The Power of the Image

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Kunar Province, Afghanistan

Steve McCurry is a photographer I've known about and lauded ever since I studied him in 7th grade. His ability to astound and shock and provoke through the medium of photography is, in my mind, unparalleled with any modern photographers. His portfolio is formidable. It is with photos such as the one presented above that he upholds my high expectations for his work.

A picture as people always say, is worth a thousand words. I believe a picture is worth a thousand thoughts. It's worth a thousand ideas. It's worth a thousand meanings. Like other forms of art, the main purpose of photography is to capture some form of 'truth', whether it is beautiful or heinous. This photograph (taken in Afghanistan) demonstrates a universal truth and forces an honest reaction from the viewer, whether that reaction is shocked, appalled, or confused.

The most beautiful component in this photo is the countless shades of grey that engulf the page. There is a sense of simplicity and nostalgic, sentimental value created. Colors aren't distracting the viewer from the photos purpose - every shade has a meaning and relevance in some capacity. In no place do we see all white, and in no place do we see all black. We are always simply just exploring different hues, each one seeming to instruct us on what is important, and what is negligible within the photo. 

We see the man's clothes and hair are a dark grey, reaching the point of blackness, and demanding the viewers attention by dominating the entire foreground in dichotomy to the extremely light and rather empty void that is the background. These dark colors call for our attention, and force our awareness. As a result of the boldly negative colors (and placement in the center foreground), the viewer initially sees an Afghan man with palms facing the outward sky, clearly focused and intent within prayer. His clothes are meager and simplistic, depicting the potential difficulties and poverty he is facing. These clothes also give him a sense of anonymity - his is not necessarily associated with any sort of political or social movement that we (the viewer) can link him to. His facial expression is one of an almost transcendent sense of intense serenity. It is a special moment in which he is communicating to his God (or Allah).

Then, after absorbing the image of a man in a war circumstance praying, our eyes finally shift to the left to see the real focal point of the image - the man has a large gun strung along his right shoulder. Naturally, when images of those not in standard military attire are pictured with large weaponry, we tend to categorize them as the 'bad guys' or villains who are a source of pain, anguish, and strife.

The juxtaposition McCurry establishes within this photo by having a man both represent a sense of spirituality (which we inherently tend to correlate with morality) and the gun (which we see as weapons of pain and destruction) is exquisite. The contrast between the two sends a poignant message: things aren't black and white. Good and bad aren't absolute ideas. People can be motivated to do bad things for good reasons - and someone carrying a gun isn't a blind criminal or robot.

In this era, where so much love and trust is sorely lacking in the world, it is images like this that force a universal connection. A man in the Afghan army potentially shares the same fundamental beliefs as a Kansas housewife. No matter where we are born or what cultural, geographical, or ideological barriers are between us, we are all humans - and this image, through its groundbreaking depiction of this man, reminds us of that very fact.