Steve McCurry

The Golden Age of photojournalism is the time during the 1930s through the 1950s when journalists were able to truly flex their skills with the advancement of the commercial 35mm Leica camera and the flash bulb. It was the beginning of newspapers using photography more than text to tell the story that was happening at the time.

The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung was the first to format illustrated news magazines. They had a specialized staff and introduced the world to the candid photograph. Erich Salomon is considered to be one of the founders of photojournalism. Other great photojournalists of the time were Robert Capa, Romano Cagnoni, Margaret Bourke-White and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Photojournalism is different from other forms of photography like documentary photography because it tells a story using just photos. Photojournalism captures the essence of the story and relays it to the readers to bring it to life. The photojournalist I chose to look into for this paper is Steve McCurry. The reason I chose him is because I remember the photo of the little girl with the red head wrap and the bright blue eyes on the cover of National Geographic. The photo is famous but still tells the story of hope during a trying time. Steve McCurry is an editorial photographer but he gets most of his recognition from his work with National Geographic. He has received several awards and recognition for his work, for example the Leica Hall of Fame Award in 2011 and the Lucie Award for Photojournalism in 2003.

Steve McCurry I believe is a great contemporary photojournalist who I would love to emulate as a photographer. The closeness of his subjects in his photos are truly amazing and capture the essence of what they are all about without saying a single word. Although I want to lean more towards the world of memories photography, I still believe I could learn a lot from photojournalists in newspapers, magazines and even online. No matter what, whenever I pick up my camera my goal is to tell a story about the joining of new love, or the addition of a family or even just a individual who wants to remember exactly who they are at this moment.

For those aspiring to become photojournalists, there are a few organizations that represent photojournalists. For example,

the American Society of Media Professionals where your dues range from $45-$335 per year depending on your experience (http://asmp.org). Because this organization has 39 chapters across the United States, it would be a little easier to meet and greet with your peers in your field. They hold seminars to help with the business end like getting licensing, copyright, and prices for your imaging work. The organization I would be most interested in joining is the Professional Photographers of America where the annual dues are $194 for aspiring photographers and $323 for professional photographers. Because I have become interested in the realm of weddings and portrait photography this organization would be best for me. They help with studio management, business education, equipment insurance and have workshops to help you become better. They also have conventions and tradeshows where you can meet your peers and admire their work.