Photographer of The Week: Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry was born February 24, 1950 in Pennsylvania.  He went to Penn State, where he originally went there to study Cinematography and Film Making, but got his degree in Theater Arts.  During  college he became interested in photography and worked at the college's newspaper.  After college he went to work for Today's Post in Pennsylvania for two years before quitting and going to India to do freelance work.  After months of traveling he later crossed the border to Pakistan by being smuggled by refugees from Afghanistan right before the invasion of the Soviet Union.  He smuggled roles of film sewn into his clothes and the pictures he had taken were the first images of the conflict shown to the world.  These photos won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal, this would be the first of many awards to come.

He continued to cover armed conflicts included Iran/Iraq, Lebanon Civil War, Cambodian Civil War and Afghan Civil War.  He then became a frequent contributor to the National Geographic.  His main focus when capturing conflicts are the human element.

His most recognizable photo is of "Afghan Girl." Whose identity remained unknown until 2002, when a National Geographic located her. Sharbat Gula was living in a refugee camp in Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.  This picture original graced the cover of National Geographic in 1985.  It is the most recognized photo in National Geographic history and sometimes referred to as "The Afghan Mona Lisa."  This photo is McCurry's claim to fame.




Steve McCurry is universally known as one of the finest photojournalist today.  With nearly 40 awards to his name he has certainly become a commodity in the industry.  His work is known for his extraordinary use of color in his subjects and a background of monochromatic.  He likes to show the world through his photos. Whether its conflicts among nations, sad or happiness in the eyes of his subjects, he shows us the bare naked truth in all of his work.  I have a great respect for this aspect of Steve McCurry, he is my favorite photojournalists of all time and he never seems to disappoint me with his work and I cannot imagine what his next masterpiece will be.