Steve McCurry

American Photographer
1950-
 Brief Biography
American photographer who has worked in photojournalism
and editorial. He is best known for his 1984 photograph
"Afghan Girl", which originally appeared in National
Geographic magazine.[2] McCurry is a member of Magnum
Photos.
Biography-Part One
McCurry attended Penn State University. He originally
planned to study cinematography and filmmaking, but instead
gained a degree in theater arts and graduated in 1974. He
became 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,

Pennsylvania for two years, he left for India to freelance.
Biography-Part Two
McCurry's career was launched when, disguised in Afghani garb, he crossed the
Pakistan border into rebel-controlled areas of Afghanistan just before the Soviet
invasion.[6] He left with rolls of film sewn into his clothes. These images were
subsequently published by The New York Times, TIME and Paris Match[7] and won
him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad.[8]
McCurry continued to cover armed conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War, Lebanon
Civil War, the Cambodian Civil War, the Islamic insurgency in the Philippines, the
Gulf War and the Afghan Civil War.[8] His work has been featured in magazines
and he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic. He has been a member of
Magnum Photos[9] since 1986.
Biography-Part Three
In 2001 Steve McCurry exhibited in an international art exhibition organized by the
agency Leo Burnett with the Italian painter Umberto Pettinicchio, in Lausanne in
Switzerland.
McCurry is portrayed in a TV documentary The Face of the Human Condition
(2003) by Denis Delestrac.
McCurry switched from shooting color slide film to digital capture in 2005 for the
convenience of editing in the field and transmitting images to photo editors. He
admitted to no nostalgia about working in film in an interview with The Guardian.
"Perhaps old habits are hard to break, but my experience is that the majority of my
colleagues, regardless of age, have switched over... The quality has never been
better. You can work in extremely low light situations, for example."
Afghan Girl
McCurry took his most recognized portrait, "Afghan Girl",[15] in December 1984 of
an approximately 12-year-old Pashtun orphan in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp
near Peshawar, Pakistan.[16] 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. McCurry said, “Her skin is weathered; there are wrinkles now, but she is
as striking as she was all those years ago.”
Controversy over photo manipulation
In 2016 McCurry was accused of extensively manipulating his images with
Photoshop and by other means, removing individuals and other elements.
[17][18]

In a May 2016 interview with PetaPixel, McCurry did not specifically deny
making major changes, indicating that he now defines his work as "visual
storytelling" and as "art". However, he subsequently added that others
print and ship his images while he is travelling, implying that they were
responsible for the significant manipulation. "That is what happened in this
case. It goes without saying that what happened with this image was a
mistake for which I have to take responsibility," he concluded.
Major Awards
● 1980: Robert Capa Gold Medal for coverage of the war in Afghanistan for Time[21]
● 1984: Magazine Photographer of the Year National Press Photographers Association
● 1984: Daily Life Series, First Place, World Press Competition
● 1984: Daily Life Category, First Place, World Press Competition
● 1984: Nature Series Category, First place, World Press Competition
● 1984: Nature Category, First Place, World Press Competition
● 1985: Oliver Rebbot Award Citation: Monsoons and The New Faces of Baghdad
● 1986: Oliver Rebbot Memorial Award: Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad for work done in the Philippines, Overseas Press
Club
● 1987: Medal of Honor for coverage of the 1986 Philippine Revolution, Philippines
● 1990: Award of Excellence, Spanish Gypsy, White House News Photographers Association
● 1992: Children's Award: Camels under a Blackened Sky, World Press Photo Competition
● 1992: First Place, General News Stories: Kuwait after the Storm, World Press Photo Competition
● 1992: First Place, Nature and Environment: Oil-Stricken Bird, Kuwait, World Press Photo Competition
● 1992: First Place, Gulf War News Story: Kuwait: After the Storm, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1992: First Place, Magazine Science Award: Camels under a Blackened Sky, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1992: Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: Fiery Aliens, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1992: Oliver Rebbot Memorial Award: Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad on Gulf War Coverage, Overseas Press Club
●
Awards Continued
● 1993: Award of Excellence for Rubble of War, National Press Photographers Association
● 1994: Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award, Pennsylvania State University
● 1996: Magazine Feature Picture Story Award: Burma: The Richest of the Poor Countries, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1996: Magazine Feature Picture Story Award: 'Beggar, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1997: Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: Fishermen, Picture of the Year Competition
● 1998: Our World Photo Winner, "Red Boy", Life Magazine: 'The Eisenstaedt Awards'
● 1998: 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 Project: National Geographic Story, India: 50 Years of Independence
● 1998: Southern Asian Journalistic Award: Outstanding Photograph: Red Boy
● 1999: Lifetime Fellow Award, Pennsylvania State University, PA
● 2000: Magazine Feature Picture Award of Excellence: Women in Field, Yemen
● 2000: Book of the Year: "South SouthEast", Pictures of the Year International, Picture of the Year Competition
● 2001: Award of Excellence, Book Series: South SouthEast Photography Annual, Communication Arts
● 2002: Distinguished Visiting Fellow, College of Creative Studies, University of California
● 2002: Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ
● 2002: Photographer of the Year, PMDA Professional Photographer Award, PMDA
Awards Continued
● 2002: Photographer of the Year, American Photo Magazine
● 2002: Special Recognition Award, United Nations, International Photographic Council
● 2002: Award of Excellence for "Women of Afghanistan", French Art Directors Association
● 2003: Co-recipient of the New York Film Festival Gold for documentary, Afghan Girl: Found, New York Film Festival
● 2003: Distinguished Alumni Award, Pennsylvania State University
● 2003: The Lucie Award for Photojournalism,[22] International Photography Awards
● 2005: Photojournalism Division-International Understanding through Photography Award, Photographic Society of America
● 2005: Honorary Fellowship, Royal Photographic Society, London[23]
● 2006: Honorary Fellowship, New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP)
● 2006: First Place, Buddha Rising, National Geographic, Dec. 2005 National Press Photographers Association
● 2006: Lowell Thomas GOLD
● 2009: Ambrogino D’Oro, Milan, Italy
● 2011: Prix LiberPress, Girona, Spain
● 2011: Leica Hall of Fame Award, St. Moritz, Switzerland[24]
[25]
● 2014: Photography Appreciation Award, Hamdan International Photography Award
In His Own Words
“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 Key Facts (for quiz)
● Most famous for Afghan girl image.
● Has worked for National Geographic magazine
since 1984.
● A member of Magnum photos since 1986.
● One of the world’s most awarded
photographers.
● Has been accused of manipulating his
images.
Selected Images