Sunday, January 24, 2010

“Unexpected, the Moment of Serendipity”


Guns, darkness, sadness, sorrow, depression, anger, loss, misery. All these unpleasant feelings that we would never want to experience are al found in Steve McCurry's photographs. He is the top traveler, photographer and humanitarian known worldwide who silently but deeply touches our hearts. Born in Philadelphia in 1950, McCurry began his journey around the world taking photos that touched thousands of hearts with unforgettable and memorable characters in the photos. His photos are eye-catching and heart-touching to the world, expressing the humanity of the subjects. "A great photograph really needs to say something about a person or give some insight into their life or how their life is different than yours and mine. A good picture makes us curious and makes us want to know more." -Steve McCurry- Steve McCurry’s photos mostly show the depression of environmental conflicts and difficult circumstances. McCurry struggled to reach his dream as a documentary filmmaker, travelling to a variety of different places around the world. In return for his hard work and compassion into his photos, McCurry proudly received eight awards with four first prizes. Steve McCurry’s photos still move lots of people’s hearts as they spread throughout the world.

Most of McCurry’s photos are classical balanced, meaning his subjects in his pictures are clearly shown. In this photo, the first thing that comes into your eyes is the girl holding a gun. Seeing that the size and height of the gun is about the same as the girl, it indicates that the girl is still young. The expression on the girl's face sinks deep into many people’s hearts which are depression, anger, horror, terror, hatred and sadness. The girl's eyes are unfocused. They are just staring into our eyes as if everything is hopeless, given up. Her body is stiff as a statue, showing the viewers that there is no freedom in her heart to be child-like. It shows that she is scared and fearful of something. The girl is holding the gun very tightly to her body like a precious treasure showing that she doesn't want to let go of something very important to her, maybe her family. McCurry used dark colors instead of bright eye-catching colors, which creates the dark mood in the photo symbolizing depression, tension and a nervous atmosphere. Those emotions are put together into one photo. Looking at the photo above throws such questions at us… ‘What are we fighting for?’ ‘Why is this war needed in this world?’ Through his photo, McCurry shows us how ignorant humans are killing each other with violence and absolutely no exception of the victims.

McCurry takes us on a journey when interpreting his photos of war and death, a reflection of our lives and thinking back on what unnecessary things and chaos we are creating. How ignorant we are when killing each other of greediness. McCurry’s photos may look simple, but contain deeper meanings and explanation in each photo. "...Most seemingly mundane activities can be inspirational when you look beneath the surface." -Steve McCurry- McCurry pours all his heart and mind into his photos and give the viewers a chance to think deeply and concern about what he is trying to tell through his photos. Through his magnificant photos, Steve McCurry invites us on an eternal journey around the world with the same dreams of serenity and the same wishes of hope.

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