Steve McCurry is a world famous photographer, best known for his photograph “The Afghan Girl”. He travels around Asia, looking for heart melting situations to share with the rest of the world. McCurry was born in 1950, in Philadelphia, and attended Pennsylvania State University to peruse his dreams of becoming a documentary filmmaker. As the years passed, his interests changed. After he graduated, McCurry joined a newspaper company as a photographer. The starting point for his career was when he crossed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan and photographed the civil struggle of the people before the Russians invaded. He then re-entered Pakistan with film sewn to his clothing. The images were then published around the world, and McCurry won numerous awards including Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad. He has won many awards for his photography including Nation Press Photographers Association Magazine Photographer of the Year in 1984, four first place prizes in the World Press Photo contest that year, Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award (twice) and on February 23 he will be given the Professional Photographer Award.
In many of McCurry’s photos we see the same message repeated—the struggles and joys of life. One thing that really strikes me to be very ironic is that in the end of one post he has a child chasing a wheel. In other words, playing and having a good time. The next post is about child labour and there are all the photos of unhappy children working. They are all about the same age as the playing boy. Another theme that appears in many of McCurry’s photographs is suffering and defending. In almost all of the “Children of War” photos, the children suffer, and they are forced to go to war. But, on the other hand, they are defending their country, which is a very good thing. At that age, that is what their parents want, not what they want. “If you wait, people would forget your camera and the soul would drift up into view.”
One of the photos that really stood out for me is the one of the young boy selling flowers in McCurry’s post “Children at Work.” There is a boy who looks to be around 10, standing next to a red bus, holding up two bouquets, and the two Indian ladies are looking down at him in disgust. In this photo, I think that McCurry is trying to emphasise that somehow, everyone has to live. The boy in this photo should be in school, but since his parents most likely can’t afford it, he has to be out on the dangerous streets, trying to make ends meet. The boy obviously doesn’t have much money, as he can’t even afford a pair of shoes. When I first looked at this photo, I wondered about his family. I wondered where they are, if they are alive, if the other children are also working, etc. The first thing that catches my eye is his head, because most of the colours in this photo are light and bright, and his head is much darker. The second thing I noticed were the flowers, how he is slightly raising one bundle to the ladies on the bus, and their looks of disgust towards him. I think that their looks of disgust suggest that they think they are superior to him because they can afford transportation. In the background I noticed a man standing in front of what looks to be a shiny black car, but there is a fence separating him and his car from the red bus and the shoe-less boy. The use of color makes the boy stand out from everything else. A noticeable amount of the articles seem to be red or white, so the boy with black hair and dark coloured skin really stands out.
Overall, McCurry’s photos really emphasise the need to live every day to the fullest, because you never know which one will be your last. McCurry’s photos work as a collection, and together they provoke a very powerful message. When a baby is born, it is born into a society, and to change that social position, that baby would have to work very hard. Instead of trying to change what you have, try to focus on what you need, and work for what you want. Through McCurry’s photos, I have learned that photography can be more powerful than words. People always say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but personally I always found poems more meaningful. McCurry’s photos are simply powerful, and they have taught me that images are really much more meaningful that words. His photos are great because as individuals they are pretty magnificent, but when you put them all together, it creates pure bliss. What makes a great photo is simplicity. Not too much going on in the background, but a very focused picture of someone doing something. Photography can change the world because if you show people in rich countries like America or Canada, as compared to photos of people in poor countries such as India or Cambodia, they can see what is happening. If everyone could contribute a small amount, the less fortunate may have hope of transforming their home into a better place for the next generation. For a photo to last and for people to really remember the photo, there has to be something about it, a certain quality, which makes it memorable. Whether it be the subject, the color, what the subject is doing, or the background, there has to be something about a photo that makes the viewer think “WOW, I’m really going to remember that!” To be able to read a photo, you have to be able to understand the position that the people in the photo are in, whether it is their financial position or their position in the photo. You as the viewer have to be able to relate to the photo, and then you will be able to understand the photo better. A journey is shown through photos by facial expressions. The look on someone’s face can determine their journey through life and their day-to-day struggles. McCurry’s photos have changed our world today, especially “The Afghan Girl” which has touched many hearts all over the world.
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