Kuwait, 1991
Salgado had a large impact on documentary photography through his work. In this photograph his representation of the idea is highly emphasized through the daily life of a fire fighter. As pictured, the two men stand with hoses in their hands, unfazed by the immense fire that erupted. They deal with these large fires every day, and the purpose of documentary photography is to depict the daily lives of people with a random effect to add interest. In this photograph, there is a clear dramatic effect implemented, juxtaposing against the calm and collect depiction of the fire fighters.
France 1936-1937. Front Populaire.
Enforce Social Change! Another key aspect of documentary photography is its ability to capture moments in time where protesting or arguing for a cause is present. The ultimate idea is to send a signal to viewer’s mind about what is at stake. In this case, even though there were no descriptions to the photograph, It can be incited that this person is protesting on the topic of the Popular Front. What is also empowering is that not only is he and his friends around him protesting, but a child pictured on the bottom right is also involved. It shows that this cause is for all people and is imperative that everyone knows it. The photograph succeeded in providing a visual story with only its depictions which makes it highly effective.
The Salgado fires are oil fires that were deliberately set. In both cases you can look up the stories for more detail, but your description of the images is good.