Marlene Herrera
Steve McCurry, "Dust Storm, Rajasthan, India"
1983, Cibachrome print
Steve McCurry is an American photographer whose career with National Geographic has produce very well known photographs.
Out of so many of his photographs, I selected "Dust Storm, Rajasthan, India," because I was intrigued with the story the shot
was telling. I wanted to know what lead up to that precise moment and also what happened after the photograph was made.
The shot was taken in 1983, when McCurry was passing through the dessert to a town called Jaisalmer and a dust storm was
heading down their way. He wanted to make a photograph anticipating the monsoon. For me, it communicates a moment of
high stakes with orange and red hues and the natural light illuminating the human need for companionship in such moments.
Even the lady, who seems to be alone looks out to a man who also looks towards her direction. Nature is illustrated in two
characters within this image, the tree, as seen centered in the photograph, protects the ladies in red and the dust, lite by the
sun, threatens them. It's like McCurry describes it, " life and death seemed to hang in precarious balance."
