Book Report

While reading “It’s What I Do,” by Lysney Addario, I learned to take risks within my photography. To not be afraid to share the truth with the public and make sure to get every last detail you can, to give a clear story and explanation as to what’s going on. At the beginning of the book, she talks about going to Afganistan and preparing to take photos of the war. She and a few of her colleagues were in a car watching as rocket-propelled grenades went off. Debating if they should get out of the car or not, they did. Their next dilemma was how to approach people. Do they explain they’re photojournalists? This is something that I can connect the dots with what’s going on today. These protests are going on worldwide, and if a photojournalist goes to one, do they approach it as a job? Or do they join in the protest if they support the matter as well?

It comes down to safety. Whatever you think is going to be best for the circumstances at hand. Don’t confuse people. When reading this book, I took her bravery to heart. Being safe about photojournalism and how she carried herself through tough, memorable events. Getting up close to capture everything and not leave out any details. Nowadays, lines to stories can be left untold. As a photojournalist, it is your job to tell and share with the public, things that are going on in real life and real-time. On page 12, it reads, “ I found that the camera was a comforting companion. I discovered the privilege of seeing life in all its complexity, the thrill of learning something new every day.” That quote to me means, I’m learning something new every day and capturing something never before seen, so I can release it to the world and hopefully educate others on the matters at hand. She in a way use her photojournalism as a platform to bring awareness to things around the world.

Addario’s photojournalism style was up close and personal. She wanted to make sure she included every last detail she could. Like I said before, not leaving out anything or leaving any story “untold.” Her photographs are very clean and you can immediately see the emotions on people’s faces. Some people with pain and suffering, some with fear. There isn’t a photo from Addario that I’ve seen, where I have felt as if I was left confused or unaware of the feelings or actions taking place in the photograph

My favorite photo from the book is on page 83, it is the bottom photo. The description reads, “A rebel fighter consoles his wounded comrade outside the hospital in Ras Lanuf, March 9, 2011.” This is my favorite photo from the book because of the emotion alone. You can see the pain in that man’s eyes. You can clearly see that he’s not the only one at that hospital, indicating that there are others how are injured from the war. My favorite photo off of Lynsey’s website is as stated below:

 

This is my favorite photo because it is showing that women can do anything a man can do. She is showing equality. I feel like being in the military was known as a “man’s job,” for a long time. Clearly, nowadays it’s not RARE to see a woman in the military. But capturing this photo, showing a woman doing the same skill training a man is required to do while enlisted, and not only is she doing it, but she has support from her fellow soldiers so very compelling to me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in photojournalism. Reading about her stories and adventures, struggles as well, was very helpful and raw. I knew photojournalism was a JOB and people captured things going on in the world, but I never knew how dangerous the job could get. I didn’t know people took photos during wars or dangerous times. I learned different styles of photography while reading this book and different ways to approach situations.