September 10, 2020
Chatting the Pictures

Chatting the Pictures: Viral “Covid Meets California Firestorm” Photo

Welcome to Chatting the Pictures. Every two weeks, we present short highlights of a lively discussion between Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer, professor and historian, Cara Finnegan. Each video is dedicated to analyzing a significant picture in the news.

By Staff
About the Video

This photo was taken by Noah Berger for the AP. It shows flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires burning in Napa County, California. The photo went viral for capturing two crises in one picture, the threat of COVID-19 and the enormous California firestorms wracking the state. Michael and Cara describe how details in the photo inform the different emergencies, and how the scene presents a powerful commentary on a compounding global climate crisis.

Chatting the Pictures is produced by Liliana Michelena.

You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.

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Panelists

Michael Shaw

An analyst of news photos and visual journalism, and a frequent lecturer and writer on visual politics, photojournalism and media literacy, Michael is the founder and publisher of Reading the Pictures.

Cara Finnegan

Cara Finnegan is a writer, photo historian, and professor of Communication at the University of Illinois. She has been affiliated with Reading The Pictures for nearly 15 years, most recently as co-host of Chatting The Pictures. Her latest book is Photographic Presidents: Making History from Daguerreotype to Digital, out with University of Illinois Press in spring 2021.

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