Faith Versus the Coronavirus
Where faith is the first line of defense against illness, we are watching appeals to divine intervention succumb to the untamed physics of COVID-19.
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Saguaros and the Steely Monolith
It's a view you can instantly fall in love with–those saguaros, or giant cactus, sharing a "hug." That is, until you recognize the border wall.
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Tokyo 2020, Or Not
In terms of what photographs do, this split view of tourists above and the stadium below projects us five months into the Olympic future.
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Camouflage is a Common Marvel
Camouflage is a common marvel in the biological world. Whether the dress here is purposeful or not is a different question.
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Under MAGA, the Convergence of Militia and State
Those armed men prowling the Kentucky statehouse made one thing clear. Second amendment activism has fused with the militia movement and white supremacy.
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Wedding Humor in the Age of Apocalypse
I noticed this picture from South Korea has been making the rounds again. It was taken as a (not-such-a-) joke photo at a wedding in Seoul in June 2015. At the time, the catalyst for the photo was the outbreak of the deadly MERS virus. Today, it strikes a...
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Athletic Upskirting at the Australian Open
In addition to being a (sometimes) illegal pastime of amateur photographers on subway trains and public staircases the world over, upskirting has long been a mainstay of fashion, advertising, and stock photography. It’s no surprise, then, that it pops up occasionally in the realm of sports photography in athletic...
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Impeachment Trial Media Blackout
Not only is the media resorting to illustrators to capture the proceedings of the presidential impeachment trial, the view of the audience is also limiting.
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The Trump – Greta Thunberg Photo Crossings
Once again, young Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump find their way into the same international meeting photo. As the climate degenerates, we can expect more.
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Mitch Epstein’s Pipeline Activist
Epstein's photo of Pennsylvania's Ashton Clatterbuck captures the urgency of the climate crisis, and it's appropriately fitting.
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The Symbolism of the Pope Slapping a Woman on New Years
Who would have imagined the biggest New Years social media drama would involve the pope slapping a well-wisher in St. Peter’s Square?
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Christmas Back With a Vengeance: Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Cages
The nativity protest photo hit a nerve: Imagining what might happen if the most well-known refugee family in the world tried to seek asylum in today’s USA.
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“Beautiful” Violence in Climate Change Photography
Abstract geometries and pleasing color palettes make it hard to understand the experience of harm.
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Our Visual Appeal: Help Support Reading the Pictures
This holiday season, Reading the Pictures is asking for your support. In these divided times, bringing clarity to media imagery is as important as ever.
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Trump’s Thanksgiving Wingman: Pence in Iraq
Pence can be counted on to deliver a steady diet of visual comfort food, indulging those who hunger for a return to the political style of Ronald and Nancy.
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Turkey’s Syria Invasion and Visual Media Bias
Media bias usually has to do with what's in the frame--not whether there is one. Turkey's Syria invasion is an example of bias for only showing one side.
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Memes Against Impeachment: Trump’s Shitposted Truth
With impeachment coming, far-right meme-makers and propagandists are helping to prop Trump up. We analyze PowerTie’s POTUS-retweeted line drawing animation.
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Climate Crisis: Are the Animals Mad at Us?
Between the heat and the photography, it’s hard not to process this as a portrait of six scorched and very pissed off water buffalo.
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