0Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Research of other photographers work (P1, M1, D1)

Photographer: Steve McCurry (Portrait Collection)

Sharbat Gula, Nasir Bagh Refugee Camp, Peshawar, Pakistan

Photo One

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Photo Two

Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Photo Three

Mumbai, India

Photo Four

Marseilles, France

Photo Five

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Photo Six

Theme or focus of images

Photo One – ‘Afghan Girl’

“The photograph has been likened to Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa and has been called the First World's Third World Mona Lisa" “living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed.”

This photo is one of the pictures I have seen a lot of over the past years and it has remained famous since it has been taken. There is so much going on in this photo even though it just looks like a picture of a little girl covering her face it actually has a lot of meaning to it. I love the colours and how on point tey are like the head scarf she has on, it’s so clear, you can see every little detail on it like how it’s worn out because of the fading colours and the marks that could be from dirt are now permanenet marks. Her eyes are the main focus of this photo, there are so many shades of greens going on it’s magnificent, they hold so much power and emotion and I can see this because of how deeply contrasted they are and her pupils aren’t dilated so she’s in natural lighting and isn’t totally paying attention, her mind could be elsewhere. I like the details on her hands, you can see the little grains of dirt in her finger nails; probably from working with her mother on the fields, they look like hard working hands for a little girl. The effects used are more saturate, they’re very deep colours of red and brown and green, it hasn’t been cooled but warmed, it’s not too warm it looks as if it has been contrasted, saturated. You can see that the lens has just focused on the girl herself and not the background because it’s blurred out so the girl is entirely in focus. This photo is truly beautiful, it makes me feel a little sad though because she’s hiding her face and maybe that’s because of modest because girls and women aren’t allowed to show there faces, but thank god they’re allowed to show their eyes and I think this photo wouldn’t of held as much meaning if her whole faces was shown because her eyes are the main subject and they need to be focused on instead of the rest of her face.

Photo Two – ‘Adriana Lima’

Adriana says herself that there is no other photographer that could capture such a beautiful imagine of a pregnant woman. ‘charitable demurely-clothed models photographed against the atmospheric backdrop of Rio de Janeiro.’

At this point, Adriana Lima was heavily pregnant with her 3 year old baby boy and although you can’t see the rest of her body and her beautiful baby bump you can see in her face that she’s a mother to be. This photo is focused on just her face her hair and down to her chest, you can see that she’s maybe near a waterfall in a cave it makes your mind wander to where she could be, but everywhere in rio de janeiro is beautiful so there’s no doubt that that place is a beautiful magical waterfall cavern… I like the effect on the wall that is in focus next to her hair because it’s a mix of blurs like it’s been taken quickly as if the wall has moved but it hasn’t, I like how the green and grey stone and moss colours have been contrasted, it makes them look more mysterious but adds a mix of nature in which I love. I like the lighting on the left side of her hair, it makes her hair look healthy and adds a tinge of blue to it, and her eyes they’re so greeny blue they make the whole theme look planned because of the green in the rocks and the blue tinge in her hair then miraculously her eyes are bluey-green too! Her profile is so calm and collected, I think maybe her complexion has been photoshopped a little but then it looks like it’s been sharpened afterwards instead of softened which I like because then you can’t tell her face has been altered at all unless you look very closely like I have. She’s even wearing a greeny-blue necklace! What a coincidence that all of these colours have been put together by accident, it really sets a theme but I can’t think of what sort of theme. Her lips are also something that stands out more than the rest, they’re really full and plump and look very pink

like she’s got lipstick on but to be honest to me it just looks like that’s her natural colour of lips. The lighting on her face I would say is natural, it’s not too dark and it’s not too light, it fits well with the scene and her portrait.

Photo Three – ‘Surma Tribe’

I really like image three because of the dusty colours that have been used, straight away you can see that this little boy is in some sort of tribe by the paints on his face (I hope that isn’t stereotypical) there are yellows involved, whites and mahoganys. I like how this photo is shot, there is a little bit of zooming going on and also it has been focused but not onto every aspect of the boys face or body, and taking it through a muddy window is a creative idea because it almost looks as if this is a drawing of an artist and not a picture taken by a photographer. I don’t think this picture has been warmed up or cooled down, although it does look like it has been taken at the time o a sunset because of the oranges and yellows used in this. I like how his fingers and his lips and nose have been sharpened so they stand out rather than other parts of his face that maybe aren’t as interesting. Also the photographer has focused on the dirt on the window so maybe he wants to get something across to the viewers of this photo, that it’s in a dirty place and that this boy isn’t entirely happy at all, not that he looked it anyway. I really like the positioning of his hand, it’s just floating in mid air like he’s about to cover his face, or itch his other hand which isn’t in focus and is hard to see if it’s actually a mirror or really his other hand. All of the colours that’re used in this picture relates to Africa I assume, but the photo is taken in Ethiopia, there are oranges used that symbolise the sunsets in Africa, the yellows on the necklaces which may symbolise tribes in Africa, the blues at the bottom that are reflecting off something symbolise the African sea. I like how he’s captured the little boys lips, they look a little dry and he’s informing us or making us think that maybe he’s not able to have a drink whenever he wants like we do, they’re also parted as if he wants to say something. Overall I like this picture but it’s not a favourite and I don’t think it’ll inspire me as much as another photo would.

Who

Steve McCurry (b.1950) launched his career as a photojournalist when, disguised in native garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan thirty years ago. His remarkable coverage won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal, which is awarded to photographers who exhibit exceptional courage and enterprise. A recipient of an unprecedented four World Press Photo first prizes in a single year, many of McCurry’s images has since become modern icons. Famous for his work across Southeast Asia, McCurry’s photographs are beautiful, uplifting and affecting. McCurry is a regular contributor to many international journals including National Geographic magazine.

McCurry's photographs capture human experience in the best documentary tradition and transcend boundaries of language and culture; he has also covered many areas of international conflict from the Iran-Iraq War and Beirut to the Gulf War. His career was launched when he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled Afghanistan - just before the Russian invasion - to take the first pictures of the conflict. Since then many of McCurry's images have become modern icons. A high point of his career was the rediscovery of an unidentified Afghan refugee girl, which many have described as the most recognizable photograph in the world today. His coverage won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, an award dedicated to photographers exhibiting exceptional courage and enterprise. McCurry has covered many areas of international and civil conflict, including the Iran-Iraq war, Beirut and the Gulf War. His travels have also taken him to southeast Asia and the spiritual temples of Angkor Wat and Cambodia, made known to many through his memorable images for National Geographic magazine. A member of the prestigious international photo agency Magnum since 1986, he is the recipient of numerous awards including Magazine Photographer of the Year, awarded by the National Press Photographers Association. This was awarded in the same year in which he won an unprecedented four first prizes in the World Press Photo Contest. He has won the Olivier

Rebbot Memorial Award twice. This monograph on McCurry follows a chronological order, identifying major themes and examining key works; a beautifully produced, affordable introduction to one of the leading figures in photography today.

Composition

Steve Mccurry has used a lot of brilliant effects in these photos but I think he's focused more on colours and what colours to apply to certain people and the positioning of them and the themes, they're all really deep dark colours but they all show a lot of emotions because it varys from children from different backgrounds all over the world.

Techniques used

Most of the techniques used in Steve's portfolio work is the close ups, and the positioning of the children/women, like how he gets a women to have her back to him with her face facing him but her face half covered symbolises she's trying to protect her identity because that's what her culture do and Steve has used this to his advantage and has made it a technique that he uses.

Strengths & WeaknessesEven though Steve doesn't entirely inspire me to use the techniques that he uses and themes, he Is really inspiring in a different department, he travels the world, he travels to places all over the WORLD and takes third world pictures and takes pictures of children that aren't so fortunate, but he also takes portrait photos of celebrities too, he varies in so many categories and so many ways.

Rebbot Memorial Award twice. This monograph on McCurry follows a chronological order, identifying major themes and examining key works; a beautifully produced, affordable introduction to one of the leading figures in photography today.

Composition

Steve Mccurry has used a lot of brilliant effects in these photos but I think he's focused more on colours and what colours to apply to certain people and the positioning of them and the themes, they're all really deep dark colours but they all show a lot of emotions because it varys from children from different backgrounds all over the world.

Techniques used

Most of the techniques used in Steve's portfolio work is the close ups, and the positioning of the children/women, like how he gets a women to have her back to him with her face facing him but her face half covered symbolises she's trying to protect her identity because that's what her culture do and Steve has used this to his advantage and has made it a technique that he uses.

Strengths & WeaknessesEven though Steve doesn't entirely inspire me to use the techniques that he uses and themes, he Is really inspiring in a different department, he travels the world, he travels to places all over the WORLD and takes third world pictures and takes pictures of children that aren't so fortunate, but he also takes portrait photos of celebrities too, he varies in so many categories and so many ways.