What is her Story? This is a 1984 photo by Steve McCurry of a girl in Afghanistan. She was unknown. Her name. Irrelevant. But this picture radiates one thing: fear and desperation.
The colours are muted, but complementary, typical of McCurry's work as a whole. This creates powerful directness to the colours. The way the eyes meet the camera and seem to stare into the viewers soul reflect the fear and hatred so typical of refugees. The eyes are a striking green, matching the background perfectly and act as a window into her mind. This picture is a microcosm of Afghanistan to many westerners: Fearful, desperate and war-torn. The subject is a young woman, fleeing from the bombing of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, alone and scared.
If we judge photos by how they tell a story, this is truly one of the finest examples of the art.