"It's What I do" -- First Impressions
This book has brought many of my worst nightmares and dreams come to life. Even in just two small chapters of 49 pages, this autobiography brings the life of a photographic journalist to the minds of the reader in an understandable light.
With the prelude chapter, telling of Lynsey's experiences covering the Libyan Civil War, I think it really shows how photographic journalists have to deal with their personal ethics and fears. Lynsey, in my utmost opinion, describes this on the first page of the prelude "I picked up my camera to shoot what I had shot so many times before, then put it back down, stepping aside to let the other photographers have their turn. I couldn't do it that day". Prelude pg. 1 I was in a way, touched by that quote. The words she chose for that passage symbolized what she had already captured in her lens, Lynsey sees the opportunity of photographic evidence of a war-torn nation but is stopped by something, could this happen to correlate with her personal ethics? The reader almost has to interpret and try to visualize what Lynsey must have been going through at the said time to understand why she couldn't take the photographs.
Lynsey captures the plights and uncertainty of the rebels in Libya. She finds shots that can tell a message and be upfront for what may happen in the future during her photographs. Two of my favorite shots of the Libyan rebels Lynsey took share this sentiment. One photograph is a call for volunteers for the opposition to Gaddafi's government, the photo shows three lines of able-bodied men to fight on the front lines of the Libyan revolution. The men in said photo vary in age and uniforms. I believe it shows the ineptness of what is to come for these men in the photograph.
The next photo we have gives off the plights that the opposition to Gaddafi's regime will endure.
It's a picture of two rebels in focus with what looks like to be a hospital and a big crowd in the backdrop. One rebel is what looks to be comforting his comrade who was wounded in what we can only imagine was an injury sustained from battle.
As a novice to photography and journalism, I believe we can learn from a lot of Lynsey's work. You're not going to find a breathtaking and emotional shot by just waiting for something to happen. Read the news, figure out what's happening in world events, venture outside of your boundary. Cover something that may seem uninteresting at first glance, but find the shot that tells the viewer "hey, this is interesting!".
*Sources: It's What I Do A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario, http://www.lynseyaddario.com/war-and-revolution-in-the-middle-east/unrest-in-libya/ADDARIOLIBYA_04 , http://www.lynseyaddario.com/war-and-revolution-in-the-middle-east/unrest-in-libya/ADDARIOLIBYA_19/
With the prelude chapter, telling of Lynsey's experiences covering the Libyan Civil War, I think it really shows how photographic journalists have to deal with their personal ethics and fears. Lynsey, in my utmost opinion, describes this on the first page of the prelude "I picked up my camera to shoot what I had shot so many times before, then put it back down, stepping aside to let the other photographers have their turn. I couldn't do it that day". Prelude pg. 1 I was in a way, touched by that quote. The words she chose for that passage symbolized what she had already captured in her lens, Lynsey sees the opportunity of photographic evidence of a war-torn nation but is stopped by something, could this happen to correlate with her personal ethics? The reader almost has to interpret and try to visualize what Lynsey must have been going through at the said time to understand why she couldn't take the photographs.
Lynsey captures the plights and uncertainty of the rebels in Libya. She finds shots that can tell a message and be upfront for what may happen in the future during her photographs. Two of my favorite shots of the Libyan rebels Lynsey took share this sentiment. One photograph is a call for volunteers for the opposition to Gaddafi's government, the photo shows three lines of able-bodied men to fight on the front lines of the Libyan revolution. The men in said photo vary in age and uniforms. I believe it shows the ineptness of what is to come for these men in the photograph.
The next photo we have gives off the plights that the opposition to Gaddafi's regime will endure.
It's a picture of two rebels in focus with what looks like to be a hospital and a big crowd in the backdrop. One rebel is what looks to be comforting his comrade who was wounded in what we can only imagine was an injury sustained from battle.
As a novice to photography and journalism, I believe we can learn from a lot of Lynsey's work. You're not going to find a breathtaking and emotional shot by just waiting for something to happen. Read the news, figure out what's happening in world events, venture outside of your boundary. Cover something that may seem uninteresting at first glance, but find the shot that tells the viewer "hey, this is interesting!".
*Sources: It's What I Do A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario, http://www.lynseyaddario.com/war-and-revolution-in-the-middle-east/unrest-in-libya/ADDARIOLIBYA_04 , http://www.lynseyaddario.com/war-and-revolution-in-the-middle-east/unrest-in-libya/ADDARIOLIBYA_19/
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