(february, 24, 1950,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA )
Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist, known worldwide for being the author of the photograph The Afghan Girl, published in the National Geographic magazine in 1985.
His career as a photographer began with the Afghanistan War (1978-1992). It has also covered other international conflicts such as the war between Iraq and Iran or the Gulf War.
Steve McCurry comments on his work (quote from the book by Editorial Phaidon) “In the portrait I wait for the moment when the person is unprepared, when the essence of his soul and his experiences come to his face … I find the right person or topic, sometimes I return one, two, or even half a dozen times, always waiting for the right moment, unlike the writer, in my work, once I have packed my bags, there is no other This is what guides and obsesses the professional photographer, now or never, for me, the portraits in this book convey a desire for human relationship, a desire so strong that people he knows that he will never see me again, he opens himself to the camera, waiting for someone to observe him on the other side, someone who laughs or suffers with her. “
McCurry began studying History of Cinematography and Cinematography at the State University of Pennsylvania in 1968, but ended up getting a degree in Performing Arts, graduating cum laude in 1974. He became immensely interested in photography when he began taking pictures for the Pennsylvania newspaper called “The daily collegian”.
Career
His career as a photojournalist began with his coverage of the Soviet war. In Afghanistan, McCurry disguised himself in the country’s clothes to go unnoticed when he worked, and he took out the country’s reels by sewing them in his clothes. His images were among the first to portray the conflict and had a wide circulation. That work earned him the Robert Capa gold medal (Robert Capa Gold Medal) for the best photographic report abroad.
McCurry continued to cover international conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq war, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. His work has been published in magazines all over the world, and he is a regular contributor to National Geographic. He is a member of the Magnum agency since 1986.
As a team, it uses a Nikon D700 and a Hasselblad medium format. In an interview he says: “In times past, I used to use fixed focal length lenses like a 28mm, a 35mm and a 50mm, but I am currently happy with the results of my zoom lens Nikkor 28-70 as I think it gives me sharp results. “
Photos
Her most recognized photo is “The Afghan Girl”, made from a previously unknown Afghan refugee. The image itself was considered “the most recognized” in the history of the National Geographic magazine and its face became famous as a cover in June 1985. The photo has also been widely used in Amnesty pamphlets, posters and calendars International. The identity of the “Afghan girl” was unknown for at least 15 years until McCurry and a National Geographic team located the woman, Sharbat Gula, in 2002.
Steve McCurry is portrayed in a television documentary entitled “The face of Human Condition” (2003), by award-winning Frenchman Denis Delestrac.
Although McCurry photographs in both digital and film, his preference is the film. Eastman Kodak allowed McCurry to photograph with the last produced Kodachrome scroll, which was processed in July 2010 by Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas (USA) and whose photographs will remain at the George Eastman House. Most of the photos, excluding some duplicates, have been published online by Vanity Fair magazine.
Links
Some of his Photos
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