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Scott: When I started my blog,
it was with a simple idea:
travel the world searching the people
whose style defined who we are today.
My name is Scott Schuman,
and I am the Sartorialist.
I'm a self-taught photographer.
I learned through a combination
of just going out there and doing it
and studying great photographers of the past and present.
Perhaps my biggest influence is Steve McCurry,
one of the all-time greats of photo journalism,
and undoubtedly, a living legend.
He's been an iconic figure in contemporary photography for over 30 years,
with scores of magazine covers, over a dozen books,
and countless exhibitions around the world.
His work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures,
ancient traditions, and contemporary cultures alike.
Steve: The story for me is the paramount thing.
I want my pictures to say something
about life and the human condition,
but I also want them to be visually pleasing.
I want a certain design in my picture,
and I'm going to wait until I can find that.
Scott: How much does emotion, though,
play when you're shooting?
Steve: I go out and work whether I'm in a shooting mood or not.
Scott: You have to put yourself in the position to get the shot.
Steve: Yeah, and you can't say,
"Oh, I don't feel like it today."
Scott: You're shooting digital now?
Steve: Yeah, I love it.
I think it's far superior to film.
Scott: Has it changed how you interact with the subject?
Do you ever show them the image?
Steve: I try to avoid that,
because it slows everything down.
If you can connect with these people one-on-one,
equals I'm not a tourist, you're not a quaint villager,
and people respond to that and let me
into their lives and in to make pictures.
Scott: It seems odd, but you an I are similar in size.
Do you think size helps?
Steve: Big benefit.
Steve: Big benefit.
Scott: You learn so much, but it's also incredibly humbling.
I've studied Steve's photography for years and years,
and I've often wondered how does he get those photographs?
It's his quiet, unassuming manner
that allows people to open up to him.
Steve: Honestly, I think 9 times out of 10,
if you stop somebody on the street,
literally anybody here, and if you can gain their trust-
Scott: They can tell in a sincerity on your face.
Steve: Yeah, exactly.
We have a couple minutes here,
where they're going to let me ...
We're going to make this picture together.
Scott: Yeah, give me a chance.
You know what I found?
If I don't have my camera in my hand,
they almost always say, "No."
If I have my camera in my hand,
and it looks like I can move quickly, they say, "Yes."
So, what's your advice to a young photographer?
Steve: Well, you have to photograph.
Photography seems so deceptively simple,
but in fact, done in a really wonderful way, it's difficult.
Scott: It's good for people to know the history,
but I also think it's good for people to not know too much.
Steve: In time, a lot of the composition,
and the shape, and the light, it's all from your gut.
You see things, and your brain
is processing everything simultaneously.
Scott: So much of it is just reacting to the situation, right?
If you try to rationalize it, you miss it almost.
Steve: And sometimes those 2 second shots
end up being some of your most important work,
and the picture's situations that you think,
"Oh, this is amazing,"
they get back, and you look and think,
"Well, God, what the hell was I thinking?
"There's nothing there."
If I'd had the visual camera 20 years ago,
I could have been a really good photographer.
(both men laughing)
Scott: When we first talked to Steve,
it was fascinating to find out so much
about the way that he worked, and so much about his life.
When we had a chance to see him again,
it happened to be during New York Fashion Week.
What I really wanted to do was bring him into this scenario,
and just see how he saw this world,
and what he saw that I didn't.
People coming to the show are used to having their picture taken;
you can walk up to anyone, they're usually very happy
to have their picture taken.
But, that's really what makes the challenge.
When you have this many people,
how do you come up with a photograph that's different?
How do you capture someone in a different way?
So, it's really become an incredible challenge
just to shoot in this environment,
and still come up with something special.
I try not to learn too much about them,
because I want to shoot them the way I imagine them to be.
Steve: Oh, well, that's a good point.
(contemporary music)
Scott: I'm just going to go over here,
and maybe with that air duct,
somewhere between the air duct
and the woman sitting there might be the best.
Woman: Okay.
Scott: Watching Steve reminded me
it's the simple equation of the human connection
that makes photography so strong.
It's often considered dangerous to meet your heroes,
as they may not live up to your expectations.
But on this occasion, he exceeded them.
He's a true master of photography,
and I was honored to spend time with him.
(contemporary music)