Lynsey Addario Book Report

The first world country that we immerse ourselves in is used as a blinder to what other tragedies are happening in other parts of the world. We are so comfortable with this plush lifestyle that when we are exposed to other peoples suffering through magazine covers, facebook articles, or Snapchat stories, it causes discomfort and we then have the habit of sinking back into our luxurious life with five-dollar coffees and Ubers. 

 The hope with the kind of photojournalism that Lynsey Addario achieves is the awareness that more than just your personal problems are happening in the world. Tragedies and injustice are happening regardless of our attention, and this issue needs to be recognized and addressed. To educate the reader with the concepts that there is always more than one side to a story as well as that there is a state of trauma whole countries constantly live in is what needs to be exposed to the rest of the willing nieve world. Hoping that the audience will feel some sort of compassion or empathy will inspire people to realize that “out of sight out of mind” doesn't just mean that the problems go away if you disregard them. By exposing readers to the true poverty of other peoples living conditions, the culture of other religions, and the understanding of opposing viewpoints opens a door of knowledge. The entitlement that we feel living in a first world country is developed with a willing blindness and can only be shifted with knowledge compassion. 

 In saying all this, Addario put herself in war zones, places of poverty, and situations where she felt in danger due to the country's strong biases, political, and religious beliefs to expose the different lifestyles for the comfortably sheltered population. You have to be a little bit crazy to knowing put yourself in a life-threatening situation purely to get the "award-winning" shot.

   As someone who is going to graduate with a journalism degree, I can relate to her passion for her job, but I don't know if I’m mentally and emotionally strong enough to enter as dangerous environments as she went. While I respect her intentions, my issue would be taking photographs of starving children then hopping on a flight back to my cozy lifestyle after looking at true suffrage in the eye. I’m not sure if that is a skill a person naturally inherited or if you have to learn to become numb to that. While I respect Addario's work I have my own suspicions if her true intentions honestly lye on making a true impact on the world exposing genuine human lifestyles, or if she was focused on the fame, caught up in the bliss of her work. If Addaro placed herself in the scene of chaos just for her work and the recognition instead of doing it for the people that are truly suffering, that would be insanity. 

  Techniques that I’ve tried to adopt into my own photography this term is to always have your camera so you never miss an unexpected opportunity. Anything can happen at any time and as a photojournalist, you need to be ready to capture authenticity, news, and genuine emotions. I also admire Addarios courage and willingness to step into the center of any situation and photograph it. I have found that often times, throughout this term, that asserting myself in unexpected situations and talking to people I had not expected to interview had been my most memorable and favorite shoots. I have been pushing myself to, like Addario, put myself in the center of the situation and to not be afraid to get in the middle of an event. Because I know later I’d regret not capturing the full story or event. 

  Lynsey Addario’s book It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War, addresses many personal concerns I have about being a journalist. Which not only validates my past and present concerns, but highlights the severity of them. The first being having the ability to maintain relationships while also being devoted to your work. This is obviously a concern within any major career, but in this case and many other cases, Addario often spends months away from her family, friends, and significant other. Not only is the distance difficult to deal with, but the fact that the people that love you live every day knowing that the spotty 30 minute phone call they had with you last week could potentially be the last time they ever spoke to you. The fact that at any second of the day my life could be taken by putting myself in a potentially dangerous situation for the work of my job. The heart ace of knowing I would cause my family constant grief pains me to the point of considering a different career. "I felt his love thought and the absence of words." (pg 130) Addario quoted as she had just gotten in contact with her father after a life-altering experience while on the job. She explains the distance between her and her father, and continues to explain why she was nervous to call him after months of minimal communication. The undying love her family has for her despite how little they bond, I relate to myself and the relationship I have with my mother. 

  One other concern I have is the prejudice of being a woman in this line of work. Knowing that men are considered the dominant sex in other countries with strictly gendered stereotypes I fear will be an obstacle in this line of work. While sometimes Addario felt her gender gave her an advantage, a woman's purpose as seen by 3rd world countries is typical to bear children and raise a family. Oftentimes a woman who is working is seen as uncommon and is off-putting by people who believe in these traditions. This can then lead to altering the authentic emotions of the situation. A woman in a third world country should also be aware of being viewed as sexual objects and are seen as free for sexual abuse, especially if she is not accompanied by another man. What id considered sexual abuse, harassment, or rape in America is seen as common behavior and socially acceptable in other countries. Ironically enough one of the most memorable scenes from Addario's book for me occurs when she is on a plane flown by Ariana Afghan Airlines after being released from a hostage situation where she and her coworkers almost lost their lives several times. The flight attendant then asked her to move to a seat that wasn't in front of the emergency exit. The flight attendant feared Addario would not be strong enough to open the emergency exit and wished for someone stronger to sit in her spot in the case of an emergency. Annoyed, she moved while a frail old man sat in her previous seat. This was ironic to be because she had just survived several traumatic events. Strong enough mentally, emotionally, and physically escape death several times Addario was replaced purely because of her gender. 

 I’m not sure why specifically this section of the book resonated with me out of everything Addario writes about, but it is a feeling I can relate to. I think that is why I can picture so clearly. Since I was a child, I have been addressed differently because of my gender. As the only female in my family’s generation of children, I was encouraged to stay and help cook or watch the younger children while I saw my brother and all my male cousins leave to go ride quads in the Arizona dunes. From being excluded from “masculine” activities to obtaining a different job title because I was assumed to not have the same skills as a man in the workplace, I have been treated differently because of my gender. Oftentimes I will be talked down to, underestimated, or given the assumed work position I desired just because of my gender. Because of these actions I personally experienced, I was more upset about Addario’s Ariana Afghan Airlines flying experience. 

  For someone who is looking to become a photojournalist like Lynsey Addario, is it a good book to read watching her transition from a humble start of not knowing how to change a lens to being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship Award. It is an easy book to relate too as well as being a compelling read that addresses the true physical, mental, and emotional risks of choosing this specific line of work. 

  I would say Addario's “Women at War” series has to be my favorite album. This photo specifically captures the emotions and joys this modern female soldier is spreading to native children. The contrast between the two lives is beyond different, but genuine compassion belongs to everyone's culture. This also exposes that soldiers are not always here to cause a war. It highlights the softer emotions and proves relationships can be built despite strong beliefs.  

My City

 Corvallis Farmers Market shows off it's colors on NW 1st St each week for the community to shuffle through products made by Corvallis locals. Every Saturday from 9am to 1pm local farmers and artists will set up personal booths to advertise their unique products.

Within the Riverfront Commemorative Park located in Corvallis stands Louise McDowell’s “The River of Life,” which statue includes a girl interacting with wild salmon, beavers, and geese. The statue is placed in the Monroe Plaza in 2002 next to a unique jungle-gym specifically known in Corvallis. People are welcomed to come and walk through the sculpture and see each side of the eloquently sculpted artwork.

Just on the outskirts of Corvallis lays rolling green hills of green lush farmland. The everlasting road pushes through the grass and draws a divide of pure earth on NW Highland Dr. Despite the busy "college life," Corvallis offers more than just the crowded antique shops of downtown or the natural chaotic life of OSU life. Just a twenty-minute drive and you will meet a horizon of rolling fields with total contrast of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Rows of young vegetation blankets acres of land off of NW Highland Dr. in Corvallis prooving that there is more to the city than the colors orange and black. 

Table Top Club

 Table Tennis Club at LBCC meets weekly in the Activites Center for a little friendly competition while rotating between each player. With a casual and welcoming atmosphere, the Table Tennis Club offers coaching for anyone who wishes to enhance their table tennis skills while keeping the competitive spirit alive. 

My Hometown Topics

After living in Corvallis for six months, I've decided I'd like to capture the contrast of different parts of the city. Despite it being considered a rural a smaller city, Corvallis has a vast variety of contrast between rural and urban life. While downtown is flooded with neon lights and active nightlife, if you travel just 20 minutes to the border of Corvallis you will find people co-living with sheep and goats just outside their modern apartments. For this "my hometown" project, I hope to capture the different lives people live within the small city of Corvallis. For the environment, I intend to shoot a small barn with horses, goats, and sheep on Moss Rock dr. as well as downtown with the busy life of college students and family. I am trying to stay away from the expected landmark of Corvallis everyone knows: Oregon State University. I would like to capture a part of Corvallis people are less expecting. My considerations were the Donica House, Riverfront Commemorative Park, or the downtown carousel. As for the activity of Corvallis, I know that each week Corvallis holds a Saturday market. My vision for the Saturday market would be to capture people casually walking and browsing through the produce and local products.

For my final project, I am planning on following LBCCs Space Exploration Club and their participation in the Lunabotics Mining Competition. Unfortunately, the competition will not be complete until May, 2020. The club intends on designing a robotic lunar rover to "traverse across a stimulated 'lunar surface'" as well as collect "lunar ice". If I am unable to follow their project I aim to focus my attention on a women's shelter in Corvallis. My concern with the women's shelter is the suspicion that the women in the shelter might not want the publicity. If that is the case, I will focus my story more on the shelter and the people working there.

LBCC Spanish Circle

The Spanish Learning Conversation Group gathers for the first time on Thursday, Nov. 7, at noon in Forum 220. The group involves all skill levels, and focuses on expanding their knowledge though conversing with other people who are learning the language as well.

Heather Morijah the program manager of the Institutional Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for six years, shows off some off her favorite books written in Spanish. She mentions it's a great way to comprehend Spanish and allows the reader to recognize stories they already know, which makes it easier to absorb. Actively still learning Spanish,  Morijah helps hold the Spanish Language Conversation Group in Forum 220.

With notecards of topic starters in Spanish, Morijah engages in conversation with other members of the open group. With staff members, students, and community members welcome to the Spanish Learning Conversation Group, the group will meet each Thursday to continue practicing and expanding their skills while recognizing the importance of diversity and culture.

Dance Shoot

I plan to attend an LBCC Dance Club rehearsal in the activities center for this weeks sports shoot. My subject will specifically be Zenobia Rogers, the president of the dance club. I hope to get action shots of her as well as shots of her interacting with the other members of the group. In order to get those action shots, I will adjust the shutter speed and hope to get at least one good photo in a sea of shots. Because I'm not going to be outdoors or in an environment that will not require me to use a stronger lens, I will use my use the default one to zoom in in order to get closer shots. I know they will not be in constant movement the whole rehearsal, so I will take those pauses to explore the space and frame that is around me to get closer to my subjects. I hope to get a different view than the "window view" bystanders normally view when they see a performance. My overall will be the whole group in motion or listening to Rogers while is she interacting with the rest of the club. I intend on my medium shot to have a lower angle in order to see my subjects footwork which will highlight the action and the common of dancing throughout the club. My mediums will be more personal, while I hope to get more intimate with my close up. I hope to capture the focus of my subject in her own actions for a close up. While she distracted with her own teachings I will again use the shutter speed and focus to freeze a moment from time. 

Week Five Profiles

 Kim Schulte displays her booth of hand made hats and shirts for all sizes on the corner of Highway 20 and 53rd St. in Corvallis, OR four days a week. 

Kim and her husband Davis Schulte have been producing and designing knitted decorative hats and shirts for over nine years all over the city of Corvallis. Starting out with just creative hats for their daughter, Schulte has turned a fortune into creative thinking. With hats made from acrylic to wool, they embrace their full
time job by setting out a booth year-round with seasonal treats as well.

Week Five Weekly Posting: Lynsey Adario

I've made many conclusions and inferences from this book. Some make me question the line of work I wish to pursue and if I'm suited for it. Other parts of the book are relatable and situations I know are unavoidable for any kind of journalist.

Throughout the book, Lynsey Addario clearly paints herself as a dedicated patron to her work. Sacrificing many relationships both romantically and platonically while also sacrificing her comfort and safety. Those are the situations I see every person who pursues a career in media should expect to experience. However, the contrast from who she was at the start of the book in regards to photography and who she has developed into thought chapter seven are two vastly different people.

I don't ever want to let my work change me. I look for growth through my career, but I refuse to let it alter my fundamentals of human compassion. The first mention of Addario witnessing death in her book was early on in her journey. I believe she was in Afghanistan and her driver was shot. She briefly mentioned it and seemed hardly affected by it. As time went on and she traveled to other countries, she started to put other people's life before her work. I got the sense that she was exploiting other peoples suffering for a better feature. That's where I wonder if I'm capable of witnessing the famine, the rape, the suppression of these people, and not step into the frame to help. I don't know if I'm mentally strong enough to witness those traumas and walk away only to then enter my own world to click and drag my photos to my editor. The ability to be so aware of the tragedy in the world, and then consciously choosing to put blinders on to the suffering people is a skill I do not have, nor will I ever have. It is one of the most selfish traits to have as a human. Valuing success and money over people's dignity and lives is a fundamental I refuse to work for.

Addario address this concern of mine in chapter seven. She claims that by publishing these authentic photos of human suffering to the New York Times will cause awareness to poverty in first world countries where we know no such struggle. I understand that concept, and I recognize press and media is the main word of mouth, but just for me personally, I wouldn't be able to get any rest in the environment she's in. Maybe that's something a photographer or a journalist has to learn, to humble yourself in order to comprehend others' quality of life and traditions. But I cannot simply hop on a plane after being among suppressed women seen as objects or as "a casualty" to society, starving children, or suffering families.

One other thing I took note of was her family's reaction to when she called. Specifically when she called her fathers work and she mentioned that the receptionist responded in a "squeaky" and eager voice. Addario thought the receptionist might not even know who she is. The receptionist clearly did based on the reaction over the phone. Her father must have been boasting about her to everyone at work. He must have not stopped talking about her work and his worries for her safety. "I felt his love thought and the absence of words." (pg 130) I know my mother does the exact same thing. It struck a personal chord of sympathy. This is another personal sacrifice any traveling journalist has to make. A sacrifice of loved one's concerns.  However, I know while my own mother will worry about me regardless, nothing beats the feeling of pride she feels for me. But the thought of her hurting for her children, due to my own intentional action, hurts me. The face Addario's father couldn't even talk to her due to an overwhelming sense of emotion concerned me for my own family. Even though she expected her father to not pick up, or his receptionist to not recognize her, her father had clearly been bragging on her while she was always the first thing on his mind.

This book has helped me to (on a much minor scale) take the opportunity whenever it presents itself.  I'll rarely go anywhere on campus without my camera, despite the inconvenience of adding another five to ten pounds on my shoulder. The other day I captured (not very well) a herd of wild elk as I was driving back from the countryside.  My camera was sitting passenger seat, and I knew I'd regret missing this opportunity if I kept driving. I pulled to the side of the road, put my hazards on, and tried to adjust the settings to accommodate the post dusk lighting. I switched out lenses to shoot the wild herd of no less than 100 elk settling into the rolling acres of farm territory. Needless to say, I had little to no idea what I was doing. 

That's not the point though!

My favorite series of photos Addario has on her website is the "Women at War". Wow. The whole series captures the underestimated strength and empathy women experience when it comes to "masculine" stereotypes. This is just one of the many photos that I stopped to admire throughout this series. Women have always had to fight. They've had to fight to vote, they've had to fight for equal rights, they've had to fight against discrimination. It would make sense that women can fight in war. Women are not a casualty, women are not a burden, and women refuse to be subjected to their gender.