WHEN Steve McCurry is out on the street or on an assignment, his mission is always to look for something or an event that can tell a story. That’s why most of the photographs he takes have people in them — people tell stories.
“I always look for that moment and try to give a perspective of what it is like to be in that person’s shoes. The photo should relate to the subject’s life,” he says.
McCurry imagines a story he would like to tell in his photos.
“While the technical parts of photography like composition, subject and lighting are important, the story of the whole scene is more important as it will impact the viewer’s appreciation of the photo,” he explains.
His body of work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike. McCurry has been recognised with some of the most prestigious awards, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, National Press Photographers Award, and an unprecedented four World Press Photo awards.
The 69-year-old was recently at the Leica Galerie Singapore to showcase his photograph series on China, which he took using the latest Leica SL2 full frame mirrorless camera.
“For me, a strong image is one with rhythm, harmony and full of emotional content. A strong image is usually more about the story as opposed to the technical aspects,” says the veteran photographer who has more than 30 years of taking photos all around the world.
For him, one should take photographs regardless of the rules, but as long as there’s a good story to tell. One can even use the mobile phone, which is a good tool for photography nowadays.
“I use my phone if I see an interesting subject and I don’t have my equipment with me,” he says.
One of his most iconic photos is perhaps the photo of a green-eyed Afghanistan girl with a red headscarf named Sharbat Bibi at a refugee camp, taken in 1984. It appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic.
The photo helped propel his name as a world-class photographer.
Due to his talent and contribution in the contemporary photo journalism world, Leica named him the first recipient of the Leica Hall of Fame Award in 2011, and the German camera maker also picked him as one of the first testers of the Leica SL2 when the camera debuted last month.
ON PHOTOGRAPHING CHINA
Commenting on his latest work on China, McCurry says the country is no stranger to him as he has been there many times on assignments.
“I’ve been there in the 1980s, and many times since. It has transformed tremendously and become an economic powerhouse, and despite the development, it’s still a visually rich country with great traditions and cultures,” he says, adding that people there are very accommodating and that it was very safe.
“It is just a rich environment for pictures,” he adds.
McCurry loves to visit a place over and over again. He’s been to India over 80 times in his 30-year career.
“We live only once and the best way to experience this beautiful planet is to travel and take photos of the places and people we meet along the way. I love to go to a country countless time to see how it has evolved over time. There’s always something to photograph.”
To make it easier to travel in places where not many people can speak English, McCurry takes a local guide with him.
ON LEICA AND MIRRORLESS
“Mirrorless is the future of photography,” he says.
To him, a camera like the Leica SL2 is a fantastic piece of innovation. “No doubt about it. Being able to see the photos’ true exposure makes the process of photographing even quicker,” he says.
“To me, there is no comparison — the quality is unparalleled,” says McCurry. “Everything seems really logical and simple to use. But the main reason really is this incredible, unbelievable picture quality. You really have to see it to believe it,” he adds.
The SL2 is the only mirrorless camera designed and crafted in Germany. “One of the great features about the mirrorless system is a much more accurate preview of the picture; you can actually see the picture as you’re shooting it, and that’s a huge advantage,” he adds.
With an all-metal solid construction and elegant leather wrap, the SL2 marries technical performance with a sleek outer aesthetic. The 47.3MP full-frame CMOS sensor camera is now available at RM28,200 (body only).