Chatting the Pictures
Chatting the Pictures: Viral “Covid Meets California Firestorm” Photo
Welcome to Chatting the Pictures. Every two weeks, we present short highlights of a lively discussion between Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer, professor and historian, Cara Finnegan. Each video is dedicated to analyzing a significant picture in the news.
This photo was taken by Noah Berger for the AP. It shows flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires burning in Napa County, California. The photo went viral for capturing two crises in one picture, the threat of COVID-19 and the enormous California firestorms wracking the state. Michael and Cara describe how details in the photo inform the different emergencies, and how the scene presents a powerful commentary on a compounding global climate crisis.
Chatting the Pictures is produced by Liliana Michelena.
You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.
Salon Sponsors Interested in sponsoring an upcoming Chatting the Pictures or Salon? We are always looking for partners to help bring insight about the latest news photos to our readers.
Follow us on Instagram (@readingthepictures) and Twitter (@readingthepix), and subscribe to our newsletter.
Topic
A curated collection of pieces related to our most-popular subject matter.
Panelists
An analyst of news photos and visual journalism, and a frequent lecturer and writer on visual politics, photojournalism and media literacy, Michael is the founder and publisher of Reading the Pictures.
Cara Finnegan is a writer, photo historian, and professor of Communication at the University of Illinois. She has been affiliated with Reading The Pictures for nearly 15 years, most recently as co-host of Chatting The Pictures. Her latest book is Photographic Presidents: Making History from Daguerreotype to Digital, out with University of Illinois Press in spring 2021.
Reactions
Comments Powered by Disqus