Introduction
Steve McCurry (b. 1950, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is one of the most widely recognised photographers in the world — a full member of Magnum Photos since 1991 whose images of conflict, culture, and human resilience across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have appeared on the covers of National Geographic, Time, Life, and Newsweek for five decades.
He graduated cum laude from Pennsylvania State University in 1974 with a degree in theatre arts, having begun photographing for the student newspaper. After graduation he worked for a local newspaper before travelling to India in 1978 — a journey that would define his entire career. When fighting broke out in Afghanistan in 1979, he crossed the border disguised in local clothing, with rolls of film sewn into his clothes, and became one of the first Western photographers to document the conflict that would become the Soviet-Afghan War. The images he brought back — published in Time and other magazines — won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for best photojournalism requiring exceptional courage.
In December 1984, during a visit to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, he photographed a 12-year-old Pashtun girl — later identified as Sharbat Gula — whose piercing green eyes and direct gaze produced the image that appeared on the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. It became the most recognised cover in the magazine's distinguished history, and one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century.
He joined Magnum Photos as a nominee in 1986 and became a full member in 1991. His awards include an unprecedented four first-place awards at the World Press Photo contest in a single year (1984), the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the National Press Photographers Award, and the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement. He has been inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.
His work has been exhibited internationally, published in more than thirteen books, and made the subject of the 2021 documentary The Pursuit of Colour. He continues to travel and photograph, based in New York.
On gear, his position is characteristically direct: "I don't want to talk about gear. Any camera on sale today will give you wonderful results. It's how you do what you do, and whether you enjoy your photography."
Camera Gear Used by Steve McCurry
McCurry's gear history spans over four decades and three distinct eras: a long film career using successive Nikon SLR bodies, a digital transition in 2003 to Nikon DSLRs, and a more recent move to the Leica SL2 system. All gear listed below is confirmed from primary sources — Photogpedia's comprehensive documented profile (which includes McCurry's own direct quotes), the Amateur Photographer interview from February 2023, and the Nikon Europe video interview from 2016.
Film Era Cameras: Nikon SLR System
McCurry shot on Nikon film bodies for over two decades — from his earliest work in India and Afghanistan in the late 1970s through to his digital transition in 2003. He confirmed switching to Nikon from an Olympus in 1975, driven by a practical reason: his girlfriend on his first India trip had a Nikon and a set of lenses. "I thought we should just use the same camera system and share the lenses, so I switched to Nikon, and I've been using it ever since — different models, of course."
Nikon FM2 — His confirmed camera for the Afghan Girl portrait (December 1984), documented by Photogpedia: "McCurry shot the photo on Kodachrome 64 film using a Nikon FM2 and Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI-S lens." The FM2 was a fully mechanical 35mm SLR — capable of operating without batteries and built to withstand the dust, heat, and physical abuse of fieldwork in conflict zones and remote locations. It was, along with the Leica M, the defining professional camera of its era.
Nikon N90S (F90X) — Confirmed as one of his film bodies, used alongside the FM2. The N90S was Nikon's advanced autofocus film SLR of the mid-1990s, offering matrix metering and 3D colour multi-pattern exposure calculation — a significant practical upgrade for difficult lighting conditions.
Nikon F4 — Confirmed. Nikon's flagship professional film SLR from 1988, used extensively by photojournalists worldwide for its combination of autofocus capability, rugged build, and compatibility with the full Nikkor lens range.
Nikon F5 — Confirmed. The successor to the F4, introduced in 1996 — the last great Nikon film SLR, used by McCurry through the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Nikon F100 — Confirmed. A lighter, more compact alternative to the F5, carrying essentially the same optical and metering capabilities in a smaller body. Ideal for travel and field use where the F5's weight and size were a disadvantage.
Olympus OM-2N — Confirmed as part of his kit during a specific period of his career. The OM-2N was one of the most compact and lightweight professional 35mm SLRs of the late 1970s — used by McCurry for situations where the smaller size and lighter weight of the Olympus system were advantageous over the Nikon.
Film Era Lenses
Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI-S — Confirmed as the lens used to photograph Sharbat Gula in 1984, documented by Photogpedia. The 105mm f/2.5 is one of the most celebrated portrait lenses ever made — slightly longer than a normal 50mm, producing a flattering facial compression and a smooth, unobtrusive background separation. Its use for the Afghan Girl portrait is one of the most significant documented lens-and-subject combinations in photography history.
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 — His confirmed primary lens for the Nikon digital era, stated directly in a documented interview: "As part of a major project I recently completed, I used only a D810 and a 24-70mm lens for the entire job. My current lens of choice is that type, which I now use in roughly 98% of my work."
Film Stock
Kodachrome 64 — His defining film for over twenty years, confirmed by Photogpedia: "For over 20 years he used Kodachrome film." The Afghan Girl portrait was specifically made on Kodachrome 64. When Kodak announced the discontinuation of Kodachrome in 2009, McCurry was given the last roll ever produced — a 36-exposure roll of Kodachrome 64 — and documented its journey around the world in a final tribute to the film.
Kodachrome's rich, saturated colour rendering — particularly its deep reds, warm skin tones, and the specific quality of light it captured in strong Asian and Middle Eastern sun — is inseparable from the visual identity of his most celebrated work. The Afghan Girl's red headscarf against the blue-green background, the saturated colours of Indian festivals, the golden light of Himalayan landscapes: all are Kodachrome images.
Digital Era Cameras: Nikon DSLR System
McCurry made the transition from film to digital in 2003, confirmed by Photogpedia.
Nikon D2X — His first confirmed digital body after the transition. The D2X was Nikon's high-resolution professional digital SLR, introduced in 2004, offering 12.4 megapixels — the highest resolution available in a Nikon body at the time.
Nikon D3 — Confirmed. The D3 was a landmark camera: Nikon's first full-frame digital SLR, introduced in 2007, capable of clean images at ISO 6400 and establishing a new standard for low-light performance in professional photojournalism.
Nikon D4 — Confirmed. The successor to the D3, used by McCurry for assignments requiring high frame rates and excellent high-ISO performance.
Nikon D700 — Confirmed. A more compact full-frame body sharing the D3's sensor in a smaller, lighter chassis — ideal for travel photography where the D3 and D4's weight was a disadvantage.
Nikon D810 — His most celebrated Nikon digital body and the one he described with the greatest enthusiasm: "The Nikon D810 is the best camera I have ever owned." Confirmed by Photogpedia, ePHOTOzine (Nikon Europe video interview, 2016), and multiple other sources. He used the D810 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for approximately 98% of his work during this period. The D810's 36-megapixel sensor gave him files of exceptional quality for large-format exhibition printing, and its dynamic range was the finest available in a Nikon body at its introduction.
Current System: Leica SL2
Leica SL2 — His confirmed current primary camera, stated directly in the Amateur Photographer interview from February 2023: "Steve's current camera is a Leica SL2 and he mainly uses a 24-90mm f/2.8-4 lens, along with the 15-35mm f/3.5-4.5 and 90-280mm f/2.8-4." The transition from Nikon DSLR to Leica mirrorless represents a shift that mirrors industry trends — mirrorless bodies offering smaller size, better live view, and improved stabilisation for travel and documentary work.
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The Leica SL2 is a 47-megapixel full-frame mirrorless camera with outstanding build quality and weatherproofing — highly relevant for a photographer who works in monsoons, dust storms, and mountain environments. Its L-mount lens system gives access to a wide range of Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma optics.
Current Lenses: Leica SL System
Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH — His confirmed primary lens on the SL2, stated in the Amateur Photographer interview as the lens he "mainly uses." The 24-90mm covers his most-used focal range in a single zoom, with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at 24mm — sufficient for available-light work in the interior and shade conditions that define much of his travel photography.
Leica Super-Vario-Elmarit-SL 15-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH — Confirmed in the same Amateur Photographer interview. His ultra-wide option for environmental portraits, architectural work, and wide landscape contexts where the 24mm end of the standard zoom is insufficient.
Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm f/2.8-4 — Confirmed in the same interview. His telephoto zoom, used for subjects at a distance and for the compression of space between foreground subjects and background environments that defines many of his most celebrated portraits.
Technique and Style
Steve McCurry's photography is defined by a quality that is easy to name and genuinely difficult to achieve: human connection across cultural distance. His subjects — Afghan refugees, Indian fishermen, Tibetan monks, Yemeni traders, Pakistani schoolchildren — are photographed not as exotic others but as individuals of specific, irreplaceable presence. The camera records a relationship, however brief, between two human beings.
His technical approach has always been in the service of this connection. He does not work with elaborate lighting setups or carefully controlled environments. He works in available light, in the places where his subjects actually live, with a minimal kit that allows him to move quickly and respond to the moment. His preference — stated explicitly — is for one body and one lens for the majority of work: the 24-70mm on the D810, the 24-90mm on the SL2. The simplicity is the condition of the speed.
His use of colour is one of the most discussed aspects of his practice. Like Harry Gruyaert and Ernst Haas before him, he has consistently treated colour as a compositional element rather than an incidental recording of what was present. The specific quality of Kodachrome's colour — the richness of reds and the warmth of skin tones in strong Asian light — shaped his visual language for over two decades. His digital work seeks to replicate that quality, and his transition to the Leica SL2 is consistent with a preference for cameras and lenses that render colour with warmth and tonal depth rather than clinical neutrality.
He is also, significantly, a photographer who works at close range. His portraits are made with the subject aware of the camera and often looking directly into it — a deliberate choice that produces a quality of confrontation and mutual acknowledgement that distance photography cannot replicate. The 105mm lens that made the Afghan Girl portrait gave him a slight standoff distance that was appropriate for a child in a refugee camp, but his working distance for most subjects is close, conversational, and direct.
His working method involves considerable time spent before and after the photograph. He has spoken extensively about the importance of patience — of spending time in a place before raising the camera, of building the quality of attention that allows the decisive moment to be recognised when it arrives.
How to Imitate His Style in Post-Processing
McCurry's colour aesthetic — warm, saturated, with rich shadow detail and a specific quality of skin tone rendering — is one of the most studied in colour photography. It grew from Kodachrome and has been maintained digitally. Pixlr is an excellent tool for approaching his look:
Add warmth to the overall palette.
Kodachrome's defining quality in McCurry's Asian work is warmth — the amber-red of Indian light, the rich skin tones of his portraits, the golden quality of strong tropical sun. In Pixlr's White Balance tool, shift the colour temperature slightly warmer. Not dramatically — just enough to move away from the cooler, bluer rendering of modern digital sensors toward the organic warmth of Kodachrome 64.
Push reds and oranges, protect the blues.
In Pixlr's HSL tool, increase the saturation of reds and oranges by 10–15%. His most celebrated images — the red headscarf of the Afghan Girl, the orange robes of monks, the saffron of Indian festivals — have a specific richness in those warm hues. Keep blues and greens at or below neutral to replicate the way Kodachrome prioritised warm colours over cool ones.
Hold the shadow detail.
His images almost never have crushed blacks. The deep shadows of a covered bazaar, the shaded face beneath a headscarf, the underexposed corner of a tent — all hold information. In Pixlr's Curves tool, lift the black point very slightly to preserve shadow detail, and use a conservative S-curve that separates midtones without destroying the dark end of the range.
Do not over-process the skin tones.
His portraits succeed because the skin tones look accurate and warm rather than processed. Avoid aggressive clarity or texture adjustments on faces in Pixlr — the smooth, natural rendering of skin in good light is a quality of his work that retouching destroys.
How to Shoot Like Steve McCurry
Spend time before you photograph.
McCurry's access to the subjects he photographs is built on time and patience — time spent in a place before raising the camera, building the quality of presence that allows strangers to trust him. Budget time into your projects that is not photography time — observation time, conversation time, simply being present time.
Work with one lens for 98% of your shoots.
His own practice — confirmed across multiple eras of his career — is a single versatile zoom for the overwhelming majority of work. The 24-70mm on the D810 for his Nikon years, the 24-90mm on the SL2 for his Leica years. Simplify your lens kit to a single focal range that covers the majority of your needs, and carry additional lenses only for specific, anticipated requirements.
Get close and make eye contact.
The directness of his portrait subjects — the Afghan Girl's gaze, the fisherman's steady look, the monk's calm attention — comes from a photographer who worked close and invited eye contact. Move closer than feels comfortable. Hold the camera steady and wait for the subject to settle into the frame.
Photograph in strong, directional light.
His best images use strong natural light — the directional quality of tropical sun, the rim light of a doorway, the reflected light of a white wall. Learn to read the direction and quality of natural light before positioning yourself and your subject.
Ignore the gear debate.
His own position, stated repeatedly and without reservation: "Any camera on sale today will give you wonderful results. It's how you do what you do." The progression from Nikon FM2 to Leica SL2 across four decades is the story of a photographer who used what worked, upgraded when something better appeared, and never allowed equipment to become the subject.
Photograph the human face of large events.
McCurry's great contribution to photojournalism is the consistent choice to photograph individuals rather than events — the face of the refugee rather than the refugee camp, the expression of the survivor rather than the ruins. In any story of scale and complexity, look for the individual through whom that story can be told.
Legacy
Steve McCurry's legacy is built on a single, extraordinary image — and on the body of work that demonstrates that image was not a lucky accident but the product of a consistent, sustained visual intelligence applied to the human face of the world for fifty years.
The Afghan Girl portrait is, by any measure, one of the defining photographs of the twentieth century. Its power rests on the combination of technical precision (the 105mm f/2.5 AI-S lens at the right aperture and distance on Kodachrome 64), compositional certainty (the subject filling the frame, the background clean and undistracting), and a quality of human encounter that the photographer brought to the moment. All three elements were necessary. None alone would have been sufficient.
The rest of his career demonstrates that these qualities were not singular. His coverage of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Gulf War oil fires, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the September 11 aftermath — alongside his sustained documentary work in India, Tibet, Southeast Asia, and Africa — constitutes one of the most geographically and historically comprehensive bodies of colour photojournalism in the medium's history.
His departure from Magnum Photos in 2017 — following controversies about digital manipulation of some images — was a significant and contested moment in his later career. These controversies are part of the record and cannot be omitted from a complete account. His response — acknowledging that some retouching had occurred and committing to stricter editorial standards going forward — did not fully resolve the debate about what role, if any, digital manipulation has in documentary photography. That debate continues.
What remains uncontested is the quality and scale of his best work, and his influence on colour documentary photography across five decades. His books continue to sell in large numbers. His exhibitions continue to draw large audiences. He continues to travel and photograph, with a Leica SL2 and three lenses, in his mid-seventies.
Books by Steve McCurry
The Imperial Way (1985, Houghton Mifflin) — His first book, documenting the journey along the old British Imperial railway from the Khyber Pass to the Bay of Bengal.
Monsoon (1995, Thames & Hudson) — A ten-year survey of the monsoon's transformation of life across South and Southeast Asia.
South Southeast (2000, Phaidon) — His major retrospective of work across South and Southeast Asia, published to accompany his exhibition at the Barbican in London.
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The Path to Buddha: A Tibetan Pilgrimage (2003, Phaidon) — His documentation of the Tibetan pilgrimage routes, made during repeated journeys to Tibet over two decades.
Steve McCurry (2005, Phaidon) — A comprehensive retrospective monograph covering his career to that point, published in Phaidon's 55 series.
In the Shadow of Mountains (2007, Phaidon) — A sustained portrait of Afghanistan across three decades, from the Soviet invasion to the aftermath of the US intervention.
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The Unguarded Moment (2009, Phaidon) — A collection of candid, unposed images — the photographs made in the moments between the formal assignments.
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Untold: The Stories Behind the Photographs (2013, Phaidon) — His most personal book, combining the photographs with extended accounts of how each image was made and what happened around it.
Afghanistan (2017, Taschen) — His definitive collection of four decades of Afghan photography, published in Taschen's XL format.
Conclusion
Steve McCurry photographed with Nikon film SLRs — principally the FM2, F4, F5, F100, and N90S — loaded with Kodachrome 64 for over two decades. The Afghan Girl was made on a Nikon FM2 with a Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI-S lens. After his digital transition in 2003, he used successive Nikon DSLR bodies — the D2X, D3, D4, D700, and D810 — with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens covering 98% of his work. He has most recently confirmed using a Leica SL2 with the Leica 24-90mm f/2.8-4, 15-35mm f/3.5-4.5, and 90-280mm f/2.8-4 lenses.
The equipment changed many times across fifty years. The eye — the instinct for the human face within the larger event, the patience before the moment, and the warmth of colour that connects his digital work to his Kodachrome years — has not.
"Any camera on sale today will give you wonderful results. It's how you do what you do, and whether you enjoy your photography."
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