"But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.” – Steve McCurry

Steve Mc. Curry’s Bio

Steve Mc Curry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 24th 1950. He is a famous photographer who takes picture of humanities, loss and joy. He mostly took pictures about war, freedom and independence. He took people who were hurt in war, children soldiers, children playing around the war machines and people working when they don’t know whether they are taken photos of them.

Steve McCurry started to get interested in taking photographs when he was working in Penn State newspaper called ‘The Daily Collegian’. Steve Mc Curry graduated Cum Laude and he started his career in India as a photographer journalist. He learned many things watching people on the street in India and around the world. He disguised in native garb as he crossed the Pakistan border. When he crossed the border, he saw the things he never saw in his life. He realized something. He then decided to be a photograph journalist through his entire life.

“What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.” – Steve Mc Curry Steve McCurry said about his work taking photos around the world. I’ve seen most of the photographs of Steve McCurry and they are really focused on person’s face, looking at the camera directly. His one of the famous photograph is an “Afghan Girl.” Afghan girl is his famous photo of all because her red scarf, the sea-green eyes stood out of the photograph and her staring at the camera made an outstanding picture. The photo was very attracting people because of her eyes. This photo also became the symbol of American refugee because the girl in the photo was sent to Nasir Bagh refugee camp during the Soviet Union’s bombing of Afghanistan and her parents were killed by the Soviet. Out of all the great photos, I chose my favorite photo which is about a child soldier.

The boy in the picture looks about 8 or 9 and he is holding a normal black gun that is for shooting at people, put on a beige scarf on his head and wore a yellow jacket that’s dirtied. When I first saw this photo, I was worried whether about his education. But I guessed he hasn’t been educated because he was so young and he is holding a gun. Look at his face and his body. He looks like he didn’t wash for 3 days or so. The gun that’s in his hand should be disappeared. Learning to kill people is not a good thing especially the children. They should be playing out in the field, learning at school. Killing people at the boy’s age is a dangerous thing. I wonder who, in the government, told the soldiers to train children. Who in the world send the children to a war to fight? What if the boy dies in a war? How would their parents feel if they know that their child died? There are too many issues about training children as soldiers. If the children learn to kill people and when they grow up, or what would they be? I think what Steve McCurry was trying to emphasize in this photo was the eyes in the boy’s face and the gun. I think the eyes in the photo make a great photo because his eyes staring at the camera is very powerful. Steve McCurry took this photo by focusing into boy’s eyes and the gun that he is holding.

Overall, most of the Steve McCurry’s photos are based on humilities, looseness and joyfulness. I learned that photograph teaches people about the other side of the people who are in the other world. Like rich and poor people, when you see the photograph, it shows you the people you didn’t see and realize. I think photograph brings a change about the people’s life because some people might look at Steve McCurry’s photograph and help that country, or might even visit and see the reality how bad the environment is or the people’s suffering from illness. In my opinion, a great photo becomes from the people’s eyes, gestures, working, their loss and joy. Even if it is a photo that looks really boring, that can even attract people’s attention. No matter what the photo is, if they have the power in the photo, I think they can even make great photos. When I look at a photo, I first look at the thing that’s mostly focusing, then the color, and the background. Later then I observed more about the picture. His work is mostly like a journey because he travels around the countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan and other many poor countries) and takes photos that impress people; make people realize what different things are in other parts of the countries. His work is amazing as he said this “What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.” – Steve Mc Curry

And also a perfect photographer, he will always be in people’s heads and be remembered. Like a photographer of an Afghan Girl.