Photographer of the Week and Lynsey Addario

Photographer of the Week: Diane Arbus

     The photographer I have chosen is Diane Arbus. Arbus was an American photographer who shot black and white photos, she photographed people who were considered outcasts, and her photographs challenged societal norms.
     What I love most about her photos is how beautiful she makes these outcasts, yet how sad and real they also are. These photos evoke emotion from the viewer. For her time, these photos were really challenging society: I love that. 
     There were a couple moments in her claim to fame. For one, she took photographs for Vogue magazine and Harper's Bazaar. After getting bored of the mainstream, she returned to the streets to photograph what she had been originally, what she really loved: the strange. These photos ended up in museums next to extremely well known photographers, such as Garry Winogrand. However, they weren't shown until she committed suicide on July 26, 1971 at the age of 48. Because of this, like many artists before her, it wasn't until she was gone that people really started to appreciate her art.


Lynsey Addario in "It's What I Do"

     So far, this book is very intriguing. I would say the Prelude is a lot more interesting than the first chapter. I did have to break up the first chapter in two reading sessions because it felt a little like there was too much information to process in so few pages. No less, still crazy how much she had gone through to become the photographer she is today. Lynsey's story is inspiring. The most impressing thing to me was that she moved so much and so far: Cuba and India, Argentina. I couldn't even dream of being able to just uproot myself. The anxiety of moving like that would overcome me. Addario's work is amazing. She really just waits for the perfect shot to come to her, this is something I want to apply to myself. Take my time. I'm new to photography, so I feel a little uncomfortable behind the machine.
     My favorite quote is "...there were days when I had boundless courage and there were days, like these in Libya, when I was terrified from the moment I woke up." I think the main reason I really enjoy this quote is because I struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Chronic Depression. I feel the way she is describing, on both sides of the spectrum, all the time--despite not being in the middle of a war zone. I can really connect to her through this quote, and it definitely evoked some emotion reading it.
     On the other hand, my favorite photo in this book is, well I have two, but the favorite is a photo of a woman named Bibiane, she is twenty-eight, and from South Kivu. She is crying, but she doesn't have any specific expression on her face, just a tears streaming down her cheeks. For me, this is the ultimate pain, when it takes no force, no expression, and tears just start streaming. This is why I love this photo. I can really feel Bibiane's pain, and it's excruciating.


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