Biography

“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 McCurry has been a one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name.

Born in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; McCurry studied film at Pennsylvania State University, before going on to work for a local newspaper. After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first of what would become many trips to India. Traveling with little more than a bag of clothes and another of film, he made his way across the subcontinent, exploring the country with his camera.

It was after several months of travel that he found himself crossing the border into Pakistan. There, he met a group of refugees from Afghanistan, who smuggled him across the border into their country, just as the Russian Invasion was closing the country to all western journalists. Emerging in traditional dress, with full beard and weather-worn features after weeks embedded with the Mujahideen, McCurry brought the world the first images of the conflict in Afghanistan, putting a human face to the issue on every masthead.

Since then, McCurry has gone on to create stunning images over six continents and countless countries. His work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike - yet always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the Afghan Girl such a powerful image.

McCurry has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, National Press Photographers Award, and an unprecedented four first prize awards from the World Press Photo contest, to name a few.

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Photograph by: Ahmet Sel

BEHIND THE SCENES

A glimpse at the stories behind Steve McCurry's iconic works.

The Temples of Angkor

I had first visited the temples of Angkor in 1989. I was immediately overwhelmed by what I saw, it was difficult to comprehend the majesty of the place. Angkor contains simply some of the most spectacular ancient temples on earth.

The interpreter and I were often completely alone as we wandered the site and delved into the crumbling buildings. The place is huge, and so much has been abandoned and become overgrown that it felt that maybe discovering sculptures that were completely unknown. I was particularly drawn to reliefs and statues on which the detail had worn away so much that you could only just recognize a face.

Many structures bore the marks of war, and outlying parts of Angkor had been heavily mined. But the biggest threat to the temples was the looting of the artworks. I found buildings from which statues and carved reliefs had been chiseled loose and taken away, the artifacts destined to be sold abroad, often in neighboring Thailand.

Steve McCurry

Boy with Toy Gun

I saw a young boy with a toy gun in his hand weeping on the side of the road in a village in a mountainous area of Peru. Some of the other children he was playing with were tormenting and teasing him. I walked over to see if I could help, but the child wasn't able to respond because he was so upset. He walked away towards his house.

Girl in Green Shawl

This photograph of a young Afghan refugee was taken in Peshawar, Pakistan. We were driving to meet the teacher who had been Sharbat Gula's teacher in the tent all those years ago. We saw this young girl on the street, who was also about 12 years old. She had a look I thought was very special. We went to her neighborhood later in the day after learning where she lived. I photographed her on the street. We were going around with a crew and a TV camera and there were lots of people on the street talking and shouting and jostling to get a better view, but there’s a stillness and a calmness to that picture. The little girl is looking at you, the viewer, and there is an empathy, there’s a connection, some kind of emotion.

Tailor in Monsoon

An Indian tailor was caught in the monsoon floodwaters in Porbandar. The city had been underwater for a week. I was a bit reluctant to wade through the water because of the dead animals and other debris floating in the streets. After trying to photograph from a boat, it became clear that the only way I could cover the flood was to wade in. I spent days wandering in water up to my waist.

One afternoon I spotted this man walking down the middle of the street with the sewing machine on his shoulder. He was a tailor and the sewing machine represented his livelihood. Unfortunately, the machine was ruined, but when the picture appeared on the cover of the National Geographic Magazine, the machine's manufacturer sent him a new one.

Biography

BEHIND THE SCENES

The Temples of Angkor

Boy with Toy Gun

Girl in Green Shawl

Tailor in Monsoon

Bookshelf

Stern Portfolio

The Imperial Way

The Iconic Photographs

Unguarded Moment

In the Shadow of Mountains

Looking East

Path to Buddha

Sanctuary

South Southeast

Portraits

Monsoon

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