Michael Shaw Archives
5,640 Posts
Environment Photo June 12, 2024

If This Summer is Anything Like the Last

If this summer is anything like the last, the climate crisis will destroy more norms, we will gasp, then forget, and photographers will continue to skewer our denial. By Michael Shaw Last summer, scorching temperatures shattered heat records in the Southwest and Europe. Lahaina, the historic Hawaiian resort, was...

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Environment Photo May 17, 2024

Blind to the Apocalypse: The Climate Emergency has Fallen Off the Radar

If the climate this summer is anything like the last, we will gasp, then forget, and photographers will continue to skewer our denial.

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Protest Focus Photo May 9, 2024

Racism, Symbolism, Story: More Notable Images from the Campus “Free Palestine” Movement

In our second "free Palestine" campus protest post, we focus on the institutional divide and more scenes that challenge the media narrative.

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Activism & Protest Photo May 2, 2024

Crucial Elements of the Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests Overlooked by the Mainstream

Education, negotiation, militarism, human rights. Free Palestine campus protests have stood for much more than they have been credited for.

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Environment Photo April 15, 2024

Notes on that Transcendent Border Eclipse Photo

The image of the Border Patrol agent and the migrant detainees is truly inspiring. But what makes it work as well as it does, and what context and caution should we consider when thinking about it? By Michael Shaw In a striking photograph captured by José Gaytán for El...

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War & Militarism Photo April 9, 2024

The Feast of the Arms Industry, and More Eye Candy

Nikita Teryoshin’s photos from arms fairs satirize invisible weapon bazaars. In our latest video, we analyze his delicious photos and contrast them with how the media treats military hardware imagery. By Michael Shaw Canapés and Cruise Missiles? Petits fours meet purveyors of war? Before asking what to make of...

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Middle East Watch Photo April 1, 2024

Israeli Military in Gaza: Are You Going to Believe Us, Or Your Own Eyes?

Despite the Israeli military's attempts to control and censor the coverage of Gaza, photojournalists continue to see through the propaganda.

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Photo March 24, 2024

Later Stage Abortion and the Changing Face of the Movement: Tracing our Post-Roe Coverage in 7 Photographs

We trace the visual arc of our abortion coverage from the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg to a clinical focus on later abortion. Distress and crisis has given way to increasing transparency and resolve. By Michael Shaw Our latest Chatting the Pictures video, featuring Maggie Shannon’s powerful photographs for...

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Biden Presidency Photo March 18, 2024

Visual Blindspots and Media Bias: The “Disappearing” of Kamala Harris

While framed as “missing-in-action,” Kamala Harris tackles the hardest jobs and is everywhere fighting for social justice.

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Environment Photo March 3, 2024

Pictures Worth Noting: Extreme Symbolism and Arresting Juxtapositions

We're thrilled to introduce a new newsletter feature: "Pictures Worth Noting." Today's focus ranges from climate, to politics, to the border.

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Immigration Photo

Pictures Worth Noting: Extreme Symbolism and Arresting Juxtapositions

By Michael Shaw As I navigate endless galleries of photos across news sites, magazines, and social platforms, I encounter countless images that have stayed with us despite not making it to our main features. These are the photos that, for one reason or another, don’t find a place in...

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Trump Photo February 27, 2024

Fading Force: Has Trump Lost His Edge in His Court-Defying Visual Strategy?

Recent court losses are eroding Trump's ability to dominate the photo coverage of his legal troubles. Expect his control of the narrative to weaken as the damage sets in.

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Biden Presidency Photo February 22, 2024

Throwing Shade: The Disturbing Visual Fallout From the Special Counsel’s Attack on Biden’s Competency

The Special Counsel’s questioning of Biden's cognitive abilities has unleashed a raft of negative imagery. The media's use of undermining photos risks biasing public perceptions and spreading ageist stereotypes. It's crucial to present more balanced visuals.

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Media & Culture Photo February 12, 2024

The NFL’s Shattering Collision With Climate Denial, With Some Swift Notes

In our video, we dissect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s helmet shattering in an NFL playoff game, one more sign of the impact of climate change despite the media’s neglect of its broader implications. By Michael Shaw Call it the elephant in the stadium. Inspired by the Super Bowl, watch our...

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Politics Photo September 5, 2023

Disrupting Trump’s Mug Shot and His “Singular Genius”

The treatment of Trump's mug shot is vital to consider, given the potential of the George conspiracy case to reshape his public identity.

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Media & Culture Photo June 21, 2022

David Hume Kennerly: Because He Was There

This photo of David Hume Kennerly, taken in Vietnam, makes a basic yet essential point about media integrity and the reportage from Ukraine.

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Environment Photo December 21, 2021

At the Tipping Point: So Much for the Pioneer Spirit

2021 represented a climate change tipping point. In recounting key visual markers, we call out two images from the Dixie Fire.

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Environment Photo November 21, 2021

Doubled Over By Ida

2021 was a climate tipping point. And among the catastrophes, this blow from Hurricane Ida seemed to speak to a larger fate.

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