around India, one of many visits he had
made to the subcontinent. The images
resulting from these various trips were
curated for a 2015 book, India, which
has just been published in paperback.
India features 150 photographs
taken between 1978 and 2014, printed
in large format and accompanied
by an essay by William Dalrymple.
“These magnificent photographs,
some justly famous, many new and
revelatory,” he writes, “reveal the
beauty of the country and highlight
its extraordinary contradictions.”
‘Mahouts sleep with their elephant’
was taken in the northern state of
Rajasthan (India’s largest), in 2012.
A mahout is someone who cares for a
working elephant, establishing a bond
that lasts for a lifetime. The building’s
decrepitude is mirrored by the hide
of the animal, which despite its bright
decorations, looks forlorn – restrained
by chains in a stress position while the
two mahouts doze.agnum Photos contributor
Steve McCurry is a true
legend of contemporary
international photography.
During a career spanning
more than three decades,
McCurry has shot no end of iconic
images, but is perhaps best-known
for his Afghan Girl portrait. With its
subject’s piercing blue eyes, it has
graced the covers of magazines
and periodicals all over the world.
McCurry was smuggled into
Afghanistan by Afghan refugees, and
was able to document the early stages
of the Soviet invasion of 1979.
Prior to that, though, the American
photographer had been travellingSeminal collection now available in paperback
Shot of
the month
M
Shot of the month
Steve McCurry
Photographer
Title: Mahouts sleep with their elephant
Location: Rajasthan, northern India
Date: 2012
magnumphotos.com/photographer/
steve-mccurry
India by Steve
McCurry is published
in paperback by
Phaidon, £29.95
phaidon.comSteve^ McCurry