It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War

by Lynsey Addario

He taught me to stand on a street corner or in a room for an hour—or two or three—waiting for that great epiphany of a moment, the wondrous combination of subject, light, and composition. And something else: the inexplicable magic that made the image dive right into your heart.

Afghanistan hid in a time capsule of war.

Women Are Casualties of Their Birthplace

Tread lightly, be respectful, get into the story as deeply as I could without making the subject feel uncomfortable or objectified.

was conflicted about making money from images of people who were so desperate, but I thought of all the years I had struggled to make ends meet to be a photographer, and I knew that any money I made from these photos would be invested right back into my work. Trying to convey beauty in war was a technique to try to prevent the reader from looking away or turning the page in response to something horrible. I wanted them to linger, to ask questions.