By Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry, one of the finest photographers today, was born in Philadelphia and graduated from College of Arts and Architecture at Pennsylvania State University in 1974. After working at Penn State Newspaper for about two years, he decided to leave home for India. He traveled extensively all over the world producing many iconic pictures. One of his most memorable pictures was the picture of a 12 year old Afghan girl named Sharbat Gula who lost her parents in a war when she was just a baby. It became the cover page of National Geographic and she had been referred to many as the "Afghan Girl", of course, we can all remember her pair of green eyes. This picture was taken more than 25 years ago when he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled Afghanistan. It was also due to the many pictures he had taken during this time that he became well known to the world. He had received numerous awards including the Robert Capa Gold Medal for best photographic reporting as well as recognizing his exceptional courage. His photographs often explores the themes of victims of wars and conflicts, aftermath of war and conflicts, people and their religion, religious festivals, children and people of less developed countries. Many times, he risked his life just to produce these amazing pictures so that we are able to know what is going on in these countries. In McCurry's blog, he believed that his pictures can help those in need; to him, "many of us are in a position to help others, but few of us are aware of what we can do or what a difference our contribution can make, I hope my photographs help people become more informed and find a way to contribute."
I have chosen this picture of an Indian boy running because it shows unique colors and designs, and at the same time it is also telling a story. On the wall there are red hand prints and a boy is running away. Was it the boy's hand prints? Is he running away because he had done something naughty? By looking at the picture, I would guess that the Indian boy must have stolen something, perhaps money, and he is running away from the crime he has committed. From the clothes he wore, he is definitely one of the many poor boys in India. The primary colors of red and blue make the picture very lively. We can see that the boy's feet are off the ground as if he is running away very quickly. There is a lot of energy in this picture. I can feel myself cheering for the boy to run quickly and it seems like he has succeeded running away. It is sad that the boy had to steal for a living but yet I feel happy that he is able to run away. The hand prints on the wall makes the wall look like a piece of art. At the same time, it reminded me of myself when I was very young still doodling with paints. I used to put my hand prints and foot prints on a piece of paper. I like this picture not only because of the colors but also because it reminded me of my happy childhood and I know that I am really fortunate compared to the Indian boy.
From McCurry's pictures, I believe that every picture tells a story. I learned that taking a picture is not just about capturing the main subject, but also how the picture is presented or composed. In McCurry's pictures, there are lots of colors and depth. Just like the picture above about the Indian boy, we can see the vibrant colors of India and the depth in the photo. Many of McCurry's photos shows the victims of war and conflict such as children holding guns. It makes us wonder what is going to happen to these children. What are they going to do next? His work reflects not only on his own journey but also the subject's journey. Just like the picture known as "Vrindavan, The City of Widows", the old lady in the picture was taken during his journey in India. In India, most of the widows proceed to the holy city to wait for their death as when their husbands die, they become unwanted by their relatives because a widow is considered to bring bad luck. One will definitely feel sorry and sad for the old lady who is all hunched back and yet she is still persistent on making her journey to Vrindavan. With the grey background and the skinny ox, it is definitely a sad picture. But the green door at the background again shows the vibrant colors of India. Besides looking at the subject and knowing its story, McCurry's picture is like a piece of artwork which colors are nicely co-ordinated. To McCurry, "the magic of this image is its ambiguity; the woman is anonymous, yet she embodies everyone who meets challenges with a deep-seated will to overcome them." Now I understand why a picture speaks a thousand words.
Vrindavan-The City of Widows
