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This photo of fishermen in Weligama, Sri Lanka, was taken by Steve McCurry in 1995 for National Geographic Magazine. It is one of many on display at Art Center Waco. IF YOU GO What: Exhibit of Steve McCurry’s photographs When: Through March 30 Where: Art Center Waco, 1300 College Drive Note: Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

When National Geographic Magazine put the face of a young, emerald-eyed Afghan girl on a 1985 cover, it became one of the most famous images in its history. The photograph, set within a refugee camp in Pakistan before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, came to symbolize the struggle of refugees around the world.

For photographer Steve McCurry, the image brought him worldwide acclaim and became the hallmark of his career.

McCurry spent the vast majority of his career visually documenting the people and places in countries like the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tibet in the breathtaking colors that are his trademark.

In the 1970s, he left his job as a photographer for a Pennsylvania newspaper to freelance in India. It was a decision he said he never seemed to regret.

Since then McCurry has won numerous awards including the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, the National Press Photographers’ Association’s Magazine Photographer of the Year, four prizes in the World Press Photo Contest and two Olivier Rebbot Memorial Awards. He has been a member of the distinguished Magnum Photos since 1986.

A collection of his work is on display at Art Center Waco until the end of March.

The exhibit is a special treat for the Central Texas area, said Mark Arnold, the center’s executive director.

McCurry took a few minutes this week for a telephone interview to talk to the Temple Daily Telegram about his career and the future of photojournalism.

Telegram: What is a favorite photograph you took that perhaps didn’t get much recognition? And what is the story behind it?

McCurry: There’s a picture of a dust storm, which I always felt was one of my favorites. And I guess I like it because of the circumstances. I was just in a taxi [in India] riding down the road, and, you know, this dust storm just kind of came out of nowhere. My first reaction was to stay in the car because you’re protected from the dust and everything. So I looked around, and I saw these women off in a field, kind of huddled together, protecting themselves from the wind and the sand - and I kind of ran over and photographed them. And they were fairly oblivious to me.

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