TITLE: Life Above the Burning Earth

In Dhanbad, India, the earth is alive — not with growth, but with fire. Beneath the surface, coal seams smolder endlessly, turning entire landscapes into slow-burning infernos. Above this burning earth, people live, work, breathe.

This series is not just a documentation of illegal coal mining — it is a meditation on survival. Every frame holds more than a scene; it holds a question: how much risk can a person endure just to stay alive? I met families who spend their days digging with bare hands, children who grow up not knowing playgrounds but knowing fire, smoke, and soot.

The air is thick. The soil is black. The dignity of the people, however, is unshakable.

As a photographer, I arrived in Dhanbad to tell a story. But I left with a part of it imprinted on me — the warmth of a smile offered from a face covered in coal dust, the cautious pride in the eyes of a man lifting his day's labor in a basket, the innocence of two boys laughing against a backdrop that feels post-apocalyptic.

These aren’t just images of poverty or labor. They are portraits of resilience in its purest, most confronting form.

Through black and white, I tried to strip away distraction and bring the viewer face-to-face with the raw textures of this world — textures of ash, skin, stone, and spirit.

This is not a distant tragedy. It is a living, breathing reality for thousands.

My hope is that this work will not only inform, but also move — and that in witnessing these lives, we remember our shared humanity, even in the darkest corners of the earth.

AUTHOR: Sebastian Gora (Poland)

Since 2007, I have been successfully implementing reportages and photo sessions. My profession is also my life's passion. I am lucky to meet and photograph exceptional people along the way.

✅ As a photographer, I carry out sessions throughout Poland - from the Tri-City to Wrocław, Warsaw and Kraków, and getting there is never a problem for me. Google will take you to my website if you are looking for an event, business, reportage or wedding photographer in any city.

✅ I developed my skills at a British school of photography, obtaining an HNC BTEC Photography diploma with distinction. I am constantly improving my skills by taking part in numerous photography workshops, including those led by such masters as Tomasz Tomaszewski and Adam Trzcionka or during training at the Nikon Academy.

✅ For years, I have been creating reportage photos documenting events in Poland and abroad - theater festivals, corporate events, concerts, sports events and many others. I try to ensure that each project has a high substantive and technical value.

✅ My photos have been published in renowned magazines, including:

– “Poznaj Świat” – travel photos
– “Jaguar Heritage” (Great Britain) – cover photo
– “Skrzydlata Polska” – photo report from the “Pilots read to children” campaign

✅ I have participated in numerous photography exhibitions and lectures in Poland and Great Britain. Some of the more important projects:

– “Emergence” exhibition in Birmingham, Great Britain
– “Indie” opening at the Ziemi Rybnicka Theatre and the Oknie Theatre, Gdańsk
– Photographs from the Shakespeare Festival presented at the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre
– Travel lectures, including: in "Południk 18" and "Sztuka Wyboru" in Gdańsk
- My photos were also presented at the PhotoKina fair in Cologne