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Chatting the Pictures: The Magnetic Harris and Walz Dynamic in One Frame

Chatting the Pictures: The Trump Crazy, and that Viral Olympic Surfing Pic

In a pair of videos, we read a brilliant Mark Peterson image exposing the ever-more-damaged Donald Trump and riff on an almost supernatural photo from the Paris (and Tahiti) Olympics. By Michael Shaw No wonder Trump can’t get over Biden dropping out. While the former president’s mental health was...

Besides RNC Fever Dream, a Perfect Photo of "the New Weirdness"

A single word threatens to expose the Trump/MAGA madness. Sinna Nasseri’s twilight-zone picture embodies the moment. By Michael Shaw In the landscape of American politics, a new narrative is taking root, transforming the perception of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance from looming threats to democracy into something far more...

Crafting Trump's Hero Narrative: Media's Visual Complicity in the Assassination Drama—and the Shoe Panic Explained

Now that Trump has spun the attack images into convention hype and marketing gold, we dissect the media’s role, address the problem with the bullet photo, and unravel his mysterious shoe anxiety. By Michael Shaw On July 15, 2024, former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination...

"Climate Ecstasy" and More: Our Photography Round-Up

It’s true—people value the pictures we choose just as much as what we have to say about them. By Michael Shaw   One problem with our 24/7 media culture is that news that didn’t happen today or yesterday is treated like stale bread. That’s a shame, especially when it...

The Most Cringeworthy Media Visuals After Biden's Nightmare Debate

Nobody wants to revisit what happened on stage, so we focus on the media fallout and the visual framing of the first 2024 presidential debate.

Chatting The Pictures: The Rare Photo of Trump as Warped and Tortured as the Man Himself

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

Chatting the Pictures: The Feast of the Arms Industry

We analyze Nikita Teryoshin’s photos lampooning arms expos while applauding the rare window into the massive weapons marketplace.

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.

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...

Chatting the Pictures: Bringing Later Stage Abortions into the Light

The images of a later-stage abortion not only bring the procedure into sharper focus but also challenge the restrictive narratives imposed by new laws.

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.

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.

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...