Captivating photos in a new book by legendary photographer Steve McCurry capture powerful moments of devotion around the world
One of the world’s most famous photographers shares an astonishing series of photos from his 40-year career in a new book, and they all share one common theme: spirituality.
Steve McCurry ‘explores human spirituality in all its remarkable diversity and beauty’ in his new book Dedicationpublisher Prestel explains.
The photographer, whose work is regularly published in National Geographic and is part of the esteemed Magnum Photos collective, rose to fame with his 1984 “Afghan Girl” portrait of Sharbat Gula, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan during the Soviet-Afghanistan war.
In the years that followed, he traveled the world with his camera, capturing evocative scenes everywhere from New York and India to Afghanistan. Some of the photos included in Devotion include a poignant photo of a woman caring for her sick cousin, a moving image of a woman polishing her late husband’s gravestone, and a serene shot of a woman meditating at the Ganges River.
“McCurry captures poignant moments of devotion, loyalty, faithfulness and dedication,” the publisher says of his book. “Reproduced in stunning color, these photographs honor the universal desire to create meaning in the midst of everyday life and offer viewers the opportunity to connect with their own spirituality – whatever form it takes.”
Scroll down to peer into this ‘powerful collection of spiritually inflected images’…
This photo, taken in 2010, shows elephants and mahouts (people who care for elephants) at a sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand
In Kabul, Afghanistan, a man is seen hugging his dog next to his taxi, which was destroyed when the nearby building collapsed during shelling. The emotional photo was taken by McCurry in 1992
Here, Steve McCurry captures the tender moment of a nurse checking the vital signs of a homeless man in Los Angeles, California
This poignant photo, taken in Vietnam in 2007, shows a sick man’s aunt helping to care for
The tender moment as a woman cleans the headstone from her late husband’s grave in East Germany in 1989 – the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall
An elderly couple walks toward the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, a church in Lourdes, France, in this beautifully composed shot taken in 1988. McCurry notes that “they walked in front of a sign that was a metaphor for their loving relation’
This colorful photo from 2004 shows monks hanging from a metal beam at the Shaolin Martial Arts School in Zhengzhou, China
A woman carrying metal boxes walks past hundreds of men in prayer at the Bandra train station in Mumbai, India, in this 1996 photo
This devastating photo shows a brave firefighter climbing a ladder at Ground Zero, New York, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. McCurry lived nearby and when he heard what had happened, he headed straight to the location with his camera to document the tragedy
This moving shot shows a man praying at the site of a temple that was washed away during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Kathaluwa, Sri Lanka
This powerful photo by McCurry shows a premature baby being treated at a hospital in Jaipur, India, in 2008
LEFT: This heartwarming photo from 1985 shows a grandfather carrying his grandson on his back. It was captured by McCurry in Tokyo, Japan. RIGHT: This peaceful image – taken by McCurry in 1994 – shows a man meditating as he stands in front of Sule Pagoda, a Buddhist stupa in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city
This beautiful photo shows a woman along with resting stray dogs during her early morning meditation on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. It dates from 2010
In this intimate photo from 1989, an elderly couple returns home after working in their corn fields in Gostivar, Macedonia
Devotion, by Magnum Photos and National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, is published by Prestel and will be available when published on November 1 for £50, €65.51 or $65. The breathtaking 1994 photo on the cover shows monks making a pilgrimage to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, a gold-leaf-covered rock topped by a pagoda. McCurry spent days at the location determining the best vantage point and time for the photo, finally taking this photo shortly after sunset