sideways.photographique

steve mccurry said he uses “program” mode almost all the time.
steve mccurry said he never use a filter for the last 20 years.
steve mccurry said he seldom uses a tripod or flash.
steve mccurry never edit his photos himself.
steve mccurry said do not be concerned with the catchlights in your subject’s eyes because that is not what makes a great portrait.
steve mccurry simply just click and shoot with the most basic gears.

these words which i have learnt during the talk by the master himself might sound ridiculous and i should feel like i’ve got my $200 cheated, or wasted 3 hours of my life in the auditorium. no secrets revealed, no techniques shared, no words of wisdom or advice. no?   no!

in fact, i’ve had the most inspiring talk in my life so far. not that i have attended a lot of talks, but this is the one which resolved all the mysteries about being a true photographer. you would expect him to give you some mind-blowing techniques or share with you what kind of kickass equipments that he has been using. no, all the answers from him were so disappointing and you would never expect it to be so “myth-busting”. but somehow it just untied the knots in our heart. things are actually within such simplicity and yet not easy to attain at all. all that i have thought would matter actually should be the least of all.

so what actually makes him one of the most inspiring and finest photographers of today?

my interpretation (i might be wrong):

you may possess the greatest technique and the best camera gears in this world, but if you are unable to capture the “decisive moment”, you are not a photographer.

an entry from his blog, titled “becoming a photographer”, dated May 20, 2009.
 (http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/):

“When people ask me how they can become a photographer, I almost never mention cameras, lenses, or technique.

I say, ‘If you want to be a photographer, first leave home.’ As Paul Theroux, a great writer and friend, further advises, “Go as far as you can. Become a stranger in a strange land. Acquire humility.

Leaving home really means that the photographer (or writer) has to wander, observe, and to paraphrase Theroux, concentrate on people in their landscape. That is what I try to achieve in my pictures.”

i am not a photographer (yet).