It’s What I Do

Although most of the other students are probably going to talk about the scary or horrifying stories as ones that stood out to them, I actually plan to take this a completely different route. One of the stories that stood out to me the most is the story of balancing the bond between her love for her job and her love for Uxval. And when I say that it stands out, I mean that quite literally. Compared to all of her other more depressing or even thrilling stories, it seemed so out of place to talk about something as trivial as a boyfriend back home, but at the same time, it was the perfect story to tell. It made her more real to me. It made her seem like any other woman who had someone back home that she missed and even though she was a brave photographing machine, inside she was still a person with feelings and emotions. Addario talks quite a bit about how she would always love her job more than she could possibly love any man or person, and it shows her complete dedication and passion for what she does. She still had someone waiting for her back home and yet she risked her life every day for a photo. This story is the most interesting to me because I can not even begin to wrap my head around how she balanced these two things together. 

Addario captures so much emotion and feeling in her photos and with some of them, it is like you can almost get chills just by looking at them, similar to the way you get chills when you hear a sad song or hear a sad story. Her photos are just so raw that you know exactly what's going on when you look at the picture. She is an extraordinary storyteller, and each and every one of her photos gives you a very real insight on what she faces every day. An example of this would be her photo of the Rebels looking up at the sky waiting for a bomb to be dropped on them. There is smoke billowing in the background and you can clearly see the fear and anticipation in all of their faces. Another would be the Iraqi man walking along rows of bodies pulled from mass grave sights around Iraq. You can't see his face, but you can clearly see his anguish as he steadies himself against the wall.

I wouldn't say that I relate to Addario, but I would say that I somewhat understand her sense of duty to a certain extent. She feels it is her job to capture the story, even if that means putting herself in some wild and crazy dangerous situations. It is almost like a calling to her, like she feels that she needs this or else she might not have a purpose. I can not honestly say that I relate because I have never put myself in that kind of danger because I felt that it was my duty, but I understand that Addario feels as if she needs this no matter what the cost may turn out to be.

This term, I used her lesson of making sure others are comfortable with your presence. Addario talks a lot about how most of the situations she shot were very tense and sensitive. She always made sure that her subjects were comfortable with her being there before she even pulled out a camera. Not only did she ask if it was okay for her to take pictures of them, but she did not even show the camera until she knew for sure that they didn't mind her being there. That really stood out to me because her passion for capturing the story is so strong that it seems strange to think about what she would do if they told her no. Would she try to capture the story anyway? Or would she let it go and walk away, accepting the fact that she would miss out on what could be  a huge opportunity? I have used this so many times this term, and I have realized that it really does make a big difference when you ask first. Some people still get upset that you have a camera, but knowing whether they are comfortable or not makes the shoot so much easier, as well as making it run so much smoother.

My favorite examples of her work are the U.S. Marines, the close-up of the little boy covered in bandages, and the close-up of Bibiane crying. The Marine photo is a really amazing storytelling photo. When I saw it, it kinda made me see that even through the worst of things, they are still just normal people. They still have to do normal things, such as grooming, just like everyone else. Before I even read the book, I looked through all the pictures and the close-up of the little boy has always been my favorite. It is just such a raw photo and you can see the pain and emotion in his eyes. It really is just such a heartbreaking but touching image. The close-up of Bibiane is one of my favorites because it makes me wonder what it feels like to shoot such a private and intimate moment like that. Bibiane looked so hurt, so broken, yet she still allowed her photo to be taken.

¨But aside from a brief moment when I wondered whether I would be able to carry out my work, I wasn't scared. I believed that if my intentions were for a good cause, nothing bad would happen to me¨ (Pg. 41).

It is so bizarre to imagine someone consoling themselves like that. Her confidence must have been extraordinary if she really had that much trust in the process. She really believed that everything would work out; she wasn't even worried about it for that moment.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. When school started and I thought about having to read textbooks, this was not at all what I expected. This book was so full of danger and emotion and adventure. It was almost hard to stop reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen to her, I needed to know. I love reading, and this book was exactly what I needed as a textbook for this class.