Meet Steve McCurry, the legendary photographer of the unforgettable “Afghan girl”!

Steve McCurry is the famous photographer who took one of the most iconic pictures of all time – The Afghan girl.  “I knew she had an incredible look, a penetrating gaze. But there was a crowd of people around us, the dust was swirling around, and it was before digital cameras and you never knew what could happen with the film. When I developed the picture, I knew it was special. I showed it to the editor of the National Geographic, and he leapt to his feet and shouted: <<that’s our next cover>>”, says Steve of the most famous National Geographic cover in its history.

You cannot have missed this photograph as it is everywhere and it is mesmerizing. You surely know it and after you look at it long enough, it will haunt you for days to come. That intense look of the 12-year-old Sharbat Gula, a Pashtun orphan in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp on the Afghan-Pakistan border is extremely powerful. Her big, green eyes and her pursed lips tell of a strong determination and will forged in the fire of desperation and tragedy. The photograph was taken in December 1984 and published the following year. The woman from the photograph is now 40 and is currently living in Pakistan.

The legendary “Afghan girl” photographer by Steve McCurry

“I believe that when you find something you love, you should do it your whole life”, thinks Steve who has dedicated his life to photography, capturing stories and discovering places that fascinate the human mind and give you a whole new life perspective. Steve McCurry has an impressive 40-year career, filled with dozens of awards and amazing photography.

“I got completely caught up in the story. That’s when I knew that this was what I did — this was me” – This is how Steve McCurry career began when he first disguised himself in Afghan clothes, illegally crossed the border into Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion and took heated pictures of running to save their lives from their government.

The Legendary photographer, Steve McCurry in a portrait by Bruno Barbey

Now, some 40 years later, Steve McCurry launches a new photography series called “Animals” in which he wants to show the complex relationship between man and animal. Although this legendary American photographer has grown famous due to his daring combat photography, he also loves animals. The book “Steve McCurry. Animals” collects the photographer’s favourite photos from the animal world, from the big cats in Myanmar to the camels in Jordan.

“Animals are in constant motion, have a mind of their own and rarely pay any attention to directions from a photographer. Understanding animal behaviour is essential to making good animal photographs, just as understanding human behaviour can help with taking someone’s portrait”, says Steve of his new book.

In the following, we invite you to follow along with these animals wandering through their solitary lives guided by their survival instincts and men living next to them, in an extraordinary and tribute to life on our planet.

1. Elephant and man sharing a solitary moment

2. Woman taking care of a feathered companion

3. Boy and his friend in the wild fields

4. Boy sharing an ice cream with his furry friend

5.Man and dog on the streets

6. Boy and his little friend having a moment

7. Life is also a matter of chance…

8. Look at that angry cute face!

9. Camels and Oil Fields. Al Ahmadi, Kuwait, 1991

10. The little companion always watching over you

Via cnn /creative boom

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