Photographer of the Week: Steve McCurry

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Steve McCurry is one of America's most iconic photojournalists. With the exception a short stint as a staffer on a local news paper near his home in Pennsylvania, McCurry has worked solely as a freelance photographer, and yet has created some of the most iconic images in history.

McCurry started photographing at the age of 19. After he graduated high school in 1969, McCurry left to travel Europe for several months. He took with him his first camera, a Kodak Instamatic, that his father, who loved photography showed him how to use, and he took photos of his travels.

After about two months of wandering, he ended up  living in the home of a family in Sweden whose teenage son was an amateur photographer. McCurry recalls in his series, "Becoming Steve McCurry," that during that time he and this boy would take long walks together in Stockholm just to photograph. "It was my first experience of wandering the streets of the city with no purpose, no expectation, just to look, observe and watch people and experience life," he said.

After his trip to Europe, McCurry returned to Pennsylvania and studying cinematography in college. He took a fine art photography class and he "immediately fell in love with photography. That class in still photography changed the course of my life." (McCurry, 2020)

According to McCurry's bio, after finishing college at Pennsylvania State University he began work at newspaper for two years before making his first of many trips to India. He spent the next several years traversing the subcontinent, "exploring the country with his camera."

He eventually crossed the boarder into Pakistan and continued taking photographs. Then a chance meeting with some refugees from Afghanistan changed his life. The men invited him to cross the boarder into Afghanistan with him. McCurry went, just before the Soviet invasion closed the boarder to western journalists, and ended up taking the photo that would change his whole career: "Afghan Girl." (McCurry, 2022)

Steve McCurry's iconic photograph "Afghan Girl" on the cover of National Geographic magazine, June 1985.


McCurry was in the right place at the right time and his images, which showed the human impact of the war, were some of the first to be seen by the western world, which catapulted his career.

McCurry's photographs mostly portraits of people in the places he travels. But he also incorporates some street photography style, shooting the scene, and multiple people as they are, in his work. He photographs are real, but so artistically beautiful as well. 

What drew me to Steve McCurry's work is that he creates the type of photos I'd like to create. His use of color and light really makes every photo pop, and in some of them you really have to stop and make sure you're looking at a photograph and not a piece of art. 

McCurry still photographs today. But after some scandal and accusations back in 2016 that McCurry was using photoshop to digitally alter his images, a huge no-go for photojournalists beyond the standard color correction, McCurry has rebranded himself as "visual storyteller," rather than a photojournalist. (Laurent, 2016)

Despite this scandal, McCurry has earned some of the most prestigious awards in photography and photojournalism. And in 2019 he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. Regardless of how much editing took place on some of McCurry's photographs, he remains a celebrated and incredibly talented photographer who has earned his place in history.

Steve McCurry's work can be seen on his website: SteveMcCurry.com


References

Laurent, Olivier. (2016, May 30). Steve McCurry: I'm a Visual Storyteller Not a Photojournalist.                         Time. https://time.com/4351725/steve-mccurry-not-photojournalist/

McCurry, Steve. (2020, September 1). Episode 1: Becoming Steve McCurry.                                                         YouTube. ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yGqcuupKFc

McCurry, Steve (2022, November). Bio. https://www.stevemccurry.com/bio


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