Search

Shutter Shock: The Photos that Expose Trump’s Mind in Disarray

The media, barring some exceptions, sanitizes Trump’s incoherence. Quotes help, but nothing exposes his confusion and chaos like visible reactions. By Michael Shaw and Cara Finnegan Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race in July led to a shift in the media landscape which included greater focus and open...

Chatting the Pictures: In Campaign’s Closing Weeks, Trump's Incoherence Takes Center Stage

Springfield's Haitian Immigrants in the Light

Amid a storm of misrepresentation, authentic portraits challenge distortions and reveal a community’s true image. By Michael Shaw The controversy surrounding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, has highlighted a critical issue: the lack of visibility and accurate representation of this community. Despite comprising a significant portion of Springfield’s population,...

The 13 Most Telling Photographs of the Harris-Trump Presidential Debate

Harris outmaneuvered Trump using psychological tactics to expose his weaknesses potentially reshaping the 2024 election narrative.

The Picture Perfect Democratic Convention - Part 2

In part two of my visual round-up of the 2024 DNC, I look at the wooing of the middle class, the visibility of the Uncommitted delegates, the rush of the Content Creators, and the tweaking of Trump. By Michael Shaw While Part 1 focused on the Democratic National Convention’s...

Chatting the Pictures: A Single Image Tells the Story of the 2024 DNC

The Picture Perfect Democratic Convention - Part 1

In Part 1 of my DNC roundup, I explore the pivot from Biden, Dems laying claim to the flag, women’s empowerment in Harris’s rise, and family, inclusion, and generational change. By Michael Shaw How dynamic was the Democratic Convention? Well, the Dems have an election to win, and the...

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...