Steve McCurry


Steve McCurry "Afghan Girl" 1984

    After looking through numerous photographs taken by Steve McCurry, I was most drawn to this photo he took in 1984 entitled, Afghan Girl. I was most drawn to the emotion this photo evoked from me as the viewer. This photo generated a feeling of nervousness within me as the young girl who is the subject of the photo holds an intense stare at the camera, presenting somewhat of an expression of fear. The expression of the young girl in the photograph brought on a relative uneasiness within me upon viewing the image. The girl's expression led me to wonder what her story was, why she was in the condition in which she is, how she ended up there, and if she was safe. This photo made me feel the very sense of nervousness and fear that I felt the young girl's expression conveyed, and led me to wonder what was happening to her in her life that may be striking this level of intensity or fear into her. This photograph did what every good photograph should do: it created a story and a level of curiosity for the viewer.
    This photo also brings into focus the natural beauty of the young girl. Even in her state, which appears somewhat disheveled, McCurry's photography does a great job picking up the natural beauty this young girl holds. This is especially true of her striking, bright blue eyes, which grabbed my attention instantaneously upon seeing this image. This brings a sentimental element to the photo, as it shows that even in the most solemn scenes, we can find the beauty in every single moment. 
    In terms of actual photography strategy, McCurry produced a shallow depth of field in this photo. By having a shallow depth of field, McCurry made everything in the background of the photo blurry, drawing the viewer's eyes away from any possible distractions in the image, and making sure their attention is fully encapsulated by the subject at hand, which in this case is the young girl. This again just amplifies the impact the young girl's expression and overall natural beauty have on the viewer, since they are unable to be distracted by any background noise within the photograph.     
    This strategy of using a shallow depth of field to really draw the viewer's attention to the subject and their facial expressions is seemingly very prominent in the majority of Steve McCurry's portrait photographs. Almost all of the portrait photography I looked at by Steve McCurry included the use of a shallow depth of field, blurring the background of the photo, and making sure the only thing entirely in focus was the person having their portrait taken. This leaves no room for the viewer's eyes to wander, and forces them to focus on the subject's face and any story, thought, or emotion it may be conveying. This is clearly a common theme within a lot of Steve McCurry's work, and is a strategy I find to be extremely impactful as it captivated my attention and sparked curiosity and thought from me when looking at his photographs.

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