Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict photographer Lynsey Addario has spent two decades capturing the realities of war, from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Ukraine.
Filming her in action on the frontline, seeking out stories from the people often overlooked in conflict zones and looking back on her storied career, Love+War captures Addario’s sheer courage, talent and tenacity. Ahead of the film’s release at DocHouse, we caught up with Addario about what it felt like to be behind the camera, what she looks for in a good photograph and being a woman in a male-dominated field.
You’ve had a long career behind the camera telling other people’s stories. How does it feel to be on the other side, as the subject of a documentary?
On one hand, it is definitely strange being on the other side of the camera. But on the other hand, I have a good sense of what Chai and the principal DP – Thorston Thielow – were looking for. So I tried to be the subject that I always hope for: someone who is authentic and open and comfortable and vulnerable, and who allows life or a situation to unfold naturally. I think that is where journalism is the most powerful, and I guess where subjects of documentaries feel the most relatable.
For you, what makes a good photograph? Is there a certain feeling or visual cue you’re looking for when you’re out in the field?
A good photograph is one that engages the viewer, tells a story or conveys information, causes someone to pause for a moment and ask questions about what is happening in the image, and to be curious about a situation, near or far. When I’m in the field, I’m looking for a situation that tells a story and also grabs my attention or evokes emotion in me. I think, technically, a good photograph captures good light, strong composition and has information about what is happening. Sometimes a situation is very powerful, but the light is harsh or the subject is noticeably aware of the photographer and so the scene does not come together in a single image.
How has your position as a woman impacted your work, both positively and negatively?
My gender has played into my work both positively and negatively. When I am working in countries like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, where genders are often segregated in private spaces and even public spaces, I am able to enter and photograph both male and female arenas as a neutral journalist. As a woman, I am also able to enter private homes, which is something my male colleagues are often not able to do. On the flipside, when I am working in a mostly male-dominated space, like on the frontline or during military embeds, I often sense a palpable skepticism about my physical and emotional ability to keep up and maintain my calm under gunfire and when things get very intense. So I need to prove myself as both physically and emotionally fit before I am accepted.
With the rise of social media and citizen reporting, images of conflicts are being shared in real-time from Ukraine and Gaza. How has this shift influenced your approach to photojournalism, if at all?
My approach to photojournalism is still the same, though naturally, I feel more urgency to cover situations more comprehensively, and to get the images out faster as images are being disseminated in real time. But I think my responsibility as a photojournalist is not only to document a situation, but to do the proper reporting, gather all the facts, and to provide each image with the proper context, which has not changed. In fact, the pressure has probably increased to ensure all of my reporting is 100% solid because the prevalence of discrediting journalists is more and more common and we need to ensure that we have no factual errors.
Love+War is showing at Bertha DocHouse from Friday 24th October. Book tickets here.