Lynsey Addario’s approach to photojournalism is pure magic. She has a way with people, especially women, helping them feel as comfortable as possible in front of her lens. She documents life as it is with little posing, letting the subjects lead the shoot; a personal touch that gives her an upper hand when photographing warzones and victims alike. She takes each of her subjects into account with the utmost respect and gratitude. Whether it’s covering up nd diverting her eyes for Iraqi men or documenting rape victims in Africa, Lynsey is able to take on different roles in order to capture the truth of events around her. I appreciated her entire book, from her upbringing to finding the balance of supporting her family and her dreams. She is an astounding person.
Women go by many titles their lifetime like daughter, mother, wife and business woman. When I got to chapter 7 “Women Are Casualties of Their Birthplace”, I was not only consumed in disbelief by the stories she was told, but her passion to keep going back to these destructive places to get the stories of women who wouldn’t be heard or seen otherwise. When she visits the Democratic Republic of the Congo it’s moments like this when I understand why she has this passion for her career as a war photographer and the untold stories of war such as this. When she’s able to tell a story through her lens it connects to these Congolese women's words of recollecting the most traumatic time of their lives, revealing the titles they now carry; rape survivors and warriors. “The stories were unbearable. As a photojournalist, I felt there was very little I could do for the women in the DRC but record their stories. I hoped awareness of their suffering might somehow save them”. Her job as a photojournalist is to bring awareness to things we wouldn’t normally see, nor want to see. And that is extremely important to interpreting our own lives and putting things into perspective, as well as propelling society forward and making sure their stories don't go unheard.
Lynsey received her first grant to document gender-based violence and rape as a weapon of war in DRC, and raised money to help these women get surgeries for their fistula repairs. She also knew when to stop and put her camera down to help a dying woman. She didn’t have to, but she felt compelled because of her relentless empathic spirit to personally drive a woman to the hospital in her vehicle. I believe that is what separates her from ordinary photojournalists and extraordinary ones. I never would have been exposed to this story and others if it wasn’t for Lynsey doing the work. Her dedication is humanitarian work through and through. She is setting the new standard for photojournalists and women alike, and that’s why I think more people need to read this book; not just photojournalists.
I believe everyone could learn from Lynsey's relentless efforts of truth seeking and storytelling. I can relate to her more times than not throughout the book, but I don’t think I would have half the courage she has to keep wanting to go back (especially after being kidnapped multiple times). During this term when I was photographing I was able to make those I was photographing feel comfortable like Lynsey does. Obviously I wasn’t in any immediate danger like she was or dealing with victims, but I still hung around uncomfortable situations longer than I ever have before reading this book. Trying to tell a story behind the images I gathered to accurately report what was happening around me.
Some of my favorite images include the series of transgender prostitutes in New York, 1999 between pages 82 and 83. She’s documenting history and giving the public a peak into their personal lives and it’s really about how she sees people we may never see otherwise. Another image that stands out is Bibiane crying solemnly, between 210 and 211. In the telling of her story on page 148, this raw emotion Lynsey captures in the portrait image lets the reader feel how Bibiane felt in the moment of her telling Lynsey about her life. Just losing a child, financial struggles, and being abandoned by her husband after he learned she had been captured and raped repeatedly by three men. Not only becoming pregnant by her rapists, but those horrible men then leaving her HIV positive. The unimaginable in one image.
“It’s What I Do” is knowledge I will carry with me into my professional life and beyond. Even though I am not pursuing a career in the journalism field, I am taking Lynsey’s written tools and strong storytelling images to better understand the difference between my limitations and what beliefs may be limiting me.
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