Book Report
In the book “It’s What I Do” written by the inspirational photographer Linsey Addario. She takes readers along her unbelievable career as a female photojournalist working in all kinds of crazy environments. From covering the Taliban in Afghanistan; to pretending to be someone’s wife to sneak photos for the New York Times; constantly having to fly out of the country; and even being kidnapped twice. Lynsey’s career is anything but your normal 9-5.
A story that Lynsey tells in her book “It’s What I Do” that really stood out to me took place in chapter 9 “The Most Dangerous Place in the World”. “a monstrous tree had fallen among the sinewy pines, creating the perfect place to go to the bathroom. I jumped over the log, and before I'd even unbuttoned my pants I heard the familiar snap of AK-47 rounds—the gun of choice for the Taliban. I dropped to the ground and lay flat behind the cover of the log. I was straight up above the troops along the ridgeline, out of their sight and all alone. I tried to dig myself as deep as possible into the ground—to get as much cover from all sides. Bullets whooshed past, over the cover of the tree, from several different directions. In the midst of an ambush it was always nearly impossible for me to tell what direction the bullets were coming from, or which deductions I made stemmed from reason and which from fear. Bullets snapped all around my head, that miserable sound of them slicing through the air: Biioom, bifttfoooom, bi\oom ... I could tell that the Taliban was shooting from nearby.” pg.180. The first reason that this part of the book stood out to me is because at the time her partner Elizabeth was already a few months into her pregnancy. I don’t really know if it’s with all photojournalists but in the book it’s a constant theme that they do just about anything to do the work they love. I find that very inspiring and I hope to find a career that I’m that passionate about in my future. Another reason why it also stood out to me was because it puts it in perspective on how dangerous this line of work can get. You’re putting your life at a constant risk. Something else that was the reason why this part of the book stood out to me was because of the depth in detail. It paints a clear visual in my mind that puts me at the scene. It shows the sadness and loss in war. But it also shows the care and love that one has for another in the military during the passing of a soldier. The photos that Lynsey was able to capture during those moments of loss spoke 1000 words.
Some of the things that I believe make Lynsey different from other photojournalists is her ability to capture pain, beauty, love, and hardship all in the same setting. One thing that I would take away from her that might not necessarily be considered a technique, “listen to your gut”. Many times when she was in uncomfortable situations in the book. She referred to having to listen to her gut feeling and look out for her own safety.
Personally, I would never be able to pick up a career this dangerous. After reading the book and hearing the stories she had to go through. On top of having to decide between her family life or a successful career that constantly required her to be out of the house. I just don’t think I can relate to her sense of duty.
I have yet to use any of the lessons I’ve learned in her book, solely because I need to put myself out there more. A quote that really stood out to me that was said by Lynsey, “Photojournalism, journalism as a whole, is brutally competitive. I knew that at the end of the day it didn't matter that I had won a MacArthur fellowship or been part of the New York Times Pulitzer team or won numerous other accolades along the way.” pg 259. That being said, to be anything in photojournalism I’m going to have to start putting myself out there more. And it doesn’t matter if people have better accolades than me.
One of my favorite examples of her work comes from a photo from the Iraq War. As I said earlier, Lynsey had somewhat of a gift for capturing pain, care, and love all in a single photo. The photo of Sargent Stratton showing care for an injured soldier captures all of what Lynsey is great at doing. (Lindsey's Website)
I would 100 percent recommend this book to anyone showing interest in journalism or quite honestly anyone who likes to read. I believe that she does a great job of describing the sacrifices she had to make to get where she is today. She does a great job of carrying you along her journey. As well as she’s extremely detailed in her story telling.
Comments
Post a Comment