Photographer Research - Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry

Biography:

Steve McCurry is an American editorial photographer best known for his photograph "Afghan Girl" which originally appeared in National Geographic magazine. McCurry took his most recognized portrait, "Afghan Girl", in a refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. The image itself was named as "the most recognized photograph" in the history of the National Geographicmagazine and her face became famous as the cover photograph on the June 1985 issue. He became interested in photography when he started taking pictures for the Penn State newspaper The Daily Collegian. McCurry focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. “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.

Why I chose this photographer:

The majority of Steve McCurry's photography revolves heavily around colour and ethnicity as most of his work has been taken in the Indian region through travelling, therefore focussing on the formal element of colour. Also most of his work is portraits, which I would like to experiment with in the future. Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than thirty years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name.

This photograph is a close up of a young girl taken from a high angle where she is looking up directly at the camera. The supplies a sense of innocence and vulnerability. Colour is introduced through the clothing and the eyes of the subject. The head scarf is teal but a rather dull teal, implying a sense of grit and dirt. This is complimented by the blue coloured eyes of the little girl which allow both to stand out from the composition. This is because the rest of the composition is very dull and bleak, the background is dull and dark as it is assumed to be a wall as it is shot on locate alike a lot of Steve's portraits. Also there are shadows towards the bottom of the girls body and also around the girls face caused by her hood. There are also dark lines on the clothing which provides a sense of its texture. This therefore allows the face of the subject to stand out as it much lighter in tone, contrasting with the rest of the composition. There are very soft shadows on her face which exaggerate her youth and femininity.

 This photograph is organised in an landscape orientation which the subject is placed in the centre of the frame. The fact that she is placed here as well as the fact that the background is  dark and blurred allows the woman to be the focal point. There is minimal shadows on the woman's face, causing a very soft glow which enhances her youth and beauty. There are slight shadows which show the form of her cheeks and eyes. The bright blue cloud of her eyes stand out from the rest of the composition and are very effective as she is looking directly at the camera. This is accompanied by the pink colour of her turban as well as the warm glow of her skin in order to show her femininity. The overall colour palette of the subject is very soft, bright and vibrant which contrasts with the dark background.

Similar to the photo above this image is in landscape orientation which is very effective in producing large spaces either side of the model. These large areas is the blurred background which is considerably dark, allowing the model to stand out due to the contrast of colour. Colour is shown through the subjects hair and beard which is yellow/orange. This colour has connotations of illness and weakness which implies the health condition of the man. Due to contrast of tones on the arms of the subject, he appear very skinny and looks frail and old which is also shown through the formal element of line, illustrated through his wrinkles. Once again the subject jus placed in the centre of the composition, acting as the focal point. The model is looking straight int the camera, making very tense eye contact. His facial expression is very emotive and can be considered as a plead for help. He also looks very vulnerable.

This photograph shows the formal elements of colour and texture very effectively. There is a great contrast between the two main colours, there is reds shown through the main subject and turquoise is introduced through the background. The fact the the red is shown through powder applied to the models face also implies texture. The face looks very matte and lines on the wall show the texture of the wall behind the subject which is slightly in focus. The great contrast with the colours used therefore allows the subject to stand out as it is darker than the background. The way the subject is staring tensely at the camera as well as he is red, has connotations of danger perhaps.

How has he inspired me:

Steve has inspiring me to create portraiture but on location rather than in the studio. I would like to attempt to create great depth of field by blurring out the background as he does. Also I would ensure that the background is dull in order to allow the subject to stand out. Steve has influenced me in many ways, including to consider the colour of my background, location portraiture, culture and depth of field. He has inspired me to introduce colour through the clothing, props, makeup and eyes. 

Summary:

Overall I feel the Steve's work is very effective in ensuring that the coloured areas stand out through the use of a dark blurred background. Also he makes very emotional connections which the audience through the models he uses and the eye contact/facial expressions acquired to the subject.