Photographic style (U8: P1, M1)
Steve McCurry
Visual Style
Uses and Purposes of Work
https://crystalbridges.org/calendar/distinguished-speaker-steve-mccurry/ accessed 2026
https://rubinmuseum.org/exhibitions/steve-mccurry/ accessed 2026
McCurry's work is is a mix of several genres, but the most common genres he uses is photojournalism, street photography and portrait photos. His early photography career he mainly focused on hard hitting conflict photography and then later in his career he moved onto becoming a leading in photographer win in the travel photography area. His work is unique because it often goes beyond the norms and typical aesthetics he tries to go beyond the typical genre by mixing more than one to capture amazing images of the world we live in.
Time Period and Location of Success
Steve McCurry’s peak success began in the late 1970’s and 1980’s this was when he began to take pictures and making coverage of the Soviet-Afghan war. He then became recognisable world wide and internationally in 1984/85 with the image of the “Afghan Girl” on the cover of the national geographical magazine. Geographically he is most associated with South and Southeast Asia, specifically Afghanistan, India, Pakistani and Tibet. Even though this was the peak of his career, his career spanned over five decades and was recognised for significant work produced in the Middle Eats such as the gulf war, Africa and Europe.
Equipment Used
For the majority of his career Steve McCurry was a dedicated user of a Nikon 35mm film camera for example Nikon F3 and it was also paired with a Kodachrome 64 slide film. He very famously shot the very last roll of Kodachrome which was ever produced. Then in the digital era, he transitioned to high-resolution cameras such as the Nikon D700 and D810, he used a 24-70 mm lens for his street work in different countries to make sure he didn’t stand out to much or attract attention as he wanted to be sensitive to the people who lived there. In recent years he has used Leica as this helped him to keep his signature colour focused modern style.
Lui Bolin
Visual Style:
Type of Photography:
Bolin’s work is mainly a performances based photography mixed with landscape photography, unlike traditional photographers who capture a “found” moment, Bolin constructs the reality he photographs he creates and manipulates the moment. His images are large format and very high detail, he ensures that the viewer can zoom into the texture of the clothes and the paint on the person versus the background, so that it plays with peoples mind in the art of illusions depending if the viewer zooms in or out of the image.
Uses and Purposes: Social Commentary and Advertising
One of the main purposes of Bolin’s work has been evolved significantly over his career. Originally his work was a form of a silent protest and away from social norms. His first photos “hiding in the city’ was a response to the Chinese government’s demolition of a village’s international art camp in 2005. By calling his photos “disappearing” he illustrated the feeling of being an outsider and he made viewers feel okay to not be normal or fit in and being an outsider. However, his unique aesthetic has also been utilised to advertise and entertain he has collaborated with luxury brands such as Moncler and Valentino, using his camouflage techniques to blend models and products into high fashion settings, which proved that he could use his photography for not just images but also advertising as well while staying true to his visual style.
Genres: Contemporary Art and Activism
Bolin’s work is a mix of multiple genres for example fine art, performance art and political activism. His photography can be considered art due to the fact he uses his own body as a canvas and paints his body therefore his work is often categorised as body art. Furthermore, as his backgrounds often feature a very busy and or eye catching site such as aftermaths of explosions, supermarket shelves or famous statues his work can fall under the category of social realism. He uses the lens of art to critique consumerism and the loss of cultural identity in a modern globalised world.
Time Period and Location:
Bolin’s success began in the mid 2000’s specifically 2005 in China in Beijing this was a period of fast urban development and political tension in the Chinese art scene, this is where he began to become well known. He then wasn’t recognised internationally until the early 2010’s which led to him to expand to take photos in global locations across the world. He has created photographs and hidden himself in iconic locations all across the world such as Venice/Italy, Paris/France and New York/USA, this reflects his statutes as a global famous photographer whose themes of identity resonate with viewers all across the world with different political stance and cultures.
Equipment:
The equipment Bolin used helped him to achieve a high level of detail required from his large scale prints of photos typically he would use professional large format cameras often ones that were digital or film back systems. This equipment is necessary to capture the very detailed brushwork on his clothing and his face as well as the textures of the background without doing too much so there isn’t a focus on the piece as a whole. The success of his work relies on the precision of the lens of the camera as well as a steady posture of the artists himself to ensure that the photos are high quality to capture the true meaning behind the picture. He typically uses prime lenses to avoid the photos looking distortion found in zoom lenses. This is crucial because the painting on his body is designed to align perfectly with the background from one specific, fixed optical point. He also uses heavy duty tripods as his photoshoots often take long hours between the painted person and the background so the photos must be perfect.
M1:
This first picture is taken of a very famous and atheistic building called Prada cafe in London. The photo is very aesthetic due to its colour scheme of mint green and the bright lights which are minimal yet effective. This photo was in inspiration of Helene Binet, who famously took photos of architectural building which looked aesthetic. The focal point of the image is the words saying PRADA cafe is where were encouraged to look at.
This photo is a picture of a person sitting on an upside-down train station platform with an upside down train approaching the station. This picture is inspired by Abelardo Morell who was known for taken photos of places upside down to give an optical illusion effect. The focal point of this is the train and the person this is where our eyes are drawn to and the composition is placed to make it look like a real tube underground
This photo is off light up boxes and mirrors this has an optical illusion effect as the box look like they are never ending and the bright colours are very eye catching. This photo is inspired by George Rousse as the photos express the use of shapes and bright colours in dark spaces to give an optical illusion. The focal point isn't just one box it's the picture as a whole and the bright colours and the composition is how each box has been placed in order to create a visual illusion. This is also leading lines and symmetry don't know where it finishes.
In the photo there is a girl and it looks as though she is jumping through a portal due to the illusion it creates. This is inspired by Erik Johansson who's photography focused around illusions and portals which perfectly matches the photo. The focal point of this image is the person jumping in the image this is where our eyes are drawn to and the composition is the underground in the back and the two portals. This photo looks surreal as it looks otherworldly due to the portals making it look magical.
In this photo the picture focuses on using mirrors and colours to create a Kaleidoscope effect, the effect creates the elusion that the colours and shapes are never-ending. This photo is inspired by Gina Soden who made a portfolio on the use of kaleidoscopes in photography. The focal point of this is the picture as a whole and how the different colours and shapes react to each other as well as the composition.
This is a photo of butterflies, the butterflies are actually half and are made from mirrors so when light is shown on them it creates the other half of the butterfly. This use of light and dark shadows can be inspired by Ray K. Metzker who cleverly used the use of light and dark shadows within his photos. The focal point of the image is the butterflies shadow this is where our eyes are drawn to and the composition is how the butterflies have been placed for the shadow to show.
This photo is created by the use of mirrors and led lights the picture looks as if the shapes within the lights is never ending and creates an intense optical illusion. This photo is inspired by Guillaume Amat who was famous for his use of mirrors within his photos. There is no particular focal point of this images as the image as a whole is the focal point however the composition is how the lights and shapes react with the mirrors and where they have been placed to create the illusion.
This photo shows the moving frames of a light images which creates the optical illusion of a person dancing, this photo is inspired by the photographer Patrick Rochon as he used light in his photos to create optical illusions. The focal point of the image is the man and shows lines of symmetry and the composition is where the different frames have been placed in order to create a moving illusion.
This photo is a bright background with two people camouflaged within the picture, this is inspired by Lui Bolin who is famous for disguising people within backgrounds of his Photos. The focal point of this image is the two people disguised within the background and the composition of the image is trying to see the people within the photo.
This photo uses bright fun colours to make the picture eye catching as well as the appealing classic graffiti font on the walls as well as the smiley face. This photo is inspired by Martha Cooper who is very well known for photography that captures and celebrates graffiti art. There is no focal pint to the image as your eyes take you to all the bright colours and fonts. the composition is how the colours and fonts have been overlayed.
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