"What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." Steve McCurry
I chose Steve McCurry as my first research artist because of his iconic photograph "Afghan Girl". Her eyes are piercing and hold my gaze, and I wanted to know more about the photographer. I was richly rewarded to find he has created thousands of moving photographs. He has a website www.stevemccurry.com that shows a lot of his work, organized into galleries. It is also were I found the quote above. Steve was born in Philly and studied film at Penn State. He worked for a local newspaper and did some freelance work. His real story begins when he takes his first trip to India. He goes on to Pakistan and is then smuggled into Afghanistan by refugees. He is embedded with Mujahiden and hides behind a beard and local dress. In this situation his work begins to unfold.
What lures me into his photographs is the way he is able to grab my curiosity about other cultures, other countries, and hold my gaze. But at the same time I feel deep sadness for the way some of them live. There is information to tell a story yet enough missing to leave something to the imagination. We hear so many terrible things about a few of the places he has photographed in and those gaps in the story aren't filled with daises and smiles. The following picture is the one that I love and hate the most (taken in Yanesha, Peru):
Steve McCurry photographs are very rich in color and I think its a wise choice. The emotions wouldn't be the same in black & white. Color tells a lot about culture and Steve has beautifully captured that. There are many aspects to his work I admire and wish to emulate, but I don't know if I could be as brave as he was and go into these countries and focus on taking a picture. He is a remarkable artist and the following quote sums up his work quite nicely: "His work spans conflict, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike-yet always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the Afghan Girl such a powerful image".
I encourage you to check out his website!
This is the image that when I saw it in person at his show in Milan in 2009 brought me to my knees. I cried the whole night over this little boy. He is every neglected, abused, etc. little person in the whole world to me. It is so easy for children involved in conflict to develop a sense of worthlessness. HOw does that happen? And how dare it happen?!
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