Counter foto organised a delightful event for amateur photographers at their Mirpur campus on January 12, 2016. Renowned photojournalist, Lynsey Addario shared her experiences with the photographers at the event.
American Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a young photographer when September 11 changed the course of her life. Since then, she is one of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan as she was asked to cover the American invasion. She finally set her mind to set out across the world, face the chaos of crisis and make a name for herself.
She shared her travel stories and experiences photographing the Afghan people before and after the Taliban reign, the civilian causalities and misunderstood insurgents of the Iraq war, as well as the burnt villages and about the genocide in Darfur. She exposed the culture of violence against women in Congo and told the riveting story of her kidnapping by pro-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan civil war.
In the beginning of 2000, Addario got an invitation to go to India with a family friend. A business professor invited her when he was taking his students abroad for a field study which had virtually nothing to do with any of the subjects she was interested, but she considered it as an opportunity to leave New York for good.
As a woman photojournalist, Addario is determined to be taken seriously like her male peers. Addario learns to strike a necessary balance. Watching uprisings unfold and people fighting to the death for their freedom, Addario understands that she is documenting not only news but also the fate of society.
She has recently penned down a book It’s What I Do which is more than just a snapshot of life on the front lines as it bears witness to the human cost of war.
Lynsey Addario is now 42 years old and happily married to Paul de Bendern and has a three year old son, Lukas.
