Sora Ikeda, Art240

     Steve McCurry, born on April 23, 1950, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a celebrated American photographer recognized for his powerful and emotive color images that reflect the essence of human life. He originally studied cinematography at Pennsylvania State University but eventually found his passion in photography, beginning his journey at a local newspaper.     His iconic photo, Afghan Girl, tells the characteristics of his work. When he took a trip to India, he crossed the border into Pakistan. There, he met a group of refugees from Afghanistan, which was the beginning of his photography journey. This is a photo of a 12-year-old Afghan refugee taken in Pakistan during the Soviet and Afghan war.  This photo became the representative photo of Afghanistan due to the beautiful green eyes that almost suck you in. These eyes seem to tell all of the refugee's raw emotions, such as awareness, grief, and anger that stem from displacement by the war.  ...

     For me, photography is a way to preserve visuals that I want to revisit in the future, broadly speaking. These could include memories from a trip, inspiration from a museum, or anything else that resonates with me. In the essay, the author outlines six categories of photography, and one of them, “Photography Changes What We Want,” aligns most closely with my own perspective.      I particularly enjoy using Pinterest because it allows me to curate and save my favorite images in one place, serving as a visual board. There was a time when I struggled to understand what kept me artistically motivated. To explore this, I began saving any photos on Pinterest that inspired me. This practice helped me identify my artistic style by highlighting recurring patterns, such as my preferred color tones, graphic styles, and mediums. It also allowed me to verbalize my interests more clearly. Right now, I find myself drawn to acid styles, sci-fi concepts, and 3D graphi...