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Nylon
a day ago
- Nylon
Interview with world-renowned photographer, Steve McCurry on being a visual storyteller and documenting the human experience
By Adele Chan Stepping into the vibrant and often poignant world of American photographer, Steve McCurry is far more than just pictures and exhibitions of them; he's a storyteller and documenter of places, people and situations. And with much of his work, it's true what they say — a picture is worth a thousand words. His most iconic photo is the portrait of the 'Afghan Girl' that graced the cover of National Geographic magazine in June 1985. He took it in December 1984 near Peshawar, Pakistan, during the Soviet-Afghan War, and this image has been famously named, 'the most recognised photograph' in the history of the magazine that published it. I had the privilege of meeting with him in Wetzlar during Leica's 100th Anniversary event celebrations in June, and we spoke about his extraordinary craft of photography, the gear he uses, and what's he up to now. Steve McCurry with Sunil Kaul and Laxmi Kaul. Photo taken by Dr Chua Yang. Adele: How did you get into photography? Steve: I was always interested in art. Then when I was 12, I saw a Life magazine with a story about the monsoon — the Indian monsoon — and I was intrigued. I thought that that's incredible. I'd love to see that myself, and I'd like to go to India. It seemed like a really fun place. And then when I was 19, I went to live in Europe for a year and I was kind of just travelling. After that year in Europe, I thought to myself, whatever I do in my life, I want to travel. So I went back to school, and I'm was kind of searching for something to do. And then I thought, well, filmmaking would be a good way to achieve this. So I started studying filmmaking. And in the process of studying filmmaking, I rediscovered photography and decided that it was a way that I could travel, create some art, and hopefully make a living. Following which, I worked in a newspaper and then saved my money, went to India, and spent two years there. So that was the beginning, but I thought that I wanted to have a life of travel and creativity. And so it was that kind of the journey, and Asia was first on my list, although I had travelled in Africa, Europe and Central America. The trip to Asia, as I previously said, was two years; and then the two years turned into five, and then 10, and wow… I kept going back. I was everywhere in Asia; I went to every country, with the exception of, I would say, Brunei. I just was very attracted to that part of the world. And here we are. Adele: How does someone make a living out of photography, especially in the beginning of their career? Steve: Well, that's a really difficult question, and I'm not sure how much of this you want to include, because it's the raw truth, the naked truth; the ugly truth is that it takes a lot of work, and a lot of people aren't prepared for that, or don't want to do it, and that's okay. I mean, actually, it might be better to have a comfortable life, work nine-to-five, go home and relax. That's very attractive, because that's more predictable. Whereas photography, not only are you working all the time, there's no guarantees about anything, and even if you work really hard, still, there's no guarantee. So it's really scary in a way. And I'm not sure if this is true, but I think maybe it's even more difficult now than it was when I started. But it was never easy. For me, I was willing to work as hard as I needed to, and to get to where I wanted to go. And so there's a lot of sacrifice and struggle; there's pain and disappointment and rejection, but I just was willing. I just wanted to push ahead with persistence, and if you Google persistence, there's a poem or something that sums up everything you want to know about photography. [NYLON: We've reached out to McCurry's team to get the quote he was referring to. Will update this space.] Steve McCurry in Wetzlar for Leica's 100th Anniversary event. Photo taken by Dr Chua Yang. Adele: What have you been up to lately? Steve: Right now, I'm working on a couple of books. I'm actually in the process of working with the design, the layout and all that, but I'm also adding to those books; as in I'm continuing to produce more pictures for the books. There are also some exhibitions that I'm working on [NYLON: The Leica Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney are presenting McCurry's work through the end of October 2025. Discover more at this link.] Steve: The most important project I have is my eight-year-old daughter. That's a serious project; yes project, time and all that effort. But as far as the work goes, I would say, the exhibitions, the books, and some workshops I do. I this year I will have done like seven; one in Myanmar, two in Italy, two in Tokyo, and two in Australia. Steve McCurry in Wetzlar for Leica's 100th Anniversary event. Photo taken by Ng Choon Jen. Adele: Do you have any places or activities on your bucket list? Steve: There are a couple of countries where I always wanted to visit. I always wanted to go to Iran, but now, that's a problem. I've worked in most countries; if you drew a line from Vietnam to Portugal, I've worked in all those countries, just not Iran. I've been trying to go to Iran for a long time, but that's okay. If it happens, it happens. I worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Turkey… and then I thought North Korea would be an interesting place. I've never been there, but that's also difficult for obvious reasons. Adele: Do you feel like your style of storytelling has evolved? Steve: Well, I'm not trying to work on a particular style or signature look. I think that you just go out and observe the world in your own way. I don't know that my storytelling has changed. Well, I hope I see better. I hope I can identify light and composition better, and I would hope that I can relate better with people. But I think that if I'm walking down the street or driving on the road, I'm just relying on my curiosity and sense of observation for what I see and what I feel is interesting. I think with experience, we've seen so many pictures of so many things that the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher. Not that I've seen everything, but I've seen a lot, and I've seen other photographers' work. So I keep thinking, well, I don't want to do that thing, because it's been photographed better. Adele: Finally, let's talk about the Leica gear that you famously use. Steve: I'm using the Leica SL3 and I have one lens — it's a 24 to 90. So I use that lens for… I would say 98% of all my work. Wow… I should get other lenses. I think I have a 15 or 16 to 35, and I have a 100 to 400 but they're kind of specialty lenses, for certain things. And when you need it, well then, it's great to have it. You don't need it all the time, but when the situation calls for it. When I was shooting film, most of my work was with prime lenses; but I haven't used a prime lens in years and years. The quality of the Zooms now are better than they were years ago, for sure. Maybe the prime lenses are slightly sharper than my Zoom, but the lenses are so good, I don't care. Adele: Is there a particular focal distance you use when you're shooting portraits? Steve: Probably 90. It depends on the situation right? If it's sort of an environmental portrait, then it probably doesn't matter, because I could even shoot potentially at a 24. You have to be careful of the distortion and all that with the wide angle, but if you're back far enough, then 24 could be a great solution. But I would say, if I'm working in much closer, I'd probably go to a 90 maximum. I would love to go to 135 — that'd be great, but that would be heavy. In the old days when I was on the street, I had two cameras, and I had a lot of film. I'd probably even have a third lens, but now, one camera, a couple batteries, cards, done. I also used to wear that photo vest with film and that was weighing me down; but now it's just kind of minimal… streamlined. The main point really is that if you're out for a session in the morning, and then you're out for another session in the afternoon, say, from three to dark, you need to be agile and comfortable, and you still need to have a high energy level, absolutely. And if you have a lot of stuff, you start to slow down and it's tiring. If you're light and agile, just pair your shoes, and boom… you can work right until the end of the day. Fantastic. Steve McCurry in Wetzlar for Leica's 100th Anniversary event. Photo taken by Ng Choon Jen. Discover more about Steve McCurry and his work on his official website at and follow him on Instagram @stevemccurryofficial. Check out Leica cameras and lenses at Portrait photo of Steve McCurry taken by Adele Chan.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Booker Prize nominees include novels by Kiran Desai, Katie Kitamura and Susan Choi
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The 13 titles nominated for the prestigious British literary award also include books by David Szalay, Maria Reva and Claire Adam. LONDON – In 2006, Indian author Kiran Desai shot to fame when she won the Booker Prize with The Inheritance Of Loss, a novel about a teenage romance in India and illegal migration in New York City. But she struggled to write a follow-up. Now, almost two decades later, Desai has been nominated for the Booker again – for The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny, the novel that she was grappling with during that time. On July 29, the Booker Prize judges announced the 13 novels nominated for the 2025 edition of the prestigious British literary award, with Desai's novel arguably the highest profile. Other nominees include American novelist Katie Kitamura's Audition, about an actress who becomes embroiled with a man who claims to be her son; American author Susan Choi's Flashlight, a Korean-American family saga; and Hungarian-English writer David Szalay's Flesh, which tells the tale of a man who inveigles his way to a life of privilege. In Desai's novel, which is scheduled for a Sept 23 release, two immigrants to the United States return to their native India and meet on an overnight train. The 667-page book has yet to receive any major reviews, but the Booker Prize's judges – who in 2025 include Irish novelist Roddy Doyle and American actress Sarah Jessica Parker – described it in a news release as a 'vast and immersive' work that 'enfolds a magical realist fable within a social novel within a love story'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Business S'pore's economic resilience will face headwinds in second half of 2025 from tariffs, trade conflicts: MAS Business S'pore's Q2 total employment rises, but infocomm and professional services sectors see more job cuts Singapore Fewer than 1 in 5 people noticed suspicious items during MHA's social experiments Asia Powerful 8.8-magnitude quake in Russia's far east causes tsunami; Japan, Hawaii order evacuations Singapore Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council Asia Japan, Vietnam, EU contest terms of US tariff deals behind the scenes Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is one of the literary world's most coveted awards, given each year to a novel written in English and published in Britain or Ireland. The winner in 2024 was Orbital, English novelist Samantha Harvey's meditative novel about astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The judging panel in 2025 is now tasked with re-reading all 13 nominees and then creating a six-book shortlist that is scheduled to be announced on Sept 23. The winning title will then be unveiled at a ceremony in London on Nov 10, and its author will receive a prize of £50,000 (S$86,000). The full list of nominees: – Claire Adam's Love Forms, about a Trinidadian woman trying to find the child she gave up as a young girl. Julie Myerson, in a review for The Guardian, described the novel as 'quietly devastating'. – Tash Aw's The South, in which a Malaysian man recalls a steamy teenage vacation. Heller McAlpin, reviewing the book for The New York Times, called it 'a gorgeous coming-of-age story'. – Natasha Brown's Universality, a satire that begins with a journalist reporting on a brutal attack at a hippie commune. – Jonathan Buckley's One Boat, about a woman grieving her father's death. The novel is the first Booker-nominated title published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, a British imprint known for publishing Nobel Prize laureates and fiction in translation. – Susan Choi's Flashlight, which touches on historical events including North Korean re-education camps. – Kiran Desai's The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny. – Katie Kitamura's Audition, which Joumana Khatib, in the Times, said was the author's 'most thrilling examination yet of the deceit inherent in human connection'. – Benjamin Markovits' The Rest Of Our Lives, in which a New York law professor goes on a road trip after leaving his wife when their daughter starts college. – Andrew Miller's The Land In Winter, about two couples living through one of Britain's coldest recorded periods, in the 1960s. British critics have praised the title for its sensitive portrayal of flawed protagonists. – Maria Reva's Endling, set in Ukraine on the brink of Russia's 2022 invasion, with characters including several mail-order brides and a hunter of rare snails. Reviewing the novel for the Times, Ania Szremski called it 'a startling and ambitious whirlwind'. – David Szalay's Flesh, a rags-to-riches story of a Hungarian man with a criminal record who ends up in London high society. Dwight Garner in the Times said that he admired Szalay's book 'from front to back without ever quite liking it'. – Benjamin Wood's Seascraper, about a fisherman whose life is disrupted by a Hollywood director. Wood is 'one of the finest British novelists you've never heard of', wrote Johanna Thomas-Corr in a review of the novel for The Times of London. – Ledia Xhoga's Misinterpretation, about an interpreter whose marriage has turned sour. Lucy Popescu, in The Observer, called the novel 'a nuanced exploration of communication failures, blurred boundaries and the emotional cost of unchecked altruism'. NYTIMES
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Life Listens: New music from Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Tyler, The Creator
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Canadian pop star Justin Bieber's seventh album, Swag, is his most expansive work to date. SINGAPORE – In this monthly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music released in the past month. Ace Album: Justin Bieber – Swag Swag is the seventh album by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. PHOTO: DEF JAM Justin Bieber's unexpected seventh album Swag was not just a surprise release when it dropped on July 11, but it also represented a turning point in his music career. It is the Canadian singer's first since he separated from long-time manager Scooter Braun and an album in which the former child star finally gets to call the shots. The 21-track work is also, creatively, his most expansive one to date, delving into modern R&B, soul and a smattering of pop. The songs have an unhurried, lo-fi vibe, with some tracks such as Glory Voice Memo and Zuma House sounding like unpolished demo tracks – a far cry from the shiny, compressed sounds on his last album Justice (2021). There are plenty of gems, such as opening song ...All I Can Take, in which he channels the late King of Pop Michael Jackson; Daisies, which passes off as an indie rock track; and 405, with its drum and bass-inspired beats. Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. PHOTO: LILBIEBER/INSTAGRAM Swag features collaborations with several prominent names from the hip-hop world such as US rappers Cash Cobain, Gunna and Sexyy Red, as well as skits with American comedian Druski. More importantly, it showcases some of Bieber's most introspective lyrics to date as he ruminates on married life with American model Hailey Bieber (Devotion, Things You Do). There are also songs on fatherhood (Dadz Love) – the couple welcomed their first child, son Jack Blues, in August 2024. Must-see MV: Ed Sheeran – Sapphire (Dance Edit) The dance edit music video of English pop star Ed Sheeran's new song Sapphire has a Singapore connection. Among the dancers from various Asian countries featured is local Indian dance group Royalusion. Its nine dancers, whose moves are choreographed by group founder Iswarya Jayakumar, are filmed in several familiar Singapore landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay. The Sapphire (Dance Edit) music video by British pop star Ed Sheeran features dancers all across Asia and includes Singapore dance group Royalusion. PHOTO: WARNER MUSIC SINGAPORE The three-minute MV also features dance groups in locations such as Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong, with choreography that mixes various styles such as Bollywood and bhangra. While Sheeran himself does not appear in this clip, he is in Sapphire's official MV, which was filmed at various locations across India when he performed there as part of The Mathematics Tour in February. The Sapphire (Dance Edit) music video by British pop star Ed Sheeran features dancers all across Asia and includes Singapore dance group Royalusion. PHOTO: WARNER MUSIC SINGAPORE You can also spot Indian playback singer Arijit Singh, who sings and plays sitar on the track, and a cameo from Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan. Partly recorded in Goa and featuring lyrics in English and Punjabi, Sapphire is a single from Sheeran's upcoming eighth album Play, which will be released on Sept 12. Chart Champ: Tyler, The Creator – Don't Tap The Glass Don't Tap The Glass is the ninth album by American rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator. PHOTO: COLUMBIA Bieber is not the only music star to drop a surprise album these past weeks. US rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator also released his ninth album, Don't Tap The Glass, just a few days after he announced it. It went straight to the top of the US Billboard album charts, his fourth consecutive album to do so. Don't Tap The Glass, unlike his previous introspective offerings, is a full-on celebratory dance album. American rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator. PHOTO: FELICIATHEGOAT/INSTAGRAM Featuring 10 songs and running a little under 30 minutes – almost half the length of his previous album Chromakopia (2024) – the album is incisive and lively, and is designed to make the listener get up and move. Like the retro hip-hop fashion Tyler, The Creator adopts on the album cover, many of the tracks are also modernised takes on music from the past. Sugar On My Tongue, for example, leans heavily into 1980s funk, Ring Ring Ring contains elements of 1970s disco while Big Poe samples US rapper Busta Rhymes' 2001 track Pass The Courvoisier, Part II. Stream This Song: Batavia Collective and Weish – Signs Signs is a song by Indonesian jazz trio Batavia Collective and Singapore singer and songwriter weish. PHOTO: SYNDICATE A collaboration between Singapore singer-songwriter weish and Indonesian jazz trio Batavia Collective (BVTC), Signs is a heady mix of electronica and jazz. The single from BVTC's latest EP Coded features her dreamlike voice floating over the band's off-kilter rhythms and ambient synthesizer tones. Singapore singer and songwriter weish (second from left) and Indonesian jazz trio Batavia Collective. PHOTO: BATAVIA COLLECTIVE While weish has been making waves with her theatre work in recent times – Secondary: The Musical won The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2025's Production of the Year accolade in March – her work with BVTC is closer to the music made by her electronic outfit .gif. BVTC say in a statement about the song: 'It started as an instrumental with no vocals in mind. But once weish came in, it changed everything. Her voice didn't just sit on the track, it haunted it. Signs became our quietest piece, but also our most emotionally loaded. It's part ballad, part breakdown, part release.' Signs, as well as the Coded EP, is released by home-grown independent record label and audio-visual collective Syndicate. Singapore Scene: Subsonic Eye – Singapore Dreaming Singapore Dreaming is the fifth album from Singapore indie rock band Subsonic Eye. PHOTO: TOPSHELF RECORDS The fifth album from one of the home-grown indie music scene's brightest sparks borrows its title from the 2006 local film directed by Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh that revolves around a Singaporean working-class family. Released through American independent record label Topshelf Records, the songs take on ailments of modern living, from excessive consumer behaviour to burnout-driven workplace culture – themes familiar to many living in Singapore. Singapore indie rock band Subsonic Eye. PHOTO: CRISPIN TAN The single Being Productive, for example, is a rumination on the guilt that can creep in while indulging in leisure activities, while My iPhone Screen takes on the issue of identity fragmentation caused by social media. On bilingual opening track Aku Cemas (I Panic), singer Nur Wahidah wrestles with restless self-doubt, but ends the track on a hopeful note ('Come get a hold of yourself, the world's not ending, you're not dying'). The band also comprise guitarists Daniel Borces and Jared Lim, bassist Samuel Venditti and drummer Lucas Tee. Musically, Singapore Dreaming retains Subsonic Eye's penchant for hook-driven melodies, zippy rhythms and jangly, chiming guitars – an antidote to the heavy subjects in the lyrics.
