Home > Sound and sight > Archives > 2007 > July > 02 > Entry
Photographer Steve McCurry — the sound to the sight
I wasn’t surprised at anything in photographer Steve McCurry’s lecture at McLennan Community College’s Conference Center on Saturday as much as the turnout to hear it: a crowd in the ballpark of 500 people and including professional photographer Eli Reed, who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.
McCurry’s best known for his haunting, striking image of Sharbat Gula, an Afghan girl that graced the cover of the June 1985 National Geographic, and some of Saturday’s audience came for that reason. A sizable portion of his listeners, though, were there because they enjoy photography and wanted to see and hear how a pro does it.
McCurry was in town for receptions connected to his “South Southeast” exhibit at Art Center Waco and the public lecture at MCC and his talk married some of his sumptious images with juicy anecdotes. The latter included the fact the Dalai Lama recognized him as the photographer of “the Afghan girl” during a meeting in New York; a shot of an elderly Indian tailor rescuing his rusty sewing machine from monsoon flood waters led to the machine’s manufacturing company sending the man a new sewing machine; and the revelation, prompted by a photo of a man with impossibly long ear hair, that in some cultures long ear hair is esteemed.
As for the Afghan girl, McCurry shared a less-known image of Gula from that fateful photo session in a refugee tent in Pakistan; a photo of an adult woman who claimed, despite dark brown eyes and a forehead tattoo, she was Sharpat Gula during McCurry’s 2002 search for her; a portrait of Gula’s brother, who shares those vivid green eyes; and a photo of how she looks today as a wife with three children.
National Geographic, incidentally, wanted to do right by Gula given its widespread use of her photograph and asked her if there was anything she’d like or like to do that the magazine could provide. Her request (which the magazine did underwrite): a trip to Mecca with her husband and relatives.
National Geographic, McCurry added, also is helping secure an education for Gula’s children and Afghan girls in general.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Visual arts
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Paula Wells
July 3, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
The lecture was fantastic. So glad I went. Enjoyed hearing stories behind the photographs. The living conditions in some of these countries should make us all thankful we live where we do. Mr. McCurry has a keen eye for color and contrast and captures the soul of the individual in his portraits, plus he has a good sense of humor. What an interesting life he has! Of all the covers of National Geographic, the one of the Afghani girl is the one I remember the most. It was an honor for me to meet Mr. McCurry and be a part of his lecutre. The exhibit is wonderful!