American photographer Steve McCurry born April 23, 1950, in Pennsylvania studied cinematography in Pennsylvania State University. After graduating, Steve 

took up a job at a newspaper company for 2 years which he later left pursuing a career in freelancing after making the first of his many trips to India and its many villages During the Afghan-Russian conflicts of 1978-92. McCurry today is recognized through his medals of achievement such as the Centenary Medal, Robert Cape medal and being put in the International Photography Hall of Fame. Alongside his notoriety are his partnerships with The New York Times, Time magazine and many more global companies.

Mainly known for his work ranging from India to the depths of Afghanistan, Steve’s work is mainly known for depicting the sheer tragedy and brutality of the Russian invasion in Afghanistan. Known for covering a multitude of social/political conflicts his work reflects life while having a real sense of humanity reflected through his crisp photos and seemingly never ending depth. Alongside the war Steve captured the emotions and the concept of life within the residents which again truly gave his work humanity.

I chose this photographer because of his photography throughout India. Every picture feels extremely natural and relaxed with extensive depth. The images are simply perfect and it is astounding how relaxed the subjects look for an image that you would imagine was planned for days beforehand. Alongside quality, Steve’s images carried levels of emotion which even with context could be analyzed for days to discuss symbolism or theme.

After looking at many images this one caught my eye. There is a certain roughness to the image which further adds to the sense of life emanating from this man as his hand moving and him smiling adds the layers of depth. The vibrant colors of his turban and the blurry background add levels of depth as it feels easy to get lost in this image, Also the livestock behind the man further adds to the composition as a whole. Finally the earth tone colors and the man smiling simply makes this a lively picture which personally elicits a positive response from me.

Steve McCurry, Rabari Shepherd