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He’s covered major wars and historical events and shot portraits of some of the world’s most fascinating people. Melissa Sleiman talks to Steve McCurry, whose work includes the photograph of the ‘Afghan Girl’, National Geographic’s most recognised cover.

Who hasn't seen her? A scar on the nose, chestnut brown hair peeking out from under a red scarf full of holes and penetrating yet frightened green eyes.

The face of the ‘Afghan girl', printed on a cover of National Geographic in 1985, was such a powerful depiction of the effects of war that it is still one of world's most recognised and used images.

She became perhaps even more famous than the American photojournalist who shot the picture. Nevertheless, Steve McCurry has since has made a name for himself as one of the best documentary photographers for international magazines.

His images of human struggle and joy across the globe have moved people everywhere.

McCurry's coverage includes the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Gulf War, the 9/11 attacks and he's visited war-torn Afghanistan on several occasions.

He had left his job as a photographer for a newspaper in the United States to become a freelancer in 1978, when he'd moved to India.

Thirty years later, he's in Abu Dhabi for a week to head the jury of the Emirates Photography Competition. Simultaneously, he's giving workshops by taking students out for field trips and critiquing their work. We meet at the end of a workshop day at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.

"There are a few things beginner photographers can generally improve upon," McCurry tells me as we sit down for a coffee in the cafeteria. The short, 58-year-old is bald, apart from a moustache and white grey hair on the sides and back of his head.

"Usually I comment on the composition, exposure, getting an interesting moment. Some people need to get closer to their subjects. They are often shy about photographing others and need to overcome that. When it comes to portraiture, you need to make a photograph that is revealing about someone's personality."

He shows me some of the pictures he shot. A red-veined Indian with a big moustache and wearing a red turban. An Italian schoolgirl giggling to herself while she sits on a bench.

A Tibetan old lady covered in wrinkles, her unhappy expression brightened up by a pink scarf wrapped around her face. Much of his collection consists of colourful portraits depicting a person's face during an unguarded moment.

They are what McCurry describes as "the soul peeking out". Etched on their faces are their experiences, often brought about by living in deeply cultural or conflict zones.

McCurry tells me it proved to be tricky in certain circumstances to make people feel at ease. He's felt shy many times as it's "very difficult" to photograph people when they're in anguish.

It wasn't the easiest job. In addition, McCurry often found himself in places that were getting shelled and bombed. So what was so appealing about working in war-torn areas?

"I show how people are surviving," McCurry explains, referring to the refugees caught in the middle of the conflicts. All these atrocities taking place were stories that needed to be told. Hopefully others will act on that information."

Afghanistan became one of McCurry's favourite places to work in. When I ask what exactly made an impression on him, he is silent for a moment.

I notice he is not a man of many words - he rather tells his stories through his captured moments in photographs. Often pausing to ponder what to describe next, he explains what drew him to Afghanistan.

"The people are extremely hospitable, interesting and have a good sense of humour," he begins.

"They live in this ancient way. They have no electricity or plumbing. There's no post office, phones or e-mails. There's maybe - not really - a road. They live with animals in a beautiful landscape, which was probably the way people lived in Europe or the States 200 years ago."

It was also the place where McCurry really gained a kick start in his career. He was one of the first to capture the situation in Afghanistan right before the Soviets' invasion of the country in the eighties.

He carried his films sewn into his local costume and turban to Pakistan, where he was based, to avoid getting arrested. The war escalated months later and major international magazines wanted his photos.

Each time, he snuck into Afghanistan without a passport and had to smuggle himself out of the country. His feet were covered in blisters as he walked through the mountains of Northern Pakistan to Afghanistan and back.

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