Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer shares her experience at Penn State

Lynsey Addario has had tea with the Taliban and visited the Gaza Strip when she was seven months pregnant.

And on Monday night, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer graced the Schwab Auditorium stage on Penn State’s campus to talk about her life and the many paths she’s had to walk.

The crowd of about 300 people followed her humble beginnings as a photographer in Argentina to her groundbreaking work covering international conflicts.

Walking into the Buenos Aires Herald office in 1996, the Connecticut native was sent on wild goose chases, she said.

Coming back with a photo every time, the editors finally gave her an ultimatum — get a photo of Madonna at her concert with no press credentials and she would have the position.

“If you let me in, I can get a job,” she recalls telling the doorman.

He thought she looked so pathetic, she said, that he gave in. With that first gig, Addario was on her way to photographing some of the most iconic moments of the past 20 years.

From covering the American invasion of Iraq to the repercussions of rape in war torn countries, Addario’s ability to humanize the inhumanity of the world is clear in her work.

“I want people to talk about these issues. I want to make them mad and ask, ‘Why is this happening?’ ” she said.

The importance of being there, of a photo and of bearing witness to something is crucial to her.

In Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, where women are subject to constant oppression, Addario has brought to light the side of life not often seen.

“I don’t exclusively focus on women’s stories, but I’m drawn to it,” she said. “I feel like I have a particular access in the Middle East.”

Following the pregnancy of three Syrian refugees over the past few years, Addario once again walked into unknown territory.

While the damages from the civil war to children in Syria is unquestionable, highlighting the struggle of women trying to escape war while keeping their unborn child alive is one way Addario has proven her ability to show a side of women in the Middle East that hasn’t been seen before.

“I can’t ever really complain because I was born and raised in Connecticut,” she said. “I always had food to eat, but I get emotional and I try not to forget. I try to carry (my subjects) with me because I think it’s the only way I can show respect and to all of these people.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer shares her experience at Penn State."