Go Behind the Lens with these Six Quotes from Photographer Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry’s enduring love of India has driven him to take stunning photographs of the country and its citizens over the course of his long career. His photographs taken throughout India—from Rajasthan to Mumbai and Karnataka—are regarded for their uncanny ability to convey the essence of the nation and its people.

McCurry has become the master of capturing raw, unguarded, and beautiful moments, as shown in his 2015–2016 exhibition at the Rubin Museum,Steve McCurry: India. Here are six quotes from the famed photographer on life behind the lens and the backstories of some of his most remarkable shots.

1) On capturing the perfect moment

“That’s really the big challenge—finding the right picture and trying to craft the picture out of a situation which is fluid and in motion, and grab that moment. All these elements swirl around in your brain. It’s an instinct. You’re not really thinking. It’s more from your heart.”

2) On shooting Dust Storm

“It was in June and as hot as the planet ever gets. The rains had failed in this part of Rajasthan for the past thirteen years. I wanted to capture something of the mood of anticipation before the monsoon. As we drove down the road, we saw a dust storm grow, a typical event before the monsoon breaks. For miles it built into a huge frightening wall of dust, moving across the landscape like a tidal wave, eventually enveloping us like a thick fog. As it arrived the temperature dropped suddenly and the noise became deafening. Where we stopped, women and children worked on the road— something they are driven to do when the crops fail—now barely able to stand in the fierce wind, clustered together to shield themselves from the sand and dust. I tried to make pictures. The road workers didn’t even notice me. In the strange, dark-orange light and the howling wind, battered by sand and dust, they sang and prayed. Life and death seemed to hang in precarious balance.”

3) On Steam Engine Passes in Front of the Taj Mahal

“By chance I was walking down the track from Agra Station. I could see the Taj [Mahal] in the background of this enormous railyard, so I waited, and suddenly they started moving these steam locomotives in front of it. You can feel the continuity between past and present.”

4) On the backstreets of Jodhpur

“I’ve been in Jodhpur many times and I know the back streets well. There were always cows, people on bicycles, and workers in that narrow alley. I took a number of pictures, but I’m glad I waited for the moment the boy practically flew through the passageway.”

5) On his National Geographic cover photo

“One afternoon I spotted this man walking down the middle of the street with the sewing machine on his shoulder. He was a tailor and the sewing machine represented his livelihood. Unfortunately the machine was ruined, but when the picture appeared on the cover of National Geographic, the machine’s manufacturer sent him a new one.”

6) On what it’s like to shoot in the field

“It’s almost like a meditation. You’re out there. It’s a beautiful day. You’re discovering things, you’re seeing things. You’re experiencing your life at that moment in a much more complete and deep way than if you’re thinking about something other than what’s happening right now, at this very moment.”