Lynsey Addario Book Report

It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario

    "I'm sure there are other versions of happiness, but this is mine." This quote from Lynsey Addario's book It's What I Do is the motto fro every journalist. The passion in spreading news and stories to others is what it is all about. There is no sense in doing something that doesn't bring you absolute joy and happiness, and journalism is something that many find that in. It's What I Do is an autobiography that gives the story of a journalist going through life threatening situations with the passion for photojournalism keeping her going. Addario is a very talented photographer is who very skilled in capturing the emotion and story in her pictures. She uses the techniques of making her subjects comfortable to get her photos just right, something that some photographers think is a waste of time. She knows that by making the subjects comfortable around the camera and around her makes the pictures come out more smoothly and gets a better expression, which is a technique that shows in her photos. When photographing pregnant African women, she asked them questions first, checking to see if they were absolutely sure with how the shoot would go. Something she found surprising was that when she became acquaintances with them, she could get them to do things that made the pictures even more eye catching and unique.

    Addario went through a lot to get her photos, including having a front row seat in wars. She would befriend soldiers in order to have a place in the battle field, and even got a fantastic picture of some soldiers carrying one of their buddy's dead body. The emotion in the picture is devastating and surreal, which she wouldn't have been able to capture without being right there when it happened. She is a true hero for being willing to risk her life to show the realities of other heroes. Without these pictures, we would have a hard time realizing how much pain and sorrow is in the war. She must have a bit of a screw loose to do this, however. There are some things that I am willing to do to get a good photo for a story, but going out into the war is not one of them. 

    A lesson I learned from this book was the longer you are around the subject with your camera in their face, the better the photos will turn out. They will be used to the camera and your presence, which creates a calmer atmosphere and more natural reactions. This is something that photojournalists can use, because most of the time they are photographing people in real situations, in real moments, telling a real story. If a photographer was taking pictures of a model to show a fashion line, they could get away with staged and posed photos, but with this tip from Addario, photojournalists can learn that the more natural the picture, the more of the story behind it is told. 

    Something that Addario said in her book that has stayed with me is, "photography has shaped the way I look at the world; it has taught me to look beyond myself and capture the world outside." I think this has stuck with me because since starting class and reading this book, I have found photo opportunities all around me. There is so much story behind everything around you, and once you start photojournalism, you see the things around you and the possibility of sharing them with others. I would not only suggest this book to others who are wanting to go into photojournalism, but also to anyone who is trying to find something they are passionate about and anyone who has something that brings them happiness. This book perfectly captures how exceeding the boundaries of comfort can bring pure bliss and fulfilled living, even if it means leaving your old life behind and sacrificing almost everything.

    My favorite photo by Addario is of two rebels "hanging out" while their truck was broken down. It was her first trip to Darfur, and they had been traveling for a very long distance when their truck had broken down. It had broken down multiple times before this, but this particular time these rebel fighters seemed so relaxed and calm that she felt like she had to take a picture of them. (Chapter 7)