A boy at the Festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Mumbai, India, 1996

Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for over four decades, documenting international conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary society. Placing particular emphasis on individual frames, McCurry has produced some of the most recognizable photographs of the 20th century. His image of a young Afghan refugee with piercing eyes—the June 1985 cover of National Geographic—has become one of the most distinctive in photographic history. Speaking of his practice, McCurry has said: “What matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.”