colesharpnack

Steve McCurry          Steve McCurry is an American Photographer who is most well known for his profile pictures of individuals, as well as photographing conflicts and the landscapes conflicts impact. While researching McCurry, one thing I found interesting was his commitment to truly exploring and letting his camera sort of guide his next photograph. In doing this, McCurry was able to travel into countries and across boarders into areas torn to pieces during conflicts.  Steve McCurry, Balcuhistan, Pakistan, 1981          My first chosen photograph by McCurry was taken in Balcuhistan, Pakistan, and is shown above. In this photograph, I am first directed to the mans face guided by the focus of the camera, and from there I immediately look to the "missing eye," or the left side of his glasses with the turban underneath. I found this extremely interesting, because his right eye is still clear, only a lot darker than the turban itself....

     In his article, Photography Changes Everything, Marvin Heiferman describes photography as coming from a humanistic "idea that we need to see more in order to know more..." Like what Heiferman is saying, photography to me gives the opportunity for people to see more than what is right in front of them. The uniqueness of different countries, people, cultures, even perspectives, giving someone the chance to see more in order to then learn more. Without photography, people can go their entire lives without seeing the Great Wall of China for example, or the Pyramids of Giza. These are just two examples, yet places we call "wonders of the world." This idea doesn't just work for places either, ones own personal experiences, ideas, beliefs, and culture can all be portrayed using photography. To me, photography is a chance to open ones eyes to something never seen nor experienced before, a chance to grow as an individual or society.       Also in his work...