Steve McCurry
Encyclopedia
Steve McCurry is an American
photojournalist
best known for his photograph, "Afghan Girl" that originally appeared in National Geographic magazine.
After working at Today's Post in King of Prussia for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was in India that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”
McCurry continued to cover international conflicts, including the Iran
-Iraq
war, Beirut
, Cambodia
, the Philippines
, the Gulf War
, and Afghanistan
. McCurry's work has been featured worldwide in magazines and he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic. He has been a member of Magnum Photos
since 1986.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year, awarded by the National Press Photographers’ Association. The same year, he won an unprecedented four first-place prizes in the World Press Photo Contest. He has won the Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award twice.
McCurry focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. He is driven by an innate curiosity and sense of wonder about the world and everyone in it, and has an uncanny ability to cross boundaries of language and culture to capture stories of human experience. “Most of my images are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face. I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape, that you could call the human condition.”
Steve McCurry is portrayed in a TV documentary titled "The Face of the Human Condition" (2003) by French award-winning filmmaker Denis Delestrac
.
Based in New York, McCurry offers weekend photography workshops, as well as extended 2-week digital photography workshops in Asia (currently scheduled in Nepal, India, and Burma).
after almost two decades, he said, “Her skin is weathered; there are wrinkles now, but she is a striking as she was all those years ago.”
The image itself was named as "the most recognized photograph" in the history of the National Geographic magazine and her face became famous as the cover photograph on the June 1985 issue. The photo has also been widely used on Amnesty International
brochures, posters, and calendars. The identity of the "Afghan Girl" remained unknown for over 17 years until McCurry and a National Geographic team located the woman, Sharbat Gula
, in 2002.
Although McCurry shoots both in digital and film, his admitted preference is for transparency film. Eastman Kodak
let McCurry shoot the last ever produced roll of Kodachrome
transparency film, which was processed in July 2010 by Dwayne's Photo
in Parsons, Kansas
and will be housed at the George Eastman House
. Most of the photos, excluding a few near-duplicates, have been published on the Internet by Vanity Fair
magazine.
"I shot it for 30 years and I have several hundred thousand pictures on Kodachrome in my archive. I'm trying to shoot 36 pictures that act as some kind of wrap up - to mark the passing of Kodachrome. It was a wonderful film."
McCurry returned from an extended assignment in China on September 10, 2001.
"I live by Washington Square Park, and my office has a view of Lower Manhattan. I was there, going through mail with my assistant, when we got a phone call saying that the World Trade Center was on fire. I looked out my window and saw both towers were on fire.
I got my camera bag and went up on the roof of my building and started photographing the towers. We didn’t even know it was a plane, because we were up on the roof without the radio or TV. We all thought it was a fire that would eventually be put out—a terrible disaster, I mean both towers were on fire. I figured I’d shoot it from my roof for about 20 minutes and then go down to the base.
And then they just fell.
I was in a state of disbelief. They were just gone. It didn’t seem possible. Like you’re seeing something but you don’t really believe what you’re seeing. Even though I had seen them implode and there was all this smoke, it was not in the realm of possiblilty for the towers to be gone. It felt like we were living inside a dream, or rather a nightmare.
After they fell, my assistant and I ran down to Ground Zero to photograph the situation there. It was surreal. There was this very fine white powder everywhere and all this office paper, but there was no recognizable office equipment—no filing cabinets, telephones, computers. It seemed like the whole thing had been pulverized. It was just dust, steel and paper.
We were there until 9 at night. Then I walked home, but I couldn’t sleep. So I got up at 3:30 in the morning and walked back down there. As you can imagine, there was serious security: police, firemen, soldiers. But it was very clear to me this needed to be documented. I knew I had to do whatever I had to do to get back down there. I found a way to sneak in by cutting through a fence, and it allowed me to spend the morning of September 12 there. I eventually got removed by the police. They were really angry—the police, the firemen, everyone down there; emotions were running very high. One fireman threatened to beat my brains in with a shovel. I understood their position completely. From their point of view, we were there as tourists or spectators, when really we were there to record history, to create a record of this evil deed. The records of photography and magazines and radio and television are how we’re informed and how we know what’s going on in the world. This was something that absolutely had to be documented, and that’s what I do."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photojournalist
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
best known for his photograph, "Afghan Girl" that originally appeared in National Geographic magazine.
Early life
Steve McCurry was born on February 24, 1950 in the small town of Newton Square, Pennsylvania. He attended Marple Newtown High School in Delaware County, and afterwards attended Penn State University to study cinematography and filmmaking, but ended up getting a degree in theater arts and graduating cum laude in 1974. He became very interested in photography when he started taking pictures for the Penn State newspaper The Daily Collegian.After working at Today's Post in King of Prussia for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was in India that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”
Career
His career was launched when, disguised in native garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled Afghanistan just before the Russian invasion. When he emerged, he had rolls of film sewn into his clothes. Those images, which were published around the world, were among the first to show the conflict. His coverage won the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, an award dedicated to photographers exhibiting exceptional courage and enterprise.McCurry continued to cover international conflicts, including the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
-Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
war, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. McCurry's work has been featured worldwide in magazines and he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic. He has been a member of Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
since 1986.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year, awarded by the National Press Photographers’ Association. The same year, he won an unprecedented four first-place prizes in the World Press Photo Contest. He has won the Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award twice.
McCurry focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. He is driven by an innate curiosity and sense of wonder about the world and everyone in it, and has an uncanny ability to cross boundaries of language and culture to capture stories of human experience. “Most of my images are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face. I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape, that you could call the human condition.”
Steve McCurry is portrayed in a TV documentary titled "The Face of the Human Condition" (2003) by French award-winning filmmaker Denis Delestrac
Denis Delestrac
Denis Delestrac is an award-winning documentary filmmaker.-Biography:A law and journalism graduate, Delestrac made his debut in non-fiction filmmaking in 2001 and signed a number of hits including IMAX blockbuster "Mystery of the Nile" and “Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space”, his first...
.
Based in New York, McCurry offers weekend photography workshops, as well as extended 2-week digital photography workshops in Asia (currently scheduled in Nepal, India, and Burma).
Afghan Girl
McCurry's most recognized portrait, "Afghan Girl", was taken in a refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. A high point in McCurry's career was the rediscovery of the previously unidentified Afghan refugee girl that many have described as the most recognizable photograph in the world today. When McCurry finally located Sharbat GulaSharbat Gula
Sharbat Gula is an Afghan woman who was the subject of a famous photograph by journalist Steve McCurry. Gula was living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed...
after almost two decades, he said, “Her skin is weathered; there are wrinkles now, but she is a striking as she was all those years ago.”
The image itself was named as "the most recognized photograph" in the history of the National Geographic magazine and her face became famous as the cover photograph on the June 1985 issue. The photo has also been widely used on Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
brochures, posters, and calendars. The identity of the "Afghan Girl" remained unknown for over 17 years until McCurry and a National Geographic team located the woman, Sharbat Gula
Sharbat Gula
Sharbat Gula is an Afghan woman who was the subject of a famous photograph by journalist Steve McCurry. Gula was living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed...
, in 2002.
Kodachrome
The Last Roll of Kodachrome photosAlthough McCurry shoots both in digital and film, his admitted preference is for transparency film. Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
let McCurry shoot the last ever produced roll of Kodachrome
Kodachrome
Kodachrome is the trademarked brand name of a type of color reversal film that was manufactured by Eastman Kodak from 1935 to 2009.-Background:...
transparency film, which was processed in July 2010 by Dwayne's Photo
Dwayne's Photo
Dwayne's Photo is a film processing facility in Parsons, Kansas founded in 1956. It was the last Kodak certified Kodachrome processing facility in the world, until the line was shut down on December 30, 2010 due to lack of developing chemicals.- History :...
in Parsons, Kansas
Parsons, Kansas
Parsons is a city in the northern part of Labette County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500...
and will be housed at the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
. Most of the photos, excluding a few near-duplicates, have been published on the Internet by Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
magazine.
"I shot it for 30 years and I have several hundred thousand pictures on Kodachrome in my archive. I'm trying to shoot 36 pictures that act as some kind of wrap up - to mark the passing of Kodachrome. It was a wonderful film."
September 11, 2001
September, 11th 2001 photosMcCurry returned from an extended assignment in China on September 10, 2001.
"I live by Washington Square Park, and my office has a view of Lower Manhattan. I was there, going through mail with my assistant, when we got a phone call saying that the World Trade Center was on fire. I looked out my window and saw both towers were on fire.
I got my camera bag and went up on the roof of my building and started photographing the towers. We didn’t even know it was a plane, because we were up on the roof without the radio or TV. We all thought it was a fire that would eventually be put out—a terrible disaster, I mean both towers were on fire. I figured I’d shoot it from my roof for about 20 minutes and then go down to the base.
And then they just fell.
I was in a state of disbelief. They were just gone. It didn’t seem possible. Like you’re seeing something but you don’t really believe what you’re seeing. Even though I had seen them implode and there was all this smoke, it was not in the realm of possiblilty for the towers to be gone. It felt like we were living inside a dream, or rather a nightmare.
After they fell, my assistant and I ran down to Ground Zero to photograph the situation there. It was surreal. There was this very fine white powder everywhere and all this office paper, but there was no recognizable office equipment—no filing cabinets, telephones, computers. It seemed like the whole thing had been pulverized. It was just dust, steel and paper.
We were there until 9 at night. Then I walked home, but I couldn’t sleep. So I got up at 3:30 in the morning and walked back down there. As you can imagine, there was serious security: police, firemen, soldiers. But it was very clear to me this needed to be documented. I knew I had to do whatever I had to do to get back down there. I found a way to sneak in by cutting through a fence, and it allowed me to spend the morning of September 12 there. I eventually got removed by the police. They were really angry—the police, the firemen, everyone down there; emotions were running very high. One fireman threatened to beat my brains in with a shovel. I understood their position completely. From their point of view, we were there as tourists or spectators, when really we were there to record history, to create a record of this evil deed. The records of photography and magazines and radio and television are how we’re informed and how we know what’s going on in the world. This was something that absolutely had to be documented, and that’s what I do."
Awards
| 2011 | Leica Leica Leica Camera AG, a German optics company, produces Leica cameras. The predecessor of the company, formerly known as Ernst Leitz GmbH, is now three companies: Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment, and microscopes, respectively... Hall of Fame Award |
St. Moritz St. Moritz St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden... , Switzerland |
| 2011 | Prix LiberPress | Girona Girona Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès... , Spain |
| 2009 | Abrogino D’Oro | Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... , Italy |
| 2006 | Lowell Thomas Lowell Thomas Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous... GOLD |
|
| 2006 | First Place, Buddha Rising, National Geographic, Dec. 2005 | National Press Photographers Association National Press Photographers Association NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field... |
| 2006 | Honorary Fellowship | New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) |
| 2005 | Honorary Fellowship | The Royal Photographic Society Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography... of Great Britain, London |
| 2005 | Photojournalism Division-International Understanding through Photography Award | Photographic Society of America |
| 2003 | The Lucie Award for Photojournalism | International Photography Awards |
| 2003 | Distinguished Alumni Award | Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service... |
| 2003 | Co-recipient of the New York Film Festival New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center... Gold for documentary, Afghan Girl: Found" |
New York Film Festival New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center... |
| 2002 | Distinguished Visiting Fellow | College of Creative Studies, University of California University of California The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University... |
| 2002 | Doctor of Humane Letters Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of... , honoris causa |
Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:... , NJ |
| 2002 | Photographer of the Year - PMDA Professional Photographer Award | PMDA |
| 2002 | Photographer of the Year | American Photo Magazine |
| 2002 | Special Recognition Award | United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... International Photographic Council |
| 2002 | Award of Excellence for "Women of Afghanistan" | French Art Directors Association |
| 2001 | Award of Excellence, Book Series: "South SouthEast | Photography Annual, Communication Arts |
| 2000 | Book of the Year: "South SouthEast" Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: "Women in Field, Yemen |
Picture of the Year Competition |
| 1999 | Lifetime Fellow Award | Pennsylvania State University, PA |
| 1998 | Our World Photo Winner, "Red Boy" Our World Essay Finalist, India |
Life Magazine: 'The Eisenstaedt Awards' |
| 1998 | Award of Excellence, Portraits: Red Boy | Picture of the Year Competition |
| 1998 | Southern Asian Journalistic Award: Outstanding Special Project: National Geographic Story, India: 50 Years of Independence Southern Asian Journalistic Award: Outstanding Photograph: Red Boy |
|
| 1997 | Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: Fishermen | Picture of the Year Competition |
| 1996 | Magazine Feature Picture Story Award: '"Beggar Magazine Feature Picture Story Award: Burma: The Richest of the Poor Countries |
Picture of the Year Competition |
| 1994 | Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award | Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service... |
| 1993 | Award of Excellence for Rubble of War | National Press Photographers Association National Press Photographers Association NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field... |
| 1992 | Oliver Rebbot Memorial Award: Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad on Gulf War Coverage | Overseas Press Club Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member... |
| 1992 | Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: Fiery Aliens First Place, Magazine Science Award: Camels under a Blackened Sky First Place, Gulf War News Story: Kuwait: After the Storm |
Picture of the Year Competition |
| 1992 | First Place, Nature and Environment: Oil-Stricken Bird, Kuwait First Place, General News Stories: Kuwait after the Storm Children's Award: "Camels under a Blackened Sky |
World Press Photo Competition |
| 1990 | Award of Excellence, "Spanish Gypsy | White House News Photographers Association |
| 1987 | Medal of Honor for coverage of the 1986 Philippine Revolution | Philippines |
| 1986 | Oliver Rebbot Memorial Award: Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad for work done in the Philippines | Overseas Press Club Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member... |
| 1984 | Nature Category, First Place Nature Series Category, First place Daily LIfe Category, First Place Daily Life Series, First Place |
World Press Competition |
| 1985 | Oliver Rebbot Award Citation: Monsoons and The New Faces of Baghdad | |
| 1984 | Magazine Photographer of the Year | National Press Photographers Association National Press Photographers Association NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field... |
| 1980 | Robert Capa Gold Medal Robert Capa Gold Medal The Robert Capa Gold Medal is an award for "best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". It is awarded annually by the Overseas Press Club of America . It was created in honor of the war photographer Robert Capa... for coverage of the war in Afghanistan for Time Magazine |
|
Publications
| The Iconic Photographs | Phaidon Press | Limited, 2011 |
| The Unguarded Moment | Phaidon Press | Limited, 2009 |
| In the Shadow of Mountains | Phaidon Press Limited | 2007 |
| Looking East | Phaidon Press Limited | 2006 |
| Steve McCurry | Phaidon Press Limited | 2005 |
| The Path to Buddha: A Tibetan Pilgrimage | Phaidon Press Limited | 2003 |
| Sanctuary: The Temples of Angkor | Phaidon Press Limited | 2002 |
| South Southeast | Phaidon Press Limited | 2000 |
| Portraits | Phaidon Press Limited | 1999 |
| Monsoon | Thames and Hudson | 1988 |
| The Imperial Way - Photographs by Steve McCurry and Text by Paul Theroux | Houghton-Mifflin Company | 1985 |
External links
- Steve McCurry's Official web site (with image galleries)
- Steve McCurry's gallery at photographic agency "Sudest57" web site
- Capturing the Face of Asia - Interview with Steve McCurry in June 2007 by European Culture and Arts online Magazine "Culturekiosque"
- I Visualize Photo Possibilities Wherever I Am - Interview with Steve McCurry in August 2009 by Indian photography web site "Fotoflock.com"
- One on One with Riz Khan - Al Jezeera interview by Riz Khan on his work