On that 10 Downing Cameron Brexit Portrait

As much as we talk about photos here, we don’t spend a lot of time discussing the properties that make them so brilliant and crafty. Instead, the way they work feels like magic. Lately though, I’ve been doing more lecturing, requiring me to think more and be more specific about the mechanics. Take this photo that blew through the media sphere following the political earthquake in Britain, for example. It’s about the function of space and how the Brexit divorce from the European Union informs the framing of Cameron and his wife. Specifically, it sets up a geographical metaphor, the Prime Minister issuing his resignation in front of 10 Downing Street while his honey, like the E.U., suddenly feels far to the east.

(photo: Fecund Arrizabalaga/EPA. caption: British Prime Minister David Cameron announces his resignation after the Brexit vote in London.)