vision and deter you from the direction you are already taking. From the wonderful hours spent in your and Nathalie’s company I know you have a strong sense of yourself as photographer and as person. Trust that about all else.

Hope we meet again.

Patricia

There is much that could be developed here but I’m not sure that this is at the same level of maturity as other essays.

There are some great stand alone images in there. Your project is obviously in its infancy, but I think it has good potential. Keep at it.

Cheers

thanks marco

Unfortunately, as a family portrait, it doesn’t tell me the story you pretend to tell. Looks like a glimpse to their life not a relationship, Nothing about the “farmers”… well in fact they are slaves, opposite to farmers in this case… you simply omitted the real farmer from the story, adjusting them to the Lord of the lands title, nothing about Fome Zero, a social program that officially yes guarantee access for food, but it’s being criticized over the years exactly by not be able to attempt remote areas like this… nothing about Lula… You don’t even mentioned the MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais em Terra), and this is something really important in the national history treating this point. At least, as an essay about this family and the lack of water at this part of the country in particular, you must say that today, a great amount of Ceará state is under the water because of the global warming… ok, maybe not accurately this area, but… that’s the news, what made your essay very incomplete to me.

This situation is being developed over the past 500 years, and it’s really difficult even to native to figure out what really happens… I am afraid you will need more than a few days in Brazil to understand it and really capture this as a solid outsider photo story. Yes this grant can help you on, but this work is actually very non realistic and seems to be based at raw information titles. It’s a long hard work to make right the target. good luck, contact if you need, i hope to see your development.

On that point, wich is in case of a grant (and not a photocontest) the most interessant and risked winner!! Also happy to see something else that a maronier like “boxing, rodeo or mexican border…

Mix of format is the good way and I would like to see more landscape and sometime less close images (too much details of foots, hands etc….wich is here quiet enough…and super schoolar. Anyway don’t give a shit with references because when I read some comments, some very full of bitterness and some full of references posts…wich show probably that too much people are prisonners fo their own history…too much missed tube babies here….

Be free man and follow the non story, non event, non spectacular….etc that ‘s the way for doing something else…

I like most of the pictures a lot. Excellent moods. Yeah, maybe not so original choice this super high contrast B&W, but who cares. I prefer this more than modern digital look.

Best of luck!

Second, what ever happened to the idea of just taking a good photograph, and letting that stand on it’s own merits? I know it’s still around. Lance did it. Jenn Ackerman did it. Unlike SP, the first though that came to my mind was the Danish photographer, Klavs Bo Christensen. http://tinyurl.com/cvrl37

Kathleen, “I will say that his use of high contrast is excessive, unfortunate and unnecessary. Maybe he just doesn´t know how good he is and feels the need to gild the lily. A shame, imo.” – Spot on comment.

Congratulations,
Kathleen

Actually, Paul, I think even unfinished, every essay is already telling us much about the photographers and how they shoot, their style too. It is not at all Marco’s fault, but I think now these kind of subjects really need a multi-media approach, video that is.

Not to belittle anyone’s talent, but it seems to me that it would take a genius of a photographer to bring this kind of docu photography beyond a reduced audience, nowadays, on the strentgh of photos alone. And keep it there (available to the public’s eye), therefater (Salgado’s work has achieved that, I think).

And even….

Yes, it would be nice to know, grant wise, if marco is a concerned tourist, or an emerging photographer “up and ready to go”, David’s sentence as he launched the EPF last year, I think. Still, I really have a weakness for the finalists who have zero pedigree within the profession, but also (I will be branded forever for saying that, but hell, I can’t resist) those who don’t drink Champagne out of 3 or 400 euros a bottle in jolly Monaco.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Marco, some of these images are pretty interesting. This story about Fome Zero is so much like many about the under represented. Stories like these are unfortunately all too available around the world, but they will be told when folks like Marco get the passion. Every one of the projects up for the EPF are incomplete works. I want to see the final outcome of every one of the 11. Marco is just as worthy as the others.

Using gritty high contrast is a good tool for what I think you illustrated. I counted six images that were flat, or at least not rendered like the others and this took something away from the piece. The blurry stuff should be reassessed. They just have that “I need to put these in there” look and really don’t expand on the subject.

It’s time for all of us to accept the fact that every one of these folks has presented projects that are just beginning. This is just oh so cool.

I think your work has a beautiful quality and is a great start to a sensitive and poetic project. I dont agree with everything having to be crisp and sharp or that you need to abandon your style and put down your holga ( if that is what you are using. I love holga by the way, but then again I used holga for my EPF project and so I am not sure what DAH thought of that ) I do agree that I would like to see more images of farmers actually working and what their life or struggle is about, I am thinking Salgado. You should edit down just a few where there are duplicates like two feet and two of the elderly woman, but I love 1, 2, 4, 5, 6(love), 8. Love 10 and 11, 12, 17 and 19.

Good luck, Valery