Book Review: ITS WHAT I DO

Source: Linsey Addario

Journalistic reporting of the ravages of war, desolation of famine and devastation of natural disasters has been widely available and commonplace for many decades. Such journalism is so familiar, that here on the relative safety of U.S. soil, it can be easy to take it for granted and to not recognize that for this reporting to take place, journalists must position themselves on the frontlines and in harm's way. This is especially true of photojournalism and is one of the most striking elements of conflict/war photographer Lynsey Addario's memoir IT’S WHAT I DO.

Addario has traveled and photographed the world extensively, very often on the front lines of conflict. Her images display the harsh realities of war and the impact on humanity. In her memoir, Addario shares many harrowing details of the events she recorded in her photographs and what she had to endure to capture them. Not all of her assignments required occupying the same space as flying bullets. In order to gain access to certain areas and groups, in conservative Muslem countries, Addario dressed herself in traditional head scarf and burqa, but occasionally she even posed as the wife of one of her traveling companions. Muslim societies are generally very patriarchal and gender segregation is built into the culture. In some situations, it would have been inappropriate for Addario (a woman) to interact with men. One such occasion, Addario posed as the wife of a New York Times Magazine journalist, Dexter Filkins, to meet with the commander of a Talaban group in Pakistan. Addario’s “husband” (Filkins) casually announces that his wife has a camera and asks the Taliban commander if she can take some photos: they agree and Addario proceeds to produce her large and bulky Nikon DSLR with its big lens and take photos of the Taliban! The thing about this story is that Addario is posing as a muslim wife, not because she disrespect their culture, but because she respects it and wants them to be comfortable with her presence. 

I found the most striking aspect of Addario’s photos and her work to be her care for people. It is evident that she is motivated to be a journalist because she feels deeply that telling the stories of those impacted by conflict and tragedy is important. Her care for humanity does not give way to the desire to take photos and tell an impactful story. She states that it is very important for her to get permission to take photos and writes in her memoir of many instances that she took few to no photos because engaging with people in front of her was more important. I think that it is this kind of genuine care and respect for people that enables her to take such powerful images of people and their stores. In many of her photos there is a very human element that does not shy away from the hard realities of war and its aftermath. This may be the reason that the majority of Addario’s photos are close up portraits and photos taken in the middle of the action. Her photos from the Korengal valley in Afghanistan are especially striking in this regard.

Linsey Addario is an award winning photographer who came by her success honestly, with an abundance of dedication and hard work. Addario continually expresses her dedication to journalism and her belief that impactful images can motivate change. In Addario’s words, as she reflects on her time covering the war in Iraq, “I was now a photojournalist willing to die for stories that had potential to educate people” (p.134). As I read her book, I found that I constantly vacillated between longing to do similar work and the weighty realization of the cost of doing such work. Regardless, I found it deeply inspiring. Addario accounts of growing accustomed to the danger of war zones, working hard and chasing the story, embedding with the US military in combat zones, and being detained and kidnapped are all very thought provoking—but more than all of these examples of the dedication of journalist, I am most inspired by how Addario goes about taking photos of people and telling their stories. She always makes a point of asking permission to take people’s photos and honors their wishes. This can be a difficult practice, as the photogenic moments are often unfolding in real time and the “moment” may be lost forever. I have tried to adopt Addarios approach and always prioritize the person in front of me before the photo I could get of them. Addario’s example is to strive to tell the subject's story–not what you might think or assume their story is based on what you see.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in photography or believes that journalistic reports of conflicts are important. I have certainly gained a greater appreciation for journalism, journalists and the complexity of storytelling and war.