George Steinmetz

La Rinconada, Peru, is the world’s highest city, with a population of some 30,000, drawn here to mine gold under the glacier at 17,000 ft. on the crest of the Andes. Small operators run much of the mining here, recruiting men to work about half the time for free in return for days when they can keep whatever they find. There is no formal water supply, sewage system, or trash removal in most of the city, and the streets are somewhat lawless. With thanks to Marco Garro Pardo for being the friend who made it happen.

Aerial view of Barcelona’s Eixample district, built on a strict 19th-century grid of square blocks, with chamfered corners and communal internal courtyards. Gaudi left his Modernista mark here with his recently completed masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, dominating the skyline. With thanks to Oriol Rosset Morera and Arturo Rodríguez for making this picture happen.

So nice to see my story on Companion Dolls Get AI projected on the big screen of last night in Perpignan, France. Most of the work shown at the festival is hard news photojournalism, and a soft feature story is welcome relief. These pictures were printed in Germany and Italy, but no publisher would touch them in France or the USA, which are two of the biggest markets for these Chinese-made products.

So sad today to learn of the passing of Jean-François Leroy, the founder of the Visa pour l'Image photo festival in Perpignan, France. JFL has been a dear friend for over 30 years and the strongest, most consistent supporter of photojournalism. As I leave for the festival again today, I do so with a profound sense of loss.

Last night, I learned of the passing of Ruth Eichhorn, director of photography at GEO magazine in Germany for over 20 years. Ruth sent me to every continent to take pictures for GEO. She was the woman behind the curtain who supported me in photographing what had never been seen before, and even came to my wedding 30 years ago.

As Sir Isaac Newton once wrote: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This week, I have lost two of my giants.

Last night, I learned of the passing of Ruth Eichhorn, director of photography at GEO magazine in Germany for over 20 years. Ruth sent me to every continent to take pictures for GEO. She was the woman behind the curtain who supported me in photographing what had never been seen before, and even came to my wedding 30 years ago.

As Sir Isaac Newton once wrote: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This week, I have lost two of my giants.

The silver mine at Cerro de Pasco, Peru, was first exploited in 1578, and the city soon grew around the main pit at an elevation of 14,200 ft. Subsequent waves of mining exploited lead, copper, and zinc, making the windblown dust particularly toxic, especially the lead when ingested by children. Although the main pit is no longer active, the waste ore extracted from the pit now forms a new source of windblown toxicity for the village that has grown beside the leaching pond.

For the past few days I’ve been exploring La Rinconada, a gold mining town in Peru which is the world’s highest city, 17,000 ft., with some 50,000 people. Before coming here I sought out the advice of Cédric Gerbehaye, a Belgian documentary photographer who did some impressive work in La Rinconada. Check out these three La Rinconada photos from Cédric, and if you like what you see, give him a follow.

After trekking thru Pakistan last month with my twin sons, I stopped on the flight home to check out this enclave of unfinished mini-castles mini-castles fill a rural valley halfway between Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. Built as lavish vacation homes for wealthy people in the Arabian Gulf, this $200 million project collapsed in 2018. This modern ghost town has become popular for YouTube influencers.

Applying permanent make-up to a companion doll with artificial intelligence at the factory of WM Dolls, in Guangdong, China. Their AI dolls can converse in multiple languages with facial and eye movement, and sell for $2-3K. Most doll orders are custom, with over 200 body types and 600 heads to choose from, and options for motorized orifices and internally heated bodies. 60% of this high-end AI doll market is in the U.S., 30% in Europe. The second photo shows TPE plastic being poured into molds for companion dolls at the YouQ Doll factory in Guangdong, China. They sold 150,000 dolls last year, and the market is growing. To see more of this new story, including images not suitable for Instagram, follow the link in my IG bio.

Lao Dai bought his first companion doll in 2017, and lives in a 150 sq ft apartment in Guangdong China, where he spends about a third of his income on companion dolls and their clothing. The majority of the world’s AI companion dolls are made in China for export to North America and Europe. This photo is part of a new story on companion dolls with artificial intelligence that was published in Stern (Germany) and Corriere della Sera (Italy), but has not been seen in English. To view more, including images not suitable for Instagram, follow the link in IG bio.