Steve McCurry is a photographer with an impressive personal stamp. He is a color genius and has an ability to portray his environment and the people who inhabit it in a personal and unique way. The images of him are full of life, hope, closeness and respect.
McCurry became famous, to the general public, thanks to the iconic image that was on the cover of National Geographicknown as the Afghan Girl (1985). If until now the name did not sound familiar to you, surely you have just located it ;).
But beyond this impressive image, there is a whole world of unforgettable images by this author. They are photographs that seek to get closer to people, human behavior, their customs and their different views.
If you want to get to know this photographer in depth, take a walk through some of his best images, find out about his awards, his best books, etc., keep reading, you won't regret adding this great photographer to your baggage of photographic inspiration ? .
BIOGRAPHY
Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist born in Philadelphia in 1950 where he graduated Cum Laude in cinematography from Pennsylvania State University .It is at the university where he discovered his vocation for photography working for the university's own magazine.
After graduating he went to India where he lived for a year photographing different parts of the country. From there he traveled to Pakistan where he met a group of Afghan refugees who helped him cross the border into Afghanistan, just as the Russians closed the borders to Western journalists.
In Afghanistan, he portrayed the harshness of the Soviet invasion while living with the mujahideen. He made it across the border into Pakistan again, dressed as a mujahedeen with spools sewn to his clothing, being one of the first photographers to show the brutality of the Afghan war.
His work on this armed conflict earned him his first awards as a photographer, winning the prestigious Robert Capa* Gold Medal Award for it.
In 1986 he became a member of the prestigious Magnum Photos agency..
Since then, he has continued to photograph different conflicts around the world such as the Gulf War, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, Cambodia, etc. He has been arrested in 12 countries, twice in Pakistan, more than once having to choose between his reels and his life.
But images also abound in places without armed conflicts such as India, Cuba, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Italy, Brazil, the United States and many more.
Among other great decorations, he has won four first prizes from one of the most prestigious awards in photography: the World Press Photo ..
*The Robert Capa Gold Medal Award is an award for the best photography taken outside the United States that requires exceptional courage and means. It is awarded each year by the Overseas Press Club. It was created in 1955 in honor of war photographer Robert Capa. Source: Wikipedia.
You can take a look at their website, his Instagramor their Facebook page.
WHAT CAMERA DOES STEVE MCCURRY USE?
To portray the famous Afghan girl, he used a Nikon FM2 and a Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 lens. However, apart from Nikon , she has also worked with other brands such as Hasselblad and Leica .
FEATURED AWARDS
featured awards
- Robert Capa Gold Medal Award (1980) for his coverage of the war in Afghanistan.
- World Press Photo Award for Everyday Life (1985)
- World Press Photo Award for Nature (1985)
- World Press Photo Award for General News (1992)
- World Press Photo Award: Children's Award (1992)
- Emmy Award (2003)
- National Press Photographer's award
- International Photography Wall of fame
ARTWORK BY STEVE MCCURRY
Steve McCurry's work is as prolific as it is of great quality at a compositional, technical, chromatic level and, of course, at a narrative level.
His photographs seek the beauty of the human being in a universal way regardless of the race, culture or social class of the people who surround him. He has a deep sensitivity towards ancient cultures and, without a doubt, towards color and light.
The images of this author are of an impressive chromatic beauty, color is a fundamental part of his compositions; his work would not be understood in the same way without him. He often plays with very vivid and light-filled color contrasts.
"If you know how to wait, people will forget about your camera and then their soul will come out."
Steve McCurry
Looking at his images, you perfectly perceive the respect he shows to the people portrayed and the time he dedicates to them. They are universal photographs, images of the human being and its contradictions, where the beauty of diversity is praised.
In short, Steve McCurry has an impressive sensitivity to color and the world around him. He has an ability to connect with the people he portrays, with the moments, with the light and the environment, absolutely unique.
FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHS OF STEVE MCCURRY
It is very difficult to delimit in a brief list the most iconic works of this great photographer since he has worked for many years at an impressive level of quality. However, these are some of his best-known works:
- The Afghan Girl (1985), a portrait for which she used a Nikon FM2 camera and a Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 lens and which became, probably, the most famous cover of National Geographic. You can read some curiosities around this iconic image in this article.
- Stilt fishermen , Sri Lanka.
- Hindu traditional festival of Ganesh Chaturthi , Mumbai, India.
- Boy in Mid-Flight, India.
- Procession of monks, Burma.
- Buddhist monks in the rain, Cambodia.
- Workers on a steam locomotive, India.
- Flower seller at Dal Lake, India.
- Mother and son through car window, India.
- Sandstorm, India.
- The Afghan girl, 17 years later.
Here is a video tribute to many of his best photographs:
If you want to delve into the life and work of this great photographer, you have the documentary film released in 2021, where you can enjoy the philosophy of life and work, the reflections behind some of his best photographs, his way of seeing the world, etc.
Here you can see the official trailer of the documentary on McCurry The Pursuit of Color:
BOOKS BY STEVE MCCURRY
To enjoy first-hand the work of this magnificent and prolific author, you have different books by Steve McCurry edited by Blume or Phaidon:
Steve McCurry Stories and dreams: A book about childhood, his capacity for resilience, and his gaze. Through its more than 200 colorful pages you will be able to see childhood around the planet. You can get it for €47.40
Steve McCurry The World in My Eyes: 100 Rare Photos by the Photographer Featuring Portraits and Scenes from Around the World. You can buy it for N/A
Steve McCurry Portraits: The most comprehensive portrait book with some of this photographer's most iconic portraits. Through its more than 300 pages, you will be able to travel around the planet through the gaze of his portraits. You can get it for N/A
Steve McCurry India: One of the countries that this author has portrayed the most. Contains more than 140 full-color images on its 300 pages. You can buy it for €47.45
Steve McCurry The iconic photographs: (In English) a book with his most iconic photographs that you can enjoy in its 272 pages. You can get him for N/A
Steve McCurry A life in pictures: (In English) A compilation book of McCurry's photographs through different stages and places in the world. You can buy it for €71.30
Steve McCurry On reading: (In English) Through different and impressive photographs, this book portrays people from different cultures, places and moments, and their relationship with the act of reading. It has 144 pages and hardcover. You can get it for €71.30
Steve McCurry Untold (In English) This book tells us about the stories behind some of the author's most iconic photographs. It has 304 pages and a soft cover. You can buy it for N/A
STEVE MCCURRY EXHIBITION
I was lucky enough to go to an exhibition of this wonderful photographer recently and I can tell you that it is worth going to see his large photographs. Those colors, that light in the eyes of the people he portrays, those impossible compositions...
There are simultaneous exhibitions of Steve McCurry's work in many different countries, so you may have one closer than you think ;).
in this linkYou can check the current exhibitions with works by this author.
Steve McCurry is a photographer as universal as his photographs. It is difficult not to know him and it is impossible not to connect with his photographs, with the stories, with the looks, with those moments so deep that we can perceive through them.
Whether they are images of a terrible armed conflict with the sad and profound look of children who are direct or indirect victims of war, injured people, famines, or the daily scenes of nuns in the rain, monks practicing sports, children playing, of some fishermen, of readers in all cultures...
Each and every one of these views reach us so directly, so human and universal as few authors are capable of achieving.
