Lyndsey Addario's investment in her work reflects in her approach to each assignment. Addario looks at each assignment as an opportunity to learn and show the rest of the world the truth behind the image, maybe not necessarily what story has been previously told. An example is the Afghan women and their burqas. Addario takes her time getting to know the subject, respecting cultural differences, and pours her heart into her work.
Two things that have made an impression on me is her compassion and level headed personality. Asking herself questions like "were Westerners imposing their own set of values on a Muslim country? Showing that although everything she had previously read about the strict rule of Sharia, Islamic Law, she could see another perspective.
Personal sacrifices she makes are vast. From relationships, to general safety, putting herself in the line of fire, and the struggle with societal norms of becoming a wife, mom, and being a woman in a career dominated mostly by men. Not seeing family, her up and down relationship with Uxval, adjustment cultural norms, and the fact she is a 'working woman' are some examples of the sacrifices she has made to pursue her career.
My favorite quote from the book so far, would be in Chapter 4, page 84 "The truth was, the difference between a studio photographer and a photojournalist was the same as the difference between a political cartoonist and an abstract painter; the only thing the two had in common was the blank page." Some of my favorite photos are her "Transgender prostitutes in the Meatpacking District in New York. I learned a good value from this story. How she built a relationship with them before taking out her camera and how humbling she was all granted her access to the life of these women, shooting some powerful images.
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