Steve McCurry has been one of the defining figures in contemporary photography for more than five decades. Born in Philadelphia, he studied cinematography at Pennsylvania State University before beginning his career at a local newspaper. After two years, he embarked on the first of many journeys to India, traveling with little more than a bag of clothes and rolls of film as he documented life across the subcontinent.After several months, McCurry crossed into Pakistan, where he encountered Afghan refugees who ultimately guided him across the border into Afghanistan—just as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was closing the country to Western journalists. Disguised in traditional dress and embedded with the Mujahideen, he spent months documenting the conflict. When he returned, he carried his exposed film hidden in his clothing, preserving images that would become some of the first to reveal the war’s brutality to the outside world.Since then, McCurry has produced an extraordinary body of work spanning all seven continents. His photographs encompass war zones, disappearing cultures, and enduring traditions, as well as scenes of contemporary life. Yet across this breadth, his work remains rooted in a powerful humanism—epitomized by his iconic portrait, Afghan Girl, which has become one of the most recognized images in photographic history.Over the course of his career, McCurry has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal. He was later awarded the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Royal Photographic Society, and in 2019, he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.