Steve McCurry opens exhibit in Gaziantep

GAZİANTEP - Anatolia News Agency

Steve McCurry poses with his famous “Afghan girl” photo that he took in 1984.

Famous National Geographic magazine photographer Steve McCurry opened an exhibition in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on Dec. 6.
McCurry attended a press conference at the Gaziantep University Cenani Mansion Culture Center to provide information about the exhibition, which features 40 photos that define his career.
“You must be able to isolate some objects in a natural environment when taking a photo. A photographer should capture what he is interested in an environment,” McCurry said, describing his feelings while photographing the famous “Afghan girl,” Sharbat Gula, in 1984. “On that day, I entered a room full of students. This Afghan girl was a beautiful 12-year-old girl. She had color and beautiful eyes,” he said about the photo that would later grace the front cover of the magazine and become one of the world’s most famous pictures.
After the opening of the exhibition, McCurry shared memories and posed for fans alongside the Afghan girl photo. He also said he had had a chance to work in Asian and Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Lebanon where civil wars had occurred.
The exhibition will remain open at the culture center until Jan. 5 and then move to the Şehitkamil Culture and Congress Center until Jan. 21. Income from the exhibition will be donated to an Afghan association working for children, according to reports.