It's What I Do: Book Report
There was a significant impact that Lynsey Addario’s story of her time photographing the Darfur war in Africa had on me. In chapter 7, Women Are Casualties of Their Birthplace, she explains how the rebel militias started attacking the Sudanese government for the cruelty their tribes have faced. The Sudanese government retaliated harshly. This war isn’t what caught my attention, but her focus on women who were brutally abused and raped by the rebel soldiers, often forcing family members to watch, did. It stood out since most people are not as open when talking about rape and the traumatic events that stay long after. She mentioned three women, Bibiane, Vumila, and Mapenedo, who were all raped, and two were impregnated. Their gruesome stories still sit with me after reading this book.
Addario has a style that seemingly puts her aside from other photographers. She works with a lot of closeups, and I instantly notice cropping and depth of field. She shows many faces in her photos, whereas other conflict photographers offer a lot more action. I did take notice that she doesn't use many different angles. I admire her respect for her subjects, as well. Most photographers would just shoot while Addario introduces herself and asks for permission, even in battle. For example, in Korengal Valley, Addario states, “I raised my camera in a gesture to ask permission to photograph. I felt horrible asking, but we had been with them for two months, and I knew it was important to document Rougle’s death” (Addario, pg.184). She notes how often she asks permission and how it makes her feel to ask.
I can relate to her sense of duty for photojournalism in war zones, but I couldn’t endure as much as she did. I see her longing and need to cover stories throughout the world because I often feel that way too, but I could not go back repeatedly after the things she witnessed. For example, when the Libyan government kidnapped her, Tyler, Steve, and Anthony, she told her loved ones that she would go back to conflict photography. After being sexually assaulted, beaten, stripped of her belongings, threatened to be killed, and other horrific events, she still wanted to do her job. I have a family, and I couldn’t live with the pain that would cause them, especially my one-year-old daughter.
Addario taught many lessons in her book. Her respect for subjects is one that I use. I will not start shooting until I had permission to take pictures of the people I was covering. I also noted that she doesn’t use many different angles, which I struggle with, but her photos still have an impact. For example, in the chapter Driver Expire, most images are taken from right in front of her subjects (Addario, pg.210). Yet, I still enjoy each one, and they still have great stories. This realization made me notice that the photo’s content is much more inspiring than the angle; the angle just enhances the meaning.
She has many epic examples of her work. Still, some of my favorites include the young boy wounded by shrapnel (Addario, pg.210), Kurdish soldiers carrying injured after a car bomb, the U.S Marines shaving (Addario, pg.146), and the rebel fighter photos when pushing the front line (Addario, pg.82). These photos stood out to me because the entire story is in each image along with their captions. Before these sets of photos, the chapters explained what happened before and after, but the moment didn’t need explanation. Her pictures were easy to read, something I long to accomplish in photography.
There were quite a few quotes throughout this book that resonated with me, so here are a few:
“The difference between a studio photographer and a photojournalist was the same as the difference between a political cartoonist and an abstract painter; the only thing the two has in common was the blank page” (Addario, pg.84).
“So I signed my first will in a flak jacket, holding my helmet in my left hand” (Addario, pg.131), and “As I hugged Paul, I heard in my mind Steve’s voice, Everybody here? Yes. Yes. Yes” (Addario, pg. 241). These three resonated with me because I believe it captures Addario’s hardship of being a conflict photographer.
I highly recommend others to read this novel, even if they are not interested in photojournalism. This book still has an impact on people who admire the work of photojournalists. I would recommend it because I loved conflict photography, but this memoir made me fall in love with it even more.
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