How is McCurry’s images different compared to Singh in the way that they represent Indian culture? Back it up with references to articles read and include quotes for or against your own view.
RAGHUBIR SINGH
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghubir_Singh_(photographer)
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/raghubir-singh-photographs
Raghubir Singh was born in October 22 1942 in Jaipur, India. He later died in April 1999 at the age of 56 in New York. He was an Indian Photographer most known for his landscapes and documentary-style images of the people of India. He was a self-taught photographer who worked in India and lived in Paris, London and New York. During his career, Singh has worked with National Geographic Magazine, The New York times and The New Yorker. During the early 1970’s, he was one of the first photographers to reinvent the use of colour. Singh made a series of powerful books about his homeland. He has a democratic eye that notices and captures everything, including cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers and construction sites as well of lots more.
The power of Singh’s images are not just simple in the content but also in the composition. They contain a deeper meaning because they are taken from the point of view of a local who has memories and sentiments connected to the area. The images below are some of Singh’s photos from India.
STEVE MCCURRY
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/11/steve-mccurrys-india/417102/
https://petapixel.com/2016/06/07/eyes-afghan-girl-critical-take-steve-mccurry-scandal/
Steve McCurry was born on 23 April 1950 in the suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is an American Photographer who has previously worked in photojournalism and editorial. McCurry has been one of the most icon photographers in contemporary photography for more than thirty years. He has produced magazines and book covers, over a dozen books, and lots of exhibitions around the world. In a quotes from McMurry’s website he talks about what is important to him in Photography. He writes “What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have ti be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling”
He is best known for his photograph called ‘Afghan Girl’ in 1984. The image originally appeared in National Geographic magazine. The image is of an approximately 12 year old Pashtun orphan in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. The image was named “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the National Geographic magazine. The identity of the girl remained unknown for over 17 years, until McMurry located the women, named Sharbat Gula in 2002. The image below is an image of the girl when she was around 12, and an image of her 17 years later. In a conversation with McCurry he says, ‘Her skin is weathered; there are wrinkles now, but she is as striking as she was all those years ago.”
After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first trip of many to India. During these trips he documented his time in India, and captured what he perceived life to be like in this part of the world. In 2016, McMurry was accused of manipulating his images using Photoshop, and removing individuals and other elements. There was much debate whether this process was acceptable in his line of work. Many photographers believe his images are “too perfect” to be true.
COMPARISON
Since Raghubir Singh was born in India, his view and images of India is seen to be from an insider’s perspective. Compared to McCurry, Singh’s photos capture the natural atmosphere of India. They’re busy and are full of vast activities taking place. Although his images could be described as messy because there isn’t a key aspect of the photo, Singh captures the true India rather then the one Steve McCurry creates. Mcurry’s images are more posed and fake with the subject looking directly at the camera. They are also usually captured together with some peculiarity such as face paint. The way the New York Times describes the images is very to the point. They write, “The pictures are staged or shot to look as if they were. They are astonishingly boring.” Although many photographers describe McCurry’s images as boring, they are also extremely popular. His images are technically perfect, however this is not the sole reason he is so popular. According to the New York Times, his images are “popular in part because they evoke an earlier time in Indian history, as well as old ideas of what photographs of Indians should look like”
Singh worked from the late 60’s until his death in 1999. He traveled around India, his homeland. Although his work shares formal content with McCurry, Singh’s images are full of life. They are full of a variety of emotions such as painful scenes. He had a democratic view, and takes images of everything including cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers, and so much more. Singh’s images are popular because of the content as well as the composition.
Allen Murabayashi, the CEO of Photo shelter, which is a “premium website builder designed and created specifically for professional photographers who are looking to grow their base.” He defends McCurry’s work explaining he has a “deep understanding of photographic history – not to mention he’s an award-winning writer with a PhD in Art History from Columbia.” McCurry is an award-winning photojournalist represented by the heralded Magnum Photos. Murabayashi dismisses the view that McCurry stages his photos. He defends’ McCurry saying it is a massive insult to a “talented photographer” who started his career at a local newspaper before traveling to Pakistan and sneaking into Afghanistan to cover the build up to the Soviet invasion. Although he is not completely certain that McCurry never staged a photo, to say that McCurry has spent a “career setting up scenes to capture his iconic photos is a massive insult to a talented photographer”
People criticize McCurry’s images because they are ‘too perfect’ but when you’re a highly skilled photographer taking 250,000 images over the course of 3-6 months for an assignment, and then working with a high end editor, the photos are bound to be perfect.