In many of McCurry’s photos we see works related to people harmed, related or affected by civil and international conflicts and crisis. “Most of my images are grounded in people, and I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape, that I guess what you call the human condition” –Steve McCurry.Steve McCurry, was born in 1950, a photojournalist who travels around the word to take pictures. He is famous for the picture known as ‘the Afghan Girl’. He explores themes of humanity, human spirit, and love of parent and child.
One photo in particular that stands out to me is a picture of a father and his daughter at home. My eye is drawn towards the gun placed in middle of the picture. It has surprised me having a gun in home. Our life is so different from them. The father, positioned at the left side, and the girl wearing pink cloth, positioned on the right side both have a worried look. It seems like the two are waiting for something or thinking deeply, by looking at their posture, the man has his hand on his beard, and the girl has her finger on her mouth. When we look the picture closely the light is coming from the left hand side. Both of them are looking towards it, making me think that they are seeking for hope and peace. The most striking element of this photo is that the father is staying next to his daughter during a fight. Our circumstances are so different from them yet we both share the same love towards parent and child.
Another picture that I find interesting is a person positioned in the middle, covered with blood all over his head. The red blood outstand the most from the background color. It clearly represents that the Afghan people too are suffering and has difficulty because of war. No matter how dire the situation, how dangerous the environment, children need to play. The last picture shows children playing on tanks. The use of color was by shadows. The light was cast on the children, that make me wonder that children are the hope of Afghanistan and playing is important to them. Again, we are different from the lifestyle yet we both share them same will for playing as a child. We are all the same.
His photos stay in the memory because the photos are very different from my lifestyle, and we can clearly understand what he wants us to think about the photo. The position and the use of color, we can read the photo. More and more people will start to help people in difficult situation by viewing at his photos; it will also stay in their memory. His photo reflects on a journey by traveling around and spotting different cultures very different from us. I feel admiration for the people in Afghanistan and even other countries in al similar situation like Afghanistan. If I were the person in the picture, I wouldn’t have survived a day, war, poverty, and death. It is surprising that the human spirit is still alive there… Even though she had nothing, she invited us for tea… she had a wonderful sense of humor and made us feel at home. – Vrindavan the city of Widows.
