Steve McCurry


     Steve McCurry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, studied cinematography at Penn State University, and then worked for a newspaper. two years later, McCurry made a trip across the Indian subcontinent with only his clothes a bag full of film, and a camera. After several months of travel, he met a group of refugees from Afghanistan in a small village who smuggled him across the border into their country. This was at a time when the country was closed to Western journalists due to the Russian invasion. McCurry's photographs were among the first to show the world the brutality of the Russian invasion. Since then, McCurry has produced unforgettable photographs on all seven continents and in numerous countries. His work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions, and contemporary cultures.





    The photo above is one of his signature pieces, Afghan Girl. This photo was taken in a refugee camp along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the focus is on the girl, while the background is blurred to emphasize her. The girl's eyes are the undeniable focal point of the photo, capturing a mixture of fierceness, vulnerability, quiet defiance, and strength. The tattered red scarf contrasts with the green background, and the clothes worn under the scarf are green, giving the overall image a sense of unity.


    

    This photograph, “Red Boy,” is a portrait taken in 1992 during the war in Afghanistan, and the subject is a boy whose face and body are covered in red powder (pigment). This red pigment is a symbolic element of the photograph and has a powerful visual impact. The boy gazes at us with a serious expression, and his eyes give us a glimpse of the difficult circumstances that have affected his life. Red is the color that dominates the entire picture and seems to symbolize the tragedy and urgency of war. Red is also a color that symbolizes life and energy, so the boy's vitality and hope for the future may also be implied. His expression is innocent, yet it seems to convey the hardships he experienced at a young age and the harshness of reality. In “Red Boy,” the background is a bluish color that contrasts with the red of the subject to make the subject stand out.


    There are two characteristics of his photographs that can be seen from these two pictures. The first is the facial expressions, especially the eyes. Many of his photographs are of people looking at us with serious faces. However, their eyes are filled with various emotions, and they appeal to us who look at the photograph. The second is his use of color. I think he even considers the color of the background to make the subject stand out. This can be clearly seen in the two photographs mentioned above. His photographs are colorful and catch our eye.







https://www.stevemccurry.com/about

https://publicdelivery.org/steve-mccurry-afghan-girl/


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