“Trying to convey beauty in war was a technique to try to prevent the reader from looking away or turning the page in response to something horrible. I wanted them to linger, to ask questions.” - Lynsey Addario (It's What I Do)
This quote would have to be one of my favorites because the quote in itself makes you want to ask more questions. I found myself in awe when I first saw her pictures because at the time I had been listening to the audiobook and haven't seen any. However, as soon as I saw the pictures I simply couldn't look away and felt like I had to re-read the section the photo referenced so that I could understand all that was being said in both the book and the photo. The techniques she uses to capture photos like the one I'm including aren't exactly done with the camera itself, she has a way of integrating herself into the culture she's capturing. Weather it's the military, Taliban or just someone's home like in Afghanistan she utilizes her time to make connections with the people around her and this allows her to capture some intimate moments that some may never get a chance to lay eyes on let alone take a photo of. For me personally I can understand why she wants to show this side of war and be right up in the action but I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to do what she does. Going into conflict zones and risking your life to tell a story that might not even be published in the end seems like a fool's dream, at the same time I can't say that she'd be doing anything wrong it's simply that I would not be able to do what she does. The main thing I can take from her though is the notion of getting to know your subject before and after taking pictures. Having a full story behind the pictures you take is difficult but with a detailed description of what was going on in the surrounding area and the subjects life then a good photo can become amazing with a little extra definition. My favorite example of her work would have to be the her photos from the Korengal Valley thanks to the full story it tells though essentially just pictures. It gives a harsh and real look into military life with the hard days, nights, deaths, injured civilians and surprise attacks that could happen at any time in the field. The photo of the troops carrying the body of Staff Sgt. Larry Rougle has to be one of my favorites thanks to Lynsey giving life to the photo through her book. She goes into detail about what happened before and after the attack and the emotions that flooded over the remaining troops as well as herself. While the photo itself is amazing with the dusty background covering the last of the troops and the emotionally and physically exhausted troops e-vaking the body of their late friend the context of this all makes it that much better as well. Her best quote and the one that resonates with me the most would have to be the title of her book and one of the last sentences in the book, "It's what I Do." I say this because when I was finishing the book I was thinking about how much she had gone through and how much she has to hold onto now that she has a family of her own and people around her that hope she stays around for a long time. However, she still finds that there's more stories to tell and that she has to be there for the next big thing no matter where it may be or what dangers may arise because that's just the sort of person that she is. She's not one to relax and take a day off, if there's a war or a family stuck in a conflict zone she's going to be one of the first ones there to tell a story that needs to be told. And I suppose that's just because it's what she does. This book is not for the weak of heart; the stories within this become almost too real when realizing it's an autobiography. At times it will trick you into thinking it's a realistic fiction book but no, it's right there with the real world works of Lynsey Addario. I loved this book for reasons I can't exactly explain but I would very highly recommend this read.
Photo from: https://www.lynseyaddario.com/
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