September 22, 2014
Salon

The BagNewsSalon at Photoville 2014: The Most Significant News Photos of the Year

Our distinguished Photoville panel discussed ten key images that appeared in 2014, including photos by Todd Heisler from his New York Times series on immigration, “The Way North,” and pictures by Mario Tama from his extensive coverage of Brazil and the social upheaval surrounding the World Cup. The discussion provided a rare opportunity to address what these pictures have to say about the current practice of photojournalism, the current state of media and social media, and how they shape and impact the most critical issues of the times.

By Teresa Mahoney
About the Video

This discussion was held May 4th, 2014, at the Photoville photo festival in Brooklyn.

The BagNewsSalon brings together the eyes and voices of leading photojournalists, editors, visual analysts and informed observers to do something that is highly valued but never happens enough — looking deeply at and discussing individual photos. Below you’ll find video highlights from the hangout as well the full broadcast, the accompanying slideshow and the list of panelists.

(photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Highlight Clips

Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Scott Olson’s Distinctive Photo of Three Children in Ferguson, Missouri

This Scott Olson photograph of a young girl with her hands raised, taken during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, was widely circulated and also appeared on the cover of Businessweek. The elements in this composition, both seen and unseen, are discussed at the BagNewsSalon panel at Photoville 2014 in Brooklyn. In this segment, BagNewNotes’ publisher Michael Shaw, Editor-at-large, Meg Handler, Robert Mackey of The New York Times, photographer Todd Heisler and writer and producer David Campbell delve into the elements of this photo, including the “hands-up, don’t shoot” pose that became synonymous with protests against police violence and racial profiling nationwide.

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Photo: Scott Olson

The Presence of Absence: Glenna Gordon’s Creative and Powerful Photos Visualizing Nigerian School Girls Kidnapped by Boko Haram

Glenna Gordon’s photographs humanize the 276 schoolgirls who were kidnapped in Nigeria by showing the world their school uniforms. Through her photographs and descriptions we learn details that help animate their lives. In this BagNews Salon panel at Photoville 2014, publisher Michael Shaw, and BagNews editor-at-large, Meg Handler, discuss the power of these personal items acquired from the girl's homes with photographers Mario Tama and Todd Heisler and photo editor Jamie Wellford.

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Photo: Glenna Gordon

Mario Tama on Brazil’s World Cup: Beyond the Spaceship

Mario Tama spent months in Rio documenting the preparations, as well as the political protests surrounding the 2014 World Cup. At Photoville 2014, Tama and BagNews Publisher Michael Shaw discuss two stunning photos, one capturing the tension between the new, spaceship-like stadium and Rio’s favelas, and another photo confronting the viewer with an unsettling mix of thrill and cost.

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Photo: Mario Tama

Scenes of Immigration in America with Todd Heisler

These two photographs by Todd Heisler were taken while traveling the country and documenting immigration in America. The first photo was taken at a drive-in theater and depicts an immigrant family embracing a longstanding, but disappearing ritual of American life. The second photo is an aerial view of the Mexican-American border capturing the ambiguous terrain where many crossings take place. In this panel discussion at the BagNewSalon at Photoville 2014, Todd Heisler shares his thoughts about the making of these images withBagNewNotes publisher, Michael Shaw.

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Photo: Todd Heisler

On the Photos of Israelis Looking Over (Down on?) Gaza Missile Strikes

During the 2014 Hamas missile attacks and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in reply, debate raged on social media over various photographs of Israeli citizens taking in the hostilities from an overlook in Sderot. Focusing on one photo taken by Andrew Burton for Getty Images, Robert Mackey, foreign correspondent for The New York Times, discusses these polarizing pictures with BagNews publisher, Michael Shaw, writer and producer, David Campbell, and BagNews editor-at-large, Meg Handler, during the BagNewNotes Salon panel at Photoville 2014.

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Photo: Andrew Burton

Photographing Ebola (and Some Thoughts on Aesthetics)

Getty’s John Moore was one of the first western photographers to document the most recent outbreak of Ebola in Western Africa. In this BagNewsNotes panel held at Photoville 2014, an elite panel discusses one of Moore’s most prominent photographs of the contagion. Recognizing the power of the photo, BagNews publisher Michael Shaw, writer and educator, David Campbell, editor Jamie Wellford and BagNews Editor-at-Large Meg Handler discuss the balance between reporting and art, aesthetics and the western gaze in covering this challenging story.

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Photo: John Moore

The Full Edit

Take a closer look at some of the images from our larger photo edit.

Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Caption: Israelis gathered on a hilltop outside the town of Sderot on Monday to watch the bombardment of Gaza.

Photo: Glenna Gordon

Caption: The photographer Glenna Gordon met relatives of some of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria. She realized that while she could not photograph the girls themselves, she could photograph their personal possessions and present the items — dresses, notebooks, letters — as nicely as possible. The families sent their daughters’ belongings by bush taxi and bus. Here, school uniforms.

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Caption: Rio’s iconic Maracana Stadium is lit at dusk behind a favela on December 10, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro.

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Caption: A man sleeps on a sidewalk in Copacabana while dressed in Brazil colors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Caption: Gabrielle Walker, 5, protests the killing of teenager Michael Brown on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Despite the Brown family’s continued call for peaceful demonstrations, violent protests have erupted nearly every night in Ferguson since his death.

Photo: John Moore—Getty Images

Caption: A Liberian health worker speaks with families in a classroom now used as Ebola isolation ward on Aug. 15, 2014 in Monrovia.

Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Caption: Emilio Garibaybartolo, 15, center, gathers with his family for a Saturday night feature of Godzilla at The Last Drive-In Picture Show in Gatesville, Texas. His father is a Mexican immigrant who became a citizen while serving in the US military.

Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Caption: In South Texas, the Rio Grande’s twists and turns — at some points 180 degrees — make it very difficult for the United States Border Patrol to monitor for illegal crossings. Here, Texas is on the left and right; Mexico is in the middle.

Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Caption: A group of miners search a field for debris and human remains from an Malaysia Airlines plane on July 18, 2014 in Grabovka, Ukraine.

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Teresa Mahoney
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Panelists

David Campbell

Independent writer, researcher, lecturer and producer who analyzes visual storytelling and creates new visual stories

Meg Handler

BagNews Editor-at-Large

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Todd Heisler

Staff photographer for The New York Times

Robert Mackey

New York-based foreign correspondent for The New York Times

Mario Tama

Staff photographer, Getty Images

Jamie Wellford

Photo Editor/Curator

Michael Shaw

Publisher – BagNewsNotes

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