“The moment of Serendipity”

Steve McCurry, born in Philadelphia, is a famous photographer who is known worldwide for his captivating photo of the Afghan girl. In most of his photos, he captures not only the pain within the environment but also contains a powerful message. McCurry’s journey really began when he crossed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan with rolls of tape sewed into his clothes to take the brutal pictures of the war and all the victims who got injured. McCurry was an exceptionally amazing photographer with a lot of courage and this is what won him the Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from abroad and also many other numerous awards. Once these heart-melting pictures were shown around the world (ex. The Afghan girl) people began to realized and have an insight of the struggle and suffering within the conflicts of a war. McCurry also captures the loneliness and occasionally the joy of a situation and that is what makes his photos so interesting.
“If you wait, people would forget the camera and the soul would drift up into view.”-Steve McCurry; And hes truly done this in his photography


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In this photo, the 1st thing that captures the eye is all the red hand prints on the wall.Normally McCurry’s pictures are classical balanced but here you can really see movement, background, and position. For movement you can see the little boy somewhat running away from the camera or just running home, it is really interesting how McCurry got this picture because maybe the little boy did one or two hand prints on the wall and is embarrassed or maybe he is scared of the camera. The hand prints could be symbolizing the people who died during the war or just for fun/decoration they decided to put hand prints there. Another thing that catches the eye is the blue building in the background; The red hand prints and the blue wall are really contrasting and that makes an ‘intense’ feeling (A feeling of shock, excitement) and it also it doesn’t make the place seem very gloomy it really emphasizes the little boy as well as the red hand prints, in this photo the hand prints are like 1st thing that captures the eye.
If you compare this scenery with the scenery of the people in war, anyone would pick this; its calm, and there is no guns of any sort here. Its like here you forget all about your worries and you’re just carefree. This is one of the few pictures i feel really makes you think "I'll really remember that!" And also, this picture always reminds you the need to live everyday to the fullest, because you never know which day is your last.

I think the thing that makes McCurry's photos really great is that he doesn't only capture the person, but he captures their soul, feelings, and emotion; His photos all have a meaning and it tells me that photos can truly be more meaningful than words. I learned that photos are more that what meets the eye, their not just some decoration you hang up on the wall but its also a story of someones life. Photography can tell truth, and feelings. Every little detail on the image, every little line on the person's face, every bird in the sky, they all have a story/meaning; if you look between the lines, the true image and emotion captured will slowly appear and you would be amazed by how meaningful it really is. Photography tells the truth, it never lies; The emotion on the people's faces shows what they are going through - lines on the person's face can tell stories years back, the landscaping can't be changed after war even if people say it does, and it gives us memories truthful memories. The thing that makes a photo last, is if it has a strong meaning, if it has strong emotion the photo will be remembered for lots and lots of years to come. Just like the Afghan girl, who has touched many hearts around the world.