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Bronze 2025 Editorial / Photo Essay

From The Bottom of The Sea

  • Photographer
    João Coelho

It all begins at the bottom of this bay, a dark world where the presence of man is not welcome. It's in this realm, strewn with iron and sharp plates that come apart from the hulls of ships that are succumbing to rust, that a group of fearless youths defy immense risks every day to retrieve iron to sell. It's a titanic effort that only ends on the beach when they succeed in loading the heavy pieces onto bikes that take them to a zone where they are weighed

Human condition has always fascinated me and its study has been a main driver in my work. More than an aesthetic purpose, I intend my photography to arouse feelings, emotions, and convey messages, by telling stories that depict suffering or joy, despair or mutual help, strength or disappointment, or simply resilience in the face of adversity and uncertainty about the future.