At the main exhibition hall at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia where ‘A Common Faith' photo exhibition was being held, there was a sense of charged electricity beneath the folds of silence. Visitors to this museum studied the photographs displayed on the wall with the same intensity they reserve for an abstract painting. It was hard to pick a favourite among the masterpieces displayed, from the moving landscape photograph of the bombed city of Herat, Afghanistan at twilight to the snapshot image of a Muslim brick-maker in midst of prayer with rows of bricks surrounding him.

At the centre of this room was the memorable image of a girl with haunting green eyes and a torn shawl wrapped around her. Simply named ‘Afghan Girl', this powerful image was once the cover of National Geographic magazine and became "the most recognisable photograph" in the history of the magazine. At that point, the man behind this image arrives. Photography enthusiasts and tourists alike rushed forward to have a private moment with Steve McCurry. After all, when you are a photographer of a certain calibre, you are bound to draw attention.

Interestingly enough, McCurry was studying film history, cinematography and filmmaking at Pennsylvania State University, before graduating cum laude from the College of Arts and Architecture. However, he especially enjoyed his photography class and the rest is history.

McCurry started his photography career by working for a newspaper for two years before taking off to India to freelance. He gained recognition when he emerged from rebel-controlled Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion with pictures that shed light on the lives of the nation. To date, he has captured pictures of everyday people in Iraq, Yemen, Africa, Cambodia, Tibet, Indonesia, Philippines and more. He gained many awards for his work and later had his work published in many other notable publications. He also published over thirty books. He currently keeps busy by organising exhibitions and holding workshops worldwide.

McCurry had his fair share of traumatic experiences. "The worst time for me was when the airplane I was in crashed into a lake in Yugoslavia, formerly Slovenia. I was upside down in an airplane underwater, drowning. Miraculously, I survived. It taught me that dangerous times are always unexpected," he says grimly.

When asked if he is more prepared since the incident, he flashed a smile that reflects the adventurous spirit within those eyes. "I live in the moment so I take every situation as it is," he says brazenly, understating his courage in overcoming the adversities that come from working as a photojournalist in oppressed, war-torn countries.

Although this humble man is reluctant to boast too much about his skills, McCurry shares that his years photographing people have taught him the value of patience. "I find myself becoming more tolerant throughout the years. There are times when you have to reconcile with the fact that some people will not want to be photographed for a myriad reasons, either a death in their family or because of their culture. When that happens, you just have to accept that and walk away to find your next story, no matter how interesting you think the person you wish to photograph is," he muses.

He adds that patience also helped him capture some of his most beautiful shots, like the ‘Afghan Girl', shot in 1985. He shares that the girl, Sharbat Gula was initially shy before she finally consented after much persuasion. And yet McCurry continued to wait for the exact moment when the light added that final touch to the portrait. "Photography is somewhat like hunting. You have to wait and move quietly, skilfully. It's always a mistake to rush in."

McCurry is currently embarking on a stint he calls the ‘Kodachrome project'. "When Kodachrome stopped manufacturing their films, they gave me the last roll. I am interested in shooting stories with this film," says this man with passionate intensity that seems to radiate from his inner well of strength.