Steve McCurry

McCurry standing in front of one of his pieces. (http://www.designboom.com/art/steve-mccurry-villa- (Designboom))

I recently came across a really powerful photograph on the cover of a past issue of National Geographic magazine. Because I was so interested in the picture, I did not do anything but take a slight glance at the photographer's name, Steve McCurry. The photograph was taken of an Afghan girl in her village. In the picture, her facial expression says a lot. This was a while ago, so it was not until recently I started taking a good look at McCurry's work. There was this website, and it showed me a list of journalists that gave me some ideas. What really caught my eye about his work was the diversity in it. It is different from other photographers' creations. His photos are truly amazing and inspiring, and his work in journalism involves a little of what I want to do. I have always been interested in writing even when I was younger. It was not until a few years ago, I started to have a growing interest in photography. Then, later, I found out that there was a career that involved both photography and writing, and it was photojournalism.

Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl". (http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/afghan-girl-cover.html)

I noticed that in many of McCurry's photographs, the people were caught off guard and did not really pay attention to the camera. He caught moments going on around the world. Some related job tasks would be someone who researches in something like a disease, crime, or other jobs that involve investigation. Steve McCurry is a mix of a photographer and a journalist, making him a photojournalist. The Occupational Outlook Handbook website says, "In order to become a journalist of any kind, you must earn your bachelor's degree. The average salaries photojournalists earn are $40,940." I believe that in the future, photojournalism will not be limited to major news outlets. Today, so many people have cameras on their phones that this is really transforming how we receive this type of information. Journalists and researchers, in the same way, catch and write about moments that they catch. They tell their stories through what they see. According to the tanfononline website, "The ethics of these 2 endeavors share much in common, because both must use people in various ways to reach their goals. The well-developed guidelines in research designed to protect research participants' autonomy, to guard against needless deception, and to recognize the special needs of vulnerable research participants have direct application to journalism." Many photojournalists nowadays use more creativity in their stories. Sometimes it is hard to write a story from what you see, so you can use your imagination for part of it. Photojournalists can write and take pictures, which is easier.

Steve McCurry was interested in cinema and was really curious about the world. Later, he started having a passion for photography. His curiosity led him to become, according to Steve McCurry's website, "one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than thirty years". I learned from Wikipedia that, "He went on to study film, history, cinematography and filmmaking at Penn State and graduated in 1974. At first, he was not exactly sure of what he would do for a living." Steve McCurry's website biography also stated that, "After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first 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." In June, 1985, his first most successful and powerful photo was launched onto the cover of National Geographic. The National Geographic website claimed, "The portrait by Steve McCurry turned out to be one of those images that sears the heart, and in June 1985 it ran on the cover of this magazine. Her eyes are sea green. They are haunted and haunting, and in them you can read the tragedy of a land drained by war. She became known around National Geographic as the "Afghan girl," and for 17 years no one knew her name. That was the beginning of the most successful career he has ever had." Nowadays, McCurry still travels the world, looking for stories and fading cultures to tell through is photographs.

McCurry posing with a lifelong fan, Ian Frankish (https://thedayszoompast.wordpress.com/tag/steve-mccurry/)

McCurry contributes by just being different in his work ethics and his photos. Even though there is not much he does that impacts the world, his work is very inspiring. I learned from Steve McCurry's biography on his personal website that "he travels the world savoring the vanishing cultures, traditions, and preserved the human element." When his most powerful photo was published on National Geographic in June 1985, it truly influenced people. His own son is very influenced by his father and stated on newsweek.com, "I am most influenced by my father's work ethic. He never gave up, never stopped until he finished a task, and never stopped learning." He has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986 and The website theguardian.com wrote that "in May 2012 Steve McCurry inspired Pirelli so much that he chose him to be the photographer for the 2013 Pirelli Calendar in Rio de Janeiro." McCurry's publisher noted that, "He does not give up. He's like a dog with a bone. He's this unassuming person who's very charming but who is absolutely determined to get his story and he will work like crazy until he comes away with it. He'll shoot and reshoot and he'll go deeper and deeper into the place that he's in to get the picture and the story. It's the epitome of that Robert Capa saying: 'If your pictures aren't good enough you're not close enough.'" -Phaidon

I have many high school goals which I hope to attain. Specific classes I could take and join to get into a career like this could be the school newspaper and a few photography classes. Clubs like ones that involve helping and inspiring others would be very helpful. An ROP class for journalism would help me tremendously. I will take many good journalism and photography internships to help me get started, but that will be later in my high school life. My college goals include majoring in the field of journalism and earning my bachelor's degree. A digital media production class is an optional class that I might take about once or twice in within around four years. Some universities that I have been looking more into are UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI. These schools are very competitive and difficult to get into and they require a lot of work. Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI all include a journalism major and good programs. Like Steve McCurry, I will maybe travel the world and distinguish the diverse cultures and traditions and write about them. The unique thing about my work will be the range and creativity in it. McCurry had a lot of innovation in his work with the photos. My writing will not have too much imagination but it will have individuality.