Steve Mccurry: Afghan Girl

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Steve McCurry is a world-respected photographer who has several masterpieces including his photograph of Sharbat Gula known as “ Afghan Girl” which is the most recognizable photograph in the National Geographic. Although his work is world-renowned there are many critics and controversies over his photographs because of his misuse of Photoshop. Many photographers use Photoshop when editing their photos, but the extent that McCurry used it questions his integrity as a photographer. He did not edit brightness, or add focus, he warped entire photographs and added and erased subjects and landscapes at his leisure. I agree with the controversy over McCurry’s artwork because when you are an artist you are obligated to submit your own work, and by …show more content…
Viglione had no intention of hurting McCurry and even removed the photo once the commotion started, but that did not stop people from researching more of McCurry’s pictures. The photo of the Cuban street showed a street sign that was moved a foot to the left, and a man misplaced. By McCurry moving these objects he altered the picture, resulting in the photo not being an original still as McCurry claimed it to be. This was not the only photograph that was found to be photo shopped. Another photo where photoshopped was misused is a photo of several African American boys running to a water explosion. The Photoshop of this photograph was worse because McCurry removed an entire human from the picture. The major problem in these photographs is McCurry travels the world to capture people in their nature habitat and show their lifestyles. By removing a person from a photo he is warping it into what he wants the picture to be and not actual reality. (1) Besides the Cuban photograph being analyzed there has been many other pictures brought to the public’s attention where McCurry manipulated photos by using color processes, or even cloning where elements of the picture has been added or erased. McCurry should of known better than to use photograph on editorial pictures because

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