In the heart of the Amazon, an intense image is revealed. Frozen in time, this instant captures the
essence of this tropical forest, transporting our gaze into a spectacular, timeless world where man and
nature commune. The contemplative gaze of the protagonist, a member of the Yanomami tribe, disclose
the crucial issues involved in preserving the Amazon basin. Each element of this composition reflects
millennia of harmony between indigenous peoples and their nourishing land.
These black and white photographs express the vital urgency of protecting the Amazon and its native white photograph expresses the vital urgency of protecting the Amazon and its native populations. Every populations. Every second, the Amazon loses an average of eighteen trees. The quivering leaves and the second, the Amazon loses an average of eighteen trees. The quivering leaves and the wind blowing through the canopy sound like a cry for help. The Amazon is dying because of the wind blowing through the canopy sound like a cry for help. The Amazon is dying because of the exploitation of natural resources, affecting local communities and ecosystems.exploitation of natural resources, affecting local communities and ecosystems. Indigenous tribes have Indigenous tribes have show a remarkable resilience, protecting their cultural identity and defending their lands with show a remarkable resilience, protecting their cultural identity and defending their lands with determination. Their ancestral knowledge and holistic vision of the environment are invaluable assets in determination. Their ancestral knowledge and holistic vision of the environment are invaluable assets in preserving biodiversity and compreserving biodiversity and combating climate change.bating climate change.
Born in 1964, Manuel Besse discovered his passion for photography at the age of eight, capturing his first images with a pinhole camera made from a shoebox. Encouraged by his mentor, Maurice Bitter, he studied photography, videography, fine arts and ethnology at prestigious institutions such as the École Nationale Supérieure Louis-Lumière, the Académie Charpentier and the École du Louvre.
Since then, he has traveled the world, exploring European forests, the Arctic, Canada, Alaska, the United States and Labrador. In 1987, he became the first French photographer to document the gold mines of Serra Pelada, in the heart of Amazonia, and also crossed Argentina, Guiana, Venezuela and Suriname, where he descended the Maroni River alongside the Foreign Legion.
Manuel Besse has an unquenchable passion for primitive religions, ethnology and primitive arts. Committed to environmental preservation and social causes, he uses a deft visual language to convey powerful messages. His work is distinguished by a rare, sensitive and intense aesthetic, pushing back traditional narrative conventions. As co-founder of Hupsoo Magazine and Hupsoo Book editions, Manuel Besse is involved in a variety of human-interest, photographic and video projects, including several ethnological reports.
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All about Manuel Besse
Winner of AAP Magazine 32 B&W
