04/ 07 / 11

1. Steve McCurry 04/07/11 By: Andrés Moreno

2. Steve McCurry’s Biography Steve McCurry was born in Philadelphia where he attended the College of Arts and Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University and he graduated as cum lade. He started working for a newspaper in which he spent 2 years of his life working. He decided to move to India and begin his freelancing experience. It is here where he states he learned to wait for life. In his words, McCurry stated “If you wait, people will forget your camera and soul will drift up into view. Mr. McCurry has covered many war struck nations and the success of his career sprung from a frame he took in Afghanistan short before the Russian Invasion. Steve McCurry has been published in some of the most prestigious magazines in the world and he continues to exert works of art that speak of the suffering and the joy of human existence.

3. Steve McCurry’s Field of Work Steve McCurry’s field of work is a vast range of human existence. He has spent much of his time in nations that are involved in international or civil conflict. He focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, the human face. Mr. McCurry has also dedicated his talents to show in very vivid color the faces of human beings all across the world with a slight preference in India as he finds this to be the most fascinating location he has worked in. Steve McCurry has focused his life and talent to further develop his and the worlds knowledge in photography and for that he is known as one of the most renounced photographers of his time .

4. Steve McCurry’s Achievements Steve McCurry’s list of achievements is vast and impressive. He has won the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, he received the Magazine Best Photographer award, and has also won an unprecedented four first prizes in the World Press Photo Contest. These are just a few of the awards Mr. McCurry has earned over the years. The source for such success comes from his ability to be ignored by the subjects thus allowing a true and unplanned frame to surface into plain view. Mr. McCurry has learned to wait as long as needed to let the soul of his subject rise to view. His success stems from dedication and passion for the art of photography. His courage by going to places where others wouldn’t go and his care for human beings to expose the truth in a respectful and worthy manner.

5. Steve McCurry’s Equipment Steve McCurry has utilized many different cameras and films over the years of his career. From an interview done by Fotoflock.com, as of today Mr. McCurry utilizes a Nikon D700 DSLR and a Hasselblad medium format camera. He is content with the quality that the Nikkor 28-70 zoom lens provides but he reminisces on the old days where he worked with a 28, 35 and 50mm lenses. For printing he has no desire to relive the days where he had to work with a photo lab to print his work. He is fascinated with his Epson printers and his ability to print and process the images on location.

6. Steve McCurry’s Techniques Mr. McCurry’s technique is to visualize photo possibilities no matter where he is at. He finds the skill to be able to isolate and recognize a photo out of a scene to be very important. In his portraits he has learned to recognize something fascinating about the way the subject looks. An important part of his technique is to be able to convince the people to be their subject within 15 seconds and for this he understands that respect is the key. He also has develop a style in which he goes unnoticed by his subjects when he takes the shot.

7. Steve McCurry’s Legacy Steve McCurry has done a lot through the years to make him a unique photographer but if there is one frame that we can say has set him apart from the rest of his counterparts is the worldwide famous photograph known as the Afghan Girl. A frame he shot in Afghanistan previous to the Russian invasion. He went into an orphanage and noticed this girl with striking eyes. The shot quickly became the most recognized photo in the world and 20 years later through the technology of retina recognition, Mr. McCurry, with nothing but that photo, found the female subject and was able to give the name of, Sharbat Gula, to the Afghan Girl.

8. Photography as a Communication Tool Photography has the ability to freeze and preserve history. It goes beyond pressing a button. The understanding of light and how light gives life to everything we see. Photography has the capability to communicate the suffering, the disaster, the joy, the pride, the necessity, the compassion of one person to the rest of the world. We can utilize photography to showcase products and accomplishments. Steve McCurry exemplifies this by bringing the reality of the Middle Easter culture into the homes of the Western culture. His understanding of colors, composition, light and subject ensure that his photographs do more than tell a story and also evoke an emotion on those who laid their gaze upon it and feel the need to do something about it.

9. A Work of Art Art is anything that arouses from the inner part of a living creature. It’s an expression of self and world that is shared with the rest of society to expose how a single person views the world. Photography is art because it utilizes light, colors, composition and much more to record how we are living in our planet today. Da Vinci didn’t have a camera, he had a canvas, today we have added the camera and people like Steve McCurry are utilizing it to communicate, freeze and explore the reality of planet Earth. Mr. McCurry’s work is art in my opinion because he exploits nature’s colors and the architecture around him to build compositions that is powerful enough to create emotions in other human beings.

10. Resources • McCurry, Steve. "Bio." Steve McCurry Photography. 2010. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.stevemccurry.com>. • "Photographer Steve McCurry Biography -- National Geographic." Photography, Pictures, Galleries, Wallpapers, Photo Tips - National Geographic. 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011. <http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/photographer-steve-mccurry/>. • Steve McCurry's Blog. 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2011. <http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/>. • "Fotoflock Interview of the Month: Steve McCurry." Foto Flock: India’s First Photography Community Portal by Epson. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2011. <http://www.fotoflock.com/index.php/features/feature-interviews/30/2723>. • "Tribute to Steve Mc Curry, a Photo from Istanbul, Marmara | TrekEarth." Learning about the World through Photography | TrekEarth. 2009. Web. 8 Apr. 2011. <http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/Istanbul/photo248991.htm>. • "American Photo Mission Series - Sponsored by Microsoft | Take Great Pictures." Home | Take Great Pictures. 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2011. <http://www.takegreatpictures.com/photo-book-reviews/10437>. • Citation added: • Mitchell, Kerry. "Robert Capa and Gerda Taro Do Men and Women Take Different Photos? Photography." Bint PhotoBooks on INTernet. 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2011. <http://bintphotobooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/robert-capa-and-gerda-taro-do-men-and.html>. • "Nikon D700 Review." Digital Camera Magazine - Digital Camera Reviews, Ratings and Comparisons. 25 July 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.dcameramag.com/camera-reviews/nikon-d700-review-at-luminous-landscape/>. • "En Busca De La Muchacha Afgana | Días Del Futuro Pasado." Días Del Futuro Pasado | Arte Y Literatura. Nuestra Cultura Y Otras Culturas. 28 Apr. 2005. Web. 08 Apr. 2011. <http://www.futuropasado.com/?p=80>. • "The Afghan Girl’s Escalation: Say Hello to Sharbat | Artistic Things." Artistic Things :: Life Art Music Fashion Film Technology Inspiration. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2011. <http://artisticthings.com/the-afghan-girls-escalation-say-hello-to-sharbat/>. • "Theindiaphile Interviews Steve McCurry - Theindiaphile | Theindiaphile." India Travel, Indian Holidays, Packages, Vacations, Tours | Theindiaphile | an Independent Website for Travellers to India. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.theindiaphile.com/theindiaphile-interviews-steve-mccurry/>. • "National Geographic Events - Pilgrimage: Photographs by Steve McCurry." National Geographic Events - Home Page. 2008. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/exhibits/pilgrimage/>.