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236 Posts
Notes Photo May 9, 2017

Combat Photographer’s Last Photo a Resounding Media Failure

The rush to publish a combat photographer’s last photo led to a fundamental lack of context and a widespread, culturally tone-deaf photo editing failure.

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Notes Photo April 29, 2017

Ivanka and the Settling Mess: Our Social Media Roundup

What with the 100 day milestone and his manic push to put anything on his resume, this was another week of wall-to-wall Trump. Still, I wonder if the tone is shifting.

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Notes Photo February 15, 2017

Overshadowed by his Photo: The Afterlives of Omran Daqneesh

Omran's suffering essentially disappeared at the very moment the image of it became visible.

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Notes Photo December 21, 2016

On That Eerie Aleppo Photo Doubling Man and Child

Once one man leaves the frame, another will follow, and once there are no men left to exit, there will be more Aleppos.

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Notes Photo December 19, 2016

Why Photographs Don’t Stop the War

Photographs may have long wave influence, but they don’t end wars or famines or otherwise stop history in its tracks.

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Notes Photo July 24, 2016

Pokemon Syria

Embellishing hell on earth with the blue character reminds us that war is not just slideshow fodder or background noise.

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Notes Photo June 5, 2016

Not Again: Photographer David Gilkey, RIP

The black hole known as the Afghan War claims the life of another outstanding photographer.

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Notes Photo June 2, 2016

Echo of the Bomb in Photos of Obama’s Visit to Hiroshima

Beyond the photos of Obama at the memorial, it felt like the horror, grief, memory and subordination was creeping into the other images.

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Notes Photo May 19, 2016

About that Striking Overhead Photo from a Manhattan Shooting

On Instagram, reactions to Spencer Platt's photo include one word statements like “amazing” or “unbelievable.” We can only assume why, though.

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Notes Photo March 19, 2016

Lufthansa Fashion: Our Latest Twitter/Instagram Roundup

For the first time in weeks, our Twitter/Instagam round up has fewer Campaign ’16 pics. Could fatigue be setting in? Or maybe the front has just shifted.

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Notes Photo December 6, 2015

Gun Control Battle: A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Rounds

Outrage is no longer enough. To win the battle over guns, more aggressive and creative images are needed.

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Notes Photo October 14, 2015

Why it’s Critical to View the Photos Inside the MSF Hospital in Kunduz

The photos are crucial for the opportunity to substantiate what we only know to be true.

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Notes Photo July 15, 2015

That All-Too-Dark Iran Nuke Disarmament Photo

Marking the concluding instant of the negotiation ritual, the end of the beginning and the beginning of the future and its consequences, the photo is eerie indeed.

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Notes Photo June 25, 2015

Two Rambos, and that New Treasure Trove of Bush – Cheney White House Photos

What's great about these images the National Archives were compelled to turn over is just how politically incorrect they are.

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Notes Photo June 22, 2015

On Pointing a Handgun Directly at Ted Cruz's Head

These photographs make a point by turning the gun lobby's central argument back onto itself. If "more guns" is your only response to rampant gun violence, then at some point a law of averages dictates that innocent people are going to end up in the line of fire.

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Notes Photo June 18, 2015

Suddenly, Assad Not Such a Bad Guy?: On TIME’s Exclusive Photos of ISIS – Syrian Battle

The question here is how to evaluate the informational value of the story against its propaganda value.

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Notes Photo June 2, 2015

Juxtaposition of the Day: So Much for Ploughshares and Pruning Hooks

War is a force that gives us meaning.

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Notes Photo May 31, 2015

When Those Endearing Photos of Kids and Riot Cops Really Aren't

It cautions us not to take pictures at face value or to assume that what's in a frame is necessarily that consistent with what's happening just outside of it.

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