“I can’t take this photo. I must take this photo.” - Part Two: Westporters on the Ground
History-defining photos and the brave hearts behind the lens.
As we witness the calamities in Ukraine and reflect on the human cost of this war, this series seeks to shine a light on photojournalism, photojournalists, and equip us to look with courage and a critical eye.
In memory of the photojournalists who died whilst reporting in Ukraine in the last few weeks: Pierre Zakrzewski, Oleksandra Kuvshynova and Brent Renaud.
This is a series I will be publishing over the coming weeks.
We have seen the horrors through their eyes. We have borne witness to the destruction of communities and lives through their camera lenses. We have been privy to the courage and trust they have dedicated years to cultivating.
So who are the photojournalists behind these images?
Today, I am sharing my own humble window into two photojournalists currently on assignment in Ukraine, who I came to know while I was working at as Artistic Director at MoCA Westport (formerly Westport Arts Centre): native Westporters Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario was born and raised in Westport, Connecticut - which became my home of 30 years up until I returned to New Zealand in 2020.
In January 2022, right before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Westport Library featured a special exhibit of her photos.
Veiled Rebellion: Women of Afghanistan began with a 2009 assignment from National Geographic. Lynsey persevered through the cultural and societal taboos that made it extremely difficult to photograph women there; she gained trust, and began shooting remarkable, intimate portraits. Many depicted the powerlessness of these women - pictured giving birth, huddled together for strength, or alone.
In 2014, I curated an exhibition of Addario’s photo essay called On the Wire: Veiled Rebellion. Lynsey returned to her native Westport to share her experiences, and Rt Hon Helen Clark, former UNDP Administrator, joined us in Westport to offer her own reflections on the realities portrayed by Lynsey’s photographs.
Called the most powerful woman at the United Nations, the former New Zealand Prime Minister stood in stark contrast to the images of powerless Afghan women and children on display.
Lynsey described the images of the Afghan women, spoke about her journey as a photojournalist, and the photographic essay for which she was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. In making the award, the Pulitzer committee noted the perilous conditions under which the work was performed.
Indeed, in March 2011, Lynsey and three colleagues including Tyler Hicks, another Westport-raised, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for The New York Times, were kidnapped in Libya while covering the fighting between dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s troops and rebel forces.
Fast-forward to now, Ukraine.
In Part 1 of this series, I covered the history-making photo Lynsey captured of a family who were hit by a Russian mortar as they attempted to run across a bridge that spanned the Irpin River. Three days prior, Lynsey captured this image of President Volodymyr Zelensky:
Alongside Lynsey in Ukraine is her colleague Tyler Hicks - also fellow Staples graduate and Pulitzer Prize winner. Tyler was part of the New York Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, alongside Lynsey Addario.
Almost 11 years to the day, Tyler and Lynsey were taken hostage in Libya, on assignment for The Times covering the revolution. After six days in captivity, they were released. A year later, in Syria, Tyler was with The Times’s Beirut bureau chief Anthony Shadid, when Mr. Shadid died. Tyler carried Mr. Shadid’s body across the border to Turkey.
In 2016, Tyler won his third Pulitzer Prize, this time for images of migrants seeking asylum in Europe. Michele McNally, an assistant managing editor and director of photography at the Times, said of Hicks: “Tyler can shoot the most aesthetic, memorable and meaningful pictures in any situation, even under fire.”
The reason I am sharing these encounters with Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks is to help bring us closer to the humans behind the cameras, and in doing so bring us closer to their subjects. Yes, these are celebrated photographers. But they are human like any of us, with families and alma maters and hopes for the future. What is unique about them is that they straddle a line between peace and war, a wall it would be near impossible for us to see through, were it not for their photographs drawing back the curtain. Getting to know the personalities helps bring this all just a little closer to home, and make it a little bit more real. This is important.
The story told through these images is bleak, but also an insight into the heroism of community. At great personal risk, Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks - and all the other photojournalists on the ground - are producing glimpses into brutal realities parallel to our own. These are the stories of individuals whose names we will never know, but whose stories are intricately interwoven with our own. The privilege to witness their stories, from an objective perspective of current events, only comes through the sacrifice and trust-building of these photojournalists. For that we should be grateful. They pay the price for the world to see.