Videos

Reading the Pictures produces two video programs. Chatting the Pictures is a biweekly, highly-edited 10-minute webcast featuring publisher Michael Shaw and visual academic Cara Finnegan analyzing 3 key news photographs. The Reading the Pictures Salon is a panel discussion concerned with how the media and social media visually frame key social and cultural issues.

Previous Videos
Chatting the Pictures Video September 23, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Coexisting with a Steadily Rising Sea

In the video, we contrast the vibrant elements of this Javanese portrait with the irony and cultural loss from the advance of climate change.

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Environment Video September 6, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: The Climate’s Dark Harvest

As striking as it is ominous, this disorienting photo is a powerful indictment of the social and environmental impact of extreme heat.

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Media & Culture Video August 14, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: The Fate of Twitter in a Single Shot

In the video, we into the symbolism of the dismembered logo, the visual dynamics of the replacement “X,” and the live bird and the “BlueSky.“

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Middle East Watch Video August 7, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Israel’s “Democracy SOS”

We note the scale and urgency of the "judicial coup" protests in Israel and their failure to garner international attention.

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Chatting the Pictures Video July 25, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: NYC’s Children of the Smoke

The sight of smoke descending on NYC was otherworldly. The emotional fallout from the Canadian wildfires, especially on children, was also.

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Videos, explained by Michael Shaw
More about Chatting the Pictures and the Salon.

Chatting the Pictures is a lively, highly edited look at key news photographs. Co-hosts Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer and historian, Cara Finnegan, meet to discuss three prominent photos in the recent news. You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.

The Reading the Pictures Salon analyzes 8-9 carefully researched photos chosen for theme and depth of content. Each 90-minute panel is made up of leading photographers, photo editors, visual academics and other experts experienced in the subject.

Since 2008, we have produced 29 Salons working with sponsors such as Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Open Society Foundation. We have covered topics from social justice to political campaigns to foreign policy. For examples, take a look at: The Visual Representation of the US/Mexico Border Wall in the Media; How Science is Pictured in the Media and Public Culture; The Visual Framing of the Migrant Crisis; The Visual Framing of Surveillance; The Debate Over White House Photo Access; The Picture from Syria; or The War on Women. Each post contains a full replay of the broadcast, along with 2-3 minute highlight videos from each photo discussed. You can find all the full salons here.