Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Our Twitter/Instagram Favs of the Week

Earth, air, fire, water. The elements are all there, from the migrant crisis to wardrobe confrontations on French beaches to Patrick Fallon’s unavoidably gorgeous Instagram photo from King’s River.  We also see ways we unapologetically alter our cultural landscape (farewell, Stardust) as well as depict it more artistically with a purpose, as Matt Black does with a small house in Iowa. And, of course, the presidential campaign continues to dominate the air, kick up dirt and generate plenty of its own heat. Not to mention, just as much chill humor. Then, the junk food riff (indicative of the wider territory we’re exploring on Instagram) is more for fun.

Despite the dramatic rescue, metaphor fingers inadequacy of plugging the #refugeecrisis dike https://t.co/Yd8cXxAc7s pic.twitter.com/SBDp9qbdkb

— Reading The Pictures (@ReadingThePix) August 29, 2016

The other (file) pic @AP moves on #Trump #Mexico visit, from 5/16 donkey festival in State of Otumba. #sorryoldglory pic.twitter.com/HMp5imMOBk

— Reading The Pictures (@ReadingThePix) August 31, 2016

Clearly stuck in Stage 3 #5StagesOfGrief #Trump rally Everitt WA 📷@nategowdy/Instagram pic.twitter.com/yLsHvxkqPI

— Reading The Pictures (@ReadingThePix) September 1, 2016

Almost as bad are expressions of the gawkers #WearWhatYouWant #France 📷bestimage via NYT pic.twitter.com/zKKeRyHTGV

— Reading The Pictures (@ReadingThePix) August 27, 2016

Beauty is the inextinguishable problem with fire and news photography. #Repost @patrickfallon ・・・ Spent a little time with the Kings River hotshots yesterday during the #pilotfire and loved how eerie the #forest was covered in phos-check. for @reuters #hotshots #kingsriver #lakearrowhead #wildfire #firefighting #fireseason #wildlandfirefighter #fireline #disaster #beauty #red #nature

A photo posted by Reading The Pictures (@readingthepictures) on Aug 31, 2016 at 8:30pm PDT

So much for nostalgia … and historical preservation. Consigned to the future as Vegas trivia (or movie trivia — partial list tagged below), the answer to the question is: The Riviera Hotel. #Repost @locherphoto ・・・ Rubble from the Riviera hotel and casino demolition. #Oceans11 #DiamondsAreForever #Casino #Showgirls #AustinPowers #Go #3000MilestoGraceland #21 #The Hangover #JasonBourne #lasvegas #riviera #dailylife #preservation #popularculture #culture #americanculture #casino #vegas #americana #demolition #buildings

A photo posted by Reading The Pictures (@readingthepictures) on Aug 30, 2016 at 11:23am PDT

Perhaps the best depiction of what happened to the ’16 GOP presidential campaign we’ve seen in the whole two years. (And that INCLUDES the surveillance camera.) #Repost @hollybdc ・・・ Nature scene (Milwaukee WI) #politics #publicart #beer #elephants #advertising #bar #saloon #street #streetphotography #bw #humor #funny #Milwaukee #Pabst #PabstBlueRibbon #noparking

A photo posted by Reading The Pictures (@readingthepictures) on Aug 29, 2016 at 1:42pm PDT

His gift is finding different ways to help us visualize American hardship, hard scrabble life and rural poverty. Here, Matt Black channels his inner van Gogh. #Repost @mattblack_blackmatt ・・・ Villisca, IA. Reflected house. Villisca has a population of 1,252 and 21.9% live below the poverty level. #poverty #reflection #house #rural #country

A photo posted by Reading The Pictures (@readingthepictures) on Aug 28, 2016 at 7:21am PDT

For the caption junkies: Bad day for stripes? Small shoes to fill? Times Square, here we come? …But honestly, it’s junk food. #Repost @danwintersphoto ・・・ Danny McBride and Walton Goggins as Ronald and Burgler, LA, 2016 for @gq thank you @nschneiderstyle for your attention to detail and overall wonderful-ness #McDonalds #RonaldMcDonald #Burgler #costumes #characters #actors #photoshoots #consumerculture #fastfood #junkfood

A photo posted by Reading The Pictures (@readingthepictures) on Aug 24, 2016 at 11:00am PDT