Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry
McCurry in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2012
Born	February 24, 1950 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Status	Active
Occupation	Photographer
Agent	Magnum Photos
Notable credit(s)	Leica Hall of Fame Award, Hasselblad Master Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad
Website	www.stevemccurry.com

Leica Hall of Fame Award, Hasselblad Master

Steve McCurry (born February 24, 1950) is an American photographer who has worked in photojournalism and editorial. He is best known for his 1984 photograph "Afghan Girl", which originally appeared in National Geographic magazine. McCurry is a member of Magnum Photos.

McCurry is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year, awarded by the National Press Photographers Association; the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal; and two first-place prizes in the World Press Photo contest (1985 and 1992).

McCurry attended Penn State University. He originally planned to study cinematography and filmmaking, but instead gained a degree in theater arts and graduated in 1974. He became interested in photography when he started taking pictures for the Penn State newspaper The Daily Collegian.

After working at Today's Post in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania for two years, he left for India to freelance.

McCurry's career was launched when, disguised in Afghani garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled areas of Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion. He left with rolls of film sewn into his clothes. These images were subsequently published by The New York Times, TIME and Paris Match and won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad.