War Through The Eyes Of A Woman Photographer
(CBS) -- We might never know the dangers in areas ripped apart by conflict if it weren't for the photojournalists who risk their own lives to take us there.
It's a profession dominated by men. But CBS 2's Vince Gerasole speaks with a woman often called the greatest living photojournalist. Her work is now on display at the Field Museum.
Lynsey Addario's work helps us look in the eyes of Syrians escaping unrest; takes us into tent cities and the lives of Iraqis fleeing ISIS.
"A lot of people I photograph are fighting for their lives and fighting for some semblance of security every single day of their lives," she says.
A stone's throw from violence, she's chronicled uprisings in Libya, embedded with women soldier in the Middle East and documented the many phases of their growing impact.
"I think that people need to see what's happening around the world," she says.
She survived two kidnappings and death threats. "The possibility of death was always a possible consequence of my work," she acknowledges.
Her work -- showing Afghan women training as police officers, or families watching a 3-D movie in war-torn Bagdad -- has earned her the Pulitzer Prize.
Addario is one of 11 female photojournalists whose work in conflict zones is featured in a new exhibit, WOMEN OF VISION, at The Field Museum. Addario says as a female photographer working in the Muslim world she has access to family situations male photographers don't.
"For me it's really about providing an intimate detailed record of what people's lives are like in these difficult situations," she says.
Now a mother herself, she admits to taking fewer risks. Still, her work continues.
We often think the work of a photographer is about light and composition, but Addario says 80 percent of her work is researching her subjects and finding ways to make them comfortable so she can capture their stories in a photo.
"I often look to get as intimate as I can with a subject and as deep inside of the trauma," she says.
Jennifer Lawrence and Steven Spielberg are currently working with her to tell her life story on film.