Close-Up: Lynsey Addario

Training: Started shooting as a teenager, picked up darkroom rudiments from a family friend in high school, then learned on the job as a stringer for the Associated Press.

Inspired By: Her subjects and her desire to document their stories.

Accolades: In addition to the MacArthur, she won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting as part of The New York Times team and the Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography in 2008 for her work in Darfur, Sudan.

Best Advice: Get out there and do it. Hone skills through experience.