Chatting the Pictures
Chatting the Pictures: Greenpeace Boulder Suspended Over the North Sea
Welcome to Chatting the Pictures. Every two weeks, we present a short, lively video discussion between Michael Shaw, publisher of Reading the Pictures, and writer, professor, and historian, Cara Finnegan, examining a significant picture in the news. Chatting the Pictures is produced by Liliana Michelena.
This photo was taken by Suzanne Plunkett for Greenpeace. As part of their Protect the Oceans campaign in February 2021, Greenpeace dropped boulders into the North Sea to keep super trawlers from destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas. Bottom trawling in a Marine Protected Area has been likened to bulldozing a national park.
The video is part of our “best photography of 2021” series. Beyond noting the difference between news and advocacy images, we examine the symbolism and the visual intrigue of the boulder “suspended” in the air as well as the craft and skill involved in capturing such a scene.
You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.
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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 most recent book is Photographic Presidents: Making History from Daguerreotype to Digital.
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