Cotton Land: Forgotten Delta

• Prize
• Photographer
  Magdalena Sole, United States
• Website
  http://www.solepictures.com

The Mississippi Delta is an iconic region lying between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers, running from Memphis to Vicksburg. The Delta evokes visions of sharecroppers, plantations and, of course, the sound of the Blues. The area has a small wealthy gentry and a large impoverished underclass living in dilapidated houses and tilting trailers. The Delta is one of the poorest places in the United States with one of the saddest infant mortality rates, rampant unemployment and little hope for a better future. What is little known is how the people survive, the warmth, resilience, community, and family cohesiveness of the region.

• Biography
  Magdalena Sole is a social documentary photographer. Her projects span the globe from Japan, Brasil, to the US. Visual language has been her life's work, in 1989 she founded TransImage, a graphic design studio in New York City creating publications for worldwide markets. In 2002 she graduated with a Masters of Fine Art in Film from Columbia University. Her last film, Man On Wire, on which she was the Unit Production Manager, won an Oscar in 2009. Born in Spain, raised in Switzerland, she arrived in New York City in 1984, where she lives with her family. She works as an independent photographer. Her work has been shown in museums and galleries and has won numerous awards. www.solepictures.com