'Afghan Girl' photographer Steve McCurry on portraits that capture humanity
The man who shot the famous Afghan Girl cover photo for National Geographic talks about working in Asia, posed versus natural shots, and a Hong Kong show of his work alongside that of boyhood inspiration Brian Brake
Steve McCurry is not the easiest man to interview. The New-York based photographer best known for his cover shot of an Afghan refugee girl for National Geographic tends to speak in half-phrases and float from one subject to another. He’s friendly enough when we first meet, but soon becomes prickly when the conversation touches on topics that he’d rather avoid.
Who can blame him? McCurry’s work depicting conflicts, ancient cultures and traditions has won him numerous awards, including an unprecedented four first prizes in the World Press Photo contest. His prints sell at auction for tens of thousands of US dollars, and he has 1.6 million followers on Instagram. But he’s had a rocky year, with a recent PhotoShop scandal putting decades of his work as a photojournalist under new, and unflattering scrutiny.
The exhibition is positioned as a dialogue between the two Magnum photographers, who shared a fascination with Asia and a special relationship with Hong Kong, and includes nearly 100 photos.
McCurry attributes his first memorable experience of photography to New Zealander Brake (1927-1988). “My grandparents had lots of Life magazines, so I was going through these and I saw his photo essay on the monsoon season in India – I was 12 – and I thought, wow, this place is incredible. It’s this faraway land, it’s very exotic ... and the dramatic weather. It just really captured my imagination,” he says. “I thought, I’d really love to go there and experience that some day.”