/ by An

Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist and Steve McCurry sat down together to film an interview. Both are masters at portraiture in their own right, and it's an understatement to say that I greatly admire their work. We have all seen McCurry's unforgettable "Afghan Girl" photo, which is just one out of the many powerful portraits he has taken. Maybe it's the vibrant colors, or maybe it's the raw human expression he captures in the portraits, but every time I see one of McCurry's portraits, I immediately know who was behind the camera. The Sartorialist has a way of drawing you in a photo with simple composition, flawless light, and complimentary backgrounds. He has a formula and it works. You would think fashion photography is more or less straightforward, but unlike other street fashion photographers, I think Schuman manages to bring out the essence of a person instead of just the clothes they wear.

The people Schuman and McCurry photograph are, in many ways, worlds apart. Still, their photographs both give us a glimpse into another human being's life. Just a glimpse is enough for the viewer to imagine the rest, and that's why I think their photos are powerful. One style is not necessarily "better" than the other, it is each person's perception of the world and I find myself drawn to both.

There are 5 parts to this interview, and all are on YouTube as of now. Here is Part 1. Each video is only 2-3 minutes long, so it won't take you long to go through all of them. Definitely worth the 10-15 minutes.