When I saw Devotion by Steve McCurry on a list of most anticipated travel books of 2024, I reached out to the world-renowned photojournalist for an interview. Hours before leaving for Burma, McCurry gave me his time for the latest Talking Travel interview.

To be released in February, Devotion features 208 pages of photos from the 40-year career of the legendary photojournalist. Known for capturing the essence of people and places, McCurry focuses on people first, places second, but in doing so, the viewer learns much more about places than any landmark would reveal.

With thousands of photographs on his resume, McCurry is best known for “Afghan Girl,” a young Pashtun orphan near Peshawar, Pakistan. That photograph was named “the most recognized photograph” in the history of National Geographic magazine.

McCurry’s photography career started while taking pictures for the school newspaper at Penn State. His earliest stays abroad included Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Not one to merely take touristy pictures, McCurry even risked his life several times for his work. McCurry was one of the first photographers to reveal the horrors of the Russian invasion. He also covered other armed conflicts including the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War.

In our interview, McCurry discussed his lengthy career, separating his work from his pleasure, traveling the world, seeing beauty and disasters, and more. Of course, I also asked for his photo tips for novices, which he gladly gave along with extra advice. He also talked about his favorite destinations and where he’d like to travel.

Prior to the interview I received an advance copy of Devotion. I planned on skimming the book, then diving into it the next day. Instead, I was so drawn into the pictures, I spent a couple hours happily captivated and immediately picked up where I left off the next day.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer