Evening with Steve McCurry in Ottawa

Presented by Algonquin College Monday, April 18 at 7 p.m.

Recognised universally as one of today's finest image-makers, Steve McCurry has won many photography's top awards. Best known for his pieces on "Afghan Girl" with his evocative color photography and his work for National Geographic, McCurry captures the essence of human struggle and joy. The two-hour presentation will discuss “Taking Portraits to the Next Level” and “An Overview of 25 Years in the Field.”

This is a fundraising event for the Algonquin College Photography Department to raise funds for the annual student photography exhibition. www.stevemccurry.com

-Update: 11:23pm 18 April
Steve McCurry's presentation was very informal in style as he presented two hours worth of slides of his 25 plus years as a documentary photographer. After, he signed books for his fans and I was lucky enough to bring my copies of National Geographic mags for signing which feature his most famous portraits (Sharbat Gula).
My feeling is that Steve McCurry's forte is not in public speaking despite his many speaking engagements. It must be difficult to cull from thousands of photos and then plow through them in under two hours conveying the context of said photos. It's cliche to say, but the photos speak for themselves and he gives sparse colour commentary. He also took impromptu questions from the audience throughout the showing. If you did not know already, McCurry's skill is primarily in the use of available light photography in exotic and often times besieged locations such as Beirut, Afghanistan, Lebanon and most recently in New York City for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. He continues to shoot corporate gigs to pay for other personal interests in photographing the more peaceful Buddhist realm. He was last in San Francisco and is off to another location tomorrow. He continues to work on assignment for National Geographic magazine.