Lynsey Addario Book Report

In Lynsey Addario’s book, “It’s What I Do”,  she brings in the raw footage of what an average day in a war zone looks like. Addario does not just take pictures of beautiful sceneries or wide open landscapes, in fact most of her photos are the complete opposite. Her pictures capture a story, a story that would make most people run home and never leave, because of the pure horror that some human beings around world go through everyday. One of the most graphic parts from the book, was when she was captured by Qaddafi’s soldiers and were beaten, raped, and paraded around town for everyone to see. Many times the soldiers told the journalists that they were going to be killed and insisted that it was going to be their last day. However, shortly after they were transferred into other hands and ultimately were set free to go back to the United States. Stories like this are throughout the book and continue to get more and more violent. What makes Lynsey’s photos so breathtaking is the situations that she captures and how well she shows the pain, suffering, and loss in some parts of the world. An example of this would be the picture of the Kurdish soldiers, who are carrying the bodies of their wounded into a medical vehicle, in Northern Iraq, March 22, 2003. What stood out to me was how traumatic these events must of been, and what passion you would have to have in order to risk your life for photojournalism. In a lot of cases Lynsey would have bullets, bombs, and violence going on all around her, but yet the detail and story that she portrays in her photos lets the viewer see it first hand. I think that is what I admire most about Lynsey’s work is that she did not try to hide anything, she has a passion for telling these peoples stories and knows that there was no other way to tell it. I think many people refrain from even thinking about these events, because of how disturbing it is and what a disgusted feeling it gives you when you see them. One of my favorite Addario photos is the one on page 222, where Bibiane, twenty eight years old, sits in a chair and has tears running down her face. The photo not only makes the viewer feel remorseful, but really feel the pain of what she is going through and hard her life must be. One of my favorite quotes by Lynsey is, “I found that the camera was a comforting companion. It opened up new worlds, and gave me access to people's most intimate moments. I discovered the privilege of seeing life in all its complexity, the thrill of learning something new every day. When I was behind a camera, it was the only place in the world I wanted to be”(12). This quote really stood out to me because going into photojournalism, Lynsey probably had no idea what she was getting into and at many times regretted the decision to do so. However, this thrill of of being behind her camera helped her to be one of the most successful photojournalists of our time.

Photo Story

Every spring, across the state of Oregon, a little sprout of grass hay begins its final stage of growing and shortly after will be cut. Farmers like Dan Hatfield, rely on the hay that they grow each year, and without it may have no way to feed their cattle. After growing for about 2 months, with constant water and tending from the farmers, it becomes ready to cut and harvest. When it is finally ready to be cut, farmers begin a week long process consisting of cutting, swathing, and bailing, which then can be stored in barns.
 A large grass hay field grows outside of Burns, Oregon. This grass hay is just two weeks away from being ready to harvest.

The first stage in growing a healthy crop of hay, is everyday watering and monitoring by the farmers. Making sure that the water levels are consistent with the grasses growth.

Dan Hatfield begins the first stage of harvest, by cutting and then swathing the hay so that it can be prepared for bailing.

Reliable equipment is a must when it comes to cutting, swathing, and bailing hay, having a savy mechanic on hand always helps as well.

Dan Hatfield is followed by his daughter, Kelsey Hatfield, who is bailing the hay so that it can be brought in and stacked for the feeding of their cattle.

Photographer of the Week Post

My Photographer of the week is Art Wolfe. Art is an award-winning wildlife photographer from Seattle, Washington and has been blowing people away with his photos for over 50 years. He graduated from the University of Washington with Bachelor’s degrees in fine arts and art education in 1975. In 1978, he published his first book with Dr Allan Lobb called, "Indian Baskets of the Northwest Coast". Dr. Lobb loved Wolfe's work so much that he began putting it up in the Swedish Medical Center, where it began to be notarized by people all over the world. Over his 50 years of photography, he has taken an estimated 3 million photos and has traveled to every continent to do so. Wolfe's work has been seen in the National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon, GEO, and Terre Sauvage. What I love most about his work is the passion for his pictures, and how he continues to find the beauty in everything around him. When I presented to the class, you mentioned that Wolfe had been critiqued for editing his pictures so much that it made them look fake. I think that there is definitely a fine line between editing your photos and changing your photos completely, but at the same time Art has traveled all over the world just to show people how beautiful it truly is. If there is one thing that I’ve learned from this class, it’s that a photo is not just something beautiful, it is a story that can affect people in so many different ways. I believe that Art may use a little extra editing than needed but never fails to capture the beautiful world that we live in.

Works Cited:

“Nature & Cultural Photography 1-888-973-0011.” Art Wolfe, artwolfe.com/.

Week 10 Post

2.) I really enjoyed this photo because of the way that it stops the pitchers motion and makes the viewer feel like they are right next to the action.
 3.) I think one of the first things that we learned when shooting action shots was to make sure that we stop the movement and almost freeze time. I think I did a good job of freezing the action in the photo while keeping it from being blurry.
4.) I think the biggest change I've made over the term is my knowledge on cameras and the right settings to be on for all times in the day. Also being able to find a good background that pops your subject for everyone to see. Lastly, being able to get capture the expressions on people faces. I feel that I didn't really understand that concept coming into photojournalism but as the term has gone on, I've gotten better and better at it.
 -Topic 2
"My goals for this class is to be more personable with people. Learning to have confidence asking questions and taking pictures. I hope by the end of this class I will have a broader knowledge on how to take pictures and what questions to ask".

I feel that I really succeeded at obtaining my goals for this class. Coming into photojournalism, I had no prior knowledge of what I was going to be doing or even how to operate a Nikon camera. Now week 10, I feel that I have learned a world of knowledge on the settings of my camera and how to actually take quality photos. I also think I have grown tremendously in being more outgoing and making conversation with people even if I don't know them.

Hometown Photos

My hometown shoot was taken in Burns, Oregon. The city of Burns was established in 1884 and was named after the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Burns is located in the high dessert of Harney County, which is the biggest county in Oregon.

V.I.P Registration Day (Makeup up for Week 6 Photos)

Students gathered at LBCC on May 22, for Courtyard lunch and VIP registration. Activities were set up around campus to get students excited for the upcoming year.

Week 7 Post

Topic 1
1.) For my hometown pictures, I am going to be taking them in Roseburg, Oregon. Roseburg has been my home for my entire life and will always have a special place in my heart.

2.) Some ideas I've had for my hometown landmark is the "Historic Downtown Roseburg" sign or the Roseburg Library. The Roseburg Docs baseball games are a popular place to be on a spring night, so I would like to get some nice shots of team and fans for my activity shot. For my portrait shot I'd like to take some pictures of the famous Umpqua river which runs through the heart of Roseburg.

3.) The hardest photo out of these three will probably be my landmark shot because it's going to be  difficult to get people in front of the landmark.

Topic 2
1.)  I would like to do homelessness in Corvallis for my Photo Story. I think that Corvallis has problem with the growing number of people that are homeless. Everyday while I'm driving to school I see more and more homeless camps and people sleeping in tents or under bridges. The nearby 7/11 is a popular hangout for many different homeless people and some of them I've already had conversations with. My plan for this assignment is to go around to different locations and document the everyday life for these homeless people. I would also like to talk more with these people and provide them with any small items that they may need like canned foods, toiletries, and clean water.

Sports Photos

Daniel Ferrario delivers a pitch on Thursday in a simulated game between the roadrunners. Ferrario received 1st team all-conference honors this year with a 6-1 record and a 2.08 ERA.

 Richard Mascarenas is focused on winning one game at a time in the upcoming NWAC tournament. Mascarenas was just named to the 1st team all-conference team while also earning a Gold Glove at shortstop.

The Linn-Benton Roadrunners scrimmaged on Thursday preparing for the NWAC championship coming up on May 23-27. The Roadrunners have accumulated a 30-9 overall record and a 20-4 record in conference, along with being back to back South region champions.

Week 6 Post

1.) Linn-Benton Baseball Team

2.) The Roadrunners have a game at home Saturday vs Clackamas.

3.) Im a little worried about being able to capture their faces during the game, but I'm going to take a lot of photos so hopefully some turn out.

4.)  a.) For my overall picture I want to get the whole field and maybe even the fans or batting cages. Id like to get some close-up pictures of the players hitting or pitching and really focus on getting the right light to see their faces. My medium picture is going to be of the whole team doing their pre-game tradition of getting in a circle and giving everyone a hug.

Health and Safety Fair

 Students from LBCC gather at the Health and Safety fair to discover new practices to help better their lives. More than 15 booths were set up around campus to improve students understanding of their own well-being.

Hub City Chapter was one of the many booths set up for students to view. The groups main goal was to educate people on the dangers of reckless motorcycle driving.

Helmets are lined up in the courtyard to remember the men and women who have lost their lives in motorcycle accidents.

Environmental Portrait and Mug Shot

 Liberty Bidwell smiles as she rings up a customer for a bottle of water. Liberty has been the store leader at the 7/11, right near Linn Benton Community College, for just over a year. She

loves seeing all of the students come into the store and will always greet you with a big smile.

Week 3 Post

Topic 1: For my environmental portraits I was thinking one of the baseball coaches would be a fun shoot. Both coaches are young and somewhat new to the job, so it would be cool to get know them. The best environment would be after practice so I could set him up in good lighting and he wouldn't be busy. Some good props for the picture would be a bat and glove or in the dugout with the props behind him. I know Mike and Andy pretty well from playing baseball and I think they would be okay with it anytime they are not busy. My second idea would be doing a shoot on my roommate Jack, who has been a tree trimmer for over 3 years. Jack has all of the gear and equipment that we could use for props. I see Jack everyday and we actually have a tree in our back yard that needs trimmed, so it would work out great to get some shots of that.


Topic 2: The best picture that I've taken this year is the one that I took of Kylen and Alex playing guitar in the courtyard. I've also taken some very beautiful pictures at the tulip festival but haven't posted them for the class. What I love most about this photo is how well the colors pop, and how it gives the viewer an idea of whats going on and where they are at. My worst photos this year came from my first "Humans of LBCC" post because of the fact that I didn't have very much experience or a camera. Since then I feel I have learned a lot about the quality of photos and how to take pictures that capture what is going on. I think to improve I need to start bringing my camera everywhere I go, and get a feel for what is good lighting and what is not. The more pictures that I take, the more that I will learn and that is exactly what my goal is for this upcoming week.

Week 2 Post

Photographer of the Week:

-My Photographer of the week is Art Wolfe. Art is an award-winning wildlife photographer from Seattle, Washington and has been blowing people away with his photos for over 50 years. Over his 50 years of photography, he has taken an estimated 3 million photos and has traveled to every continent to do so. Wolfe's work has been seen in the National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon, GEO, and Terre Sauvage. What I love most about his work is the passion for his pictures, and how he continues to find the beauty in everything around him. In 1978 he published his first book with Dr Allan Lobb called, "Indian Baskets of the Northwest Coast". Dr. Lobb loved Wolfe's work so much that he began putting it up in the Swedish Medical Center, where it began to be notarized by people all over the world.

Lynsey Addario:

- So far in Lynsey Addario's book I have really enjoyed the passion that she brings to her photography and how she started with just a small Nikon camera. What I also like about Lynsey is she never really new what she was getting herself into when she would go on her trips, she just knew that she loved it. The courage that it would take to go to a foreign place with only your camera and a little bit of money is crazy to me. I think that as photojournalist students, we can learn a lot from the way that Lynsey lives life, chasing her dreams and doing whatever makes her happy. My favorite quote so far is "It was a way to tell a story. It was the marriage of travel and foreign cultures and curiosity and photography. It was photojournalism"(19). I loved this quote because I feel a lot of people think that photojournalism is just taking pictures, but it's more about the story of a picture and I feel that Lynsey has done a great job showing that.

Humans of LBCC #2

Kylen McKinney (Left)

“My name is Kylen McKinney and I am currently a horticulture major at LBCC. My time at LBCC has been enjoyable but it’s only my second term here so there is much more to look forward to. After my time here is done I hope to own a nursery and small organic farm, that I can turn into a bed and breakfast for people to stay at. One of my favorite hobbies is playing guitar and I haven’t got to do it as much as I would like, but with good weather coming hopefully I will get to play more. If I could change one thing about LBCC it would be to keep the horticulture program so that I could save some money instead of going to OSU”.

Alex Tannahill (Right)

“My name is Alex Tannahill and I am currently undecided in what major I want to go in to at LBCC. My plan is to get all of my prerequisites out of the way here and then once I have my associates degree, decide what I want to do for a career. I’ve only been at LBCC for a year, but I have enjoyed all of the time that I have spent here and my professors have all been fantastic as well. In my free time I love to play guitar, I’ve been playing for over 4 years now and I can’t imagine ever stopping. It’s what I love to do most.”

Week 1 Post

1.) I'm Will and this is the first Photojournalism class that I've ever taken. Im currently studying Forestry at LBCC and OSU. I love to be in the outdoors whether it be hunting and fishing, or spending the weekend camping.


2.) My goals for this class is to be more personable with people. Learning to have confidence asking questions and taking pictures. I hope by the end of this class I will have a broader knowledge on how to take pictures and what questions to ask.

3.) Some ideas that I have for the class are taking some really cool pictures of the baseball players, not only just playing in games but also hitting in the batting cages and warming up. I also love outdoor pictures so capturing some beautiful pictures of the campus and what surrounds it.

Humans of LBCC

Jacob Ormsby

“My name is Jacob and it is my first week here at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC). I am 30 years old and have a girlfriend and an 8 year old son who are the greatest joy in my life. I am studying business administration with hopes to sit behind a desk and tell people what to do. I haven’t been at LBCC long enough to tell you what I like and dislike, but I know that Moodle needs some improvement. Once my time here at LBCC is over I plan to get a job in management and ultimately, in the end, own my own business.”

Jacobi Fisher

“I am currently studying criminal justice at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC), this is my 3rd term at LBCC and I plan to transfer to Western Oregon University (WOU) after I’m finished here. I want to study at WOU because of their prolific criminal justice program and after pursue a job in the FBI. So far my time here at LBCC has been very enjoyable and I have had great experiences with all of my professors. Some things that I think LBCC could improve on would be the websites, like Moodle and Webrunner.”