"What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." - Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry has taken some of the worlds most iconic images, and he's been doing so for the past thirty years.
This picture of Sharbat Gula, an Afghan refugee, has been described as one of the most recognizable photographs of the world.
But there are many more of equal beauty and splendour.
Here are a few from his Portraits gallery:
"Most of my photos are grounded in people, I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face."
His other galleries include "On Reading":
"The photograph is an undeniably powerful medium. Free from the constraints of language, and harnessing the unique qualities of a single moment frozen in time."
His work on Kuwait is astonishing.
"A picture can express a universal humanism, or simply reveal a delicate and poignant truth by exposing a slice of life that might otherwise pass unnoticed."
After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first trip of what would become many trips to India. Traveling with little more than a bag of clothes and another of film, he made his way across the subcontinent, exploring the country with his camera (via).
"There are certain, inescapable images, forever part of our collective consciousness, that influence who we are, whether we are cognizant of it or not."
