Renowned global photographer, Steve McCurry is Canton-bound

In many of his portraits, photographer Steve McCurry captures an arresting intimacy with his subjects as they gaze directly into the lens.

"The images speak of a desire for human connection," McCurry said in a recent interview. It is "a desire so strong that people who know they will never see me again open themselves to the camera, all in the hope that at the other end someone else will be watching, someone who will laugh or suffer with them."

On Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., McCurry will be at the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography at 520 Cleveland Ave. NW in downtown Canton to sign copies of "Steve McCurry: A Life in Pictures," a lavish 392-page coffee-table book that chronicles his celebrated career comprehensively in vivid color images and engrossing biographical text written by his sister, Bonnie.

"Bonnie used the pictures that illustrated her text the best," McCurry said. "We wanted to have a mix of my most iconic works, historical events I photographed, unseen work, and ephemera throughout my years of travel." Copies will sell for $55.

Visitors to the Saxton gallery for First Friday and through Jan. 3 will have the opportunity to view a newly mounted exhibition of 52 vibrant McCurry photographs. "My staff worked with the gallery to create a collection of work that best represents the book and my career over the last 30 years," McCurry said.

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, in a free program, McCurry will be interviewed by Gary Rivers of WHBC-AM and field questions from the audience.

This is the second time that McCurry's work has been showcased at the Saxton gallery; the first was in February 2010. "That kicked off our gallery. We're very grateful to have him here again. He's had shows all over the world. We feel very privileged," said gallery owner Tim Belden, an avid photography collector and historian. "He has brought color photography to a new level, in my opinion."

"(McCurry) prefers not to be called an documentary photographer, he thinks of himself as more of an artist. I think of him as an ambassador to the world. He cares deeply about people across the world," Belden said.

"I'm interested in people, how people are different but yet how people are the same," McCurry said in the interview. "We all dress differently and speak different languages, maybe have different religions. But fundamentally we still have this sort of common shared humanity, this commonality. That difference is what really fascinates me."

About gaining the trust of his photo subjects in far-flung and often war-torn locales, McCurry said, "I think most people actually want to have their photo taken. If you win their confidence and trust, people will open up and let you photograph them. You usually have a period or two where people give you that amount of time and then their curiosity runs out. You have to work quickly, get your shot, make them relaxed and that's it."

Born in Philadelphia 69 years ago, McCurry began taking photos for the student newspaper while a student at Penn State University. After graduation he traveled through India and Pakistan, and in a career-making incident disguised himself in Afghani clothing, made his way into a recently bombed-out Afghani village, photographed the wreckage and smuggled out rolls of film whose images were published by Time, the New York Times and Paris Match, and won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for best photographic reporting from abroad.

McCurry went on to contribute regularly to National Geographic, on whose cover his best-known photograph, "Afghan Girl," appeared. He has covered the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War, civil wars in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Lebanon, and the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. His most recent photographic expedition was in Hue and Da Nang, Vietnam.

Asked to name his most devastating experience as a photographer, McCurry said, "Working in Kuwait in the aftermath of the first Gulf War was an unforgettable and surreal experience. The Iraqi army had left utter devastation in their wake -- 600 oil fields burning, panicked and starved animals wandering about and a landscape dotted with hundreds of dead Iraqi soldiers. It was like a vision of hell."

Asked next for an especially joyful moment from his career, McCurry shared a story: "One of my favorite pictures was when I was in India in this very old quarter in the city of Rajasthan. The whole city is painted in this wonderful color of blue. I came across this one corner and noticed these hands on the wall which had been placed by children in one of the festivals. I thought what a great picture this would be if I could get either people walking in the frame or out of the frame. I stood there for about two hours and eventually one little boy dashed through the frame and I caught him in mid-stride, so I am very happy with that picture."

Remembering McCurry's 2010 visit to Canton, gallery manager Maria Hadjian said, "He's just incredibly humble and down to earth, considering his status as such a prolific artist of the 21st century. He gets so much joy from meeting people. And of course his work is stunning. If you want to travel the world and you can't do it physically, look at Steve McCurry's photography."

Reach Dan at 330-580-8306 or dan.kane@cantonrep.com

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WHAT: "A Life in Pictures," an exhibition of photographs by Steve McCurry.

WHEN: Friday through Jan. 3. Gallery hours noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

WHERE: Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography, 520 Cleveland Ave. NW, downtown Canton.

ADMISSION: Free.

GALLERY EVENTS: Book signing with Steve McCurry, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday; interview and Q&A with McCurry and Gary Rivers, 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

On display