Staff Archives
135 Posts
Campaign '24 Photo November 2, 2024

The Reading the Pictures Salon: Looking at Key Images from Campaign 2024

An expert panel examined key images in the contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump emphasizing themes of democracy, gender, and race.

Continue Reading
War & Militarism Video April 6, 2024

Chatting the Pictures: The Feast of the Arms Industry

We analyze Nikita Teryoshin’s photos lampooning arms expos while applauding the rare window into the massive weapons marketplace.

Continue Reading
Activism & Protest Video March 23, 2024

Chatting the Pictures: Bringing Later Stage Abortions into the Light

The images of a later-stage abortion not only bring the procedure into sharper focus but also challenge the restrictive narratives imposed by new laws.

Continue Reading
Politics Video February 22, 2024

Chatting the Pictures: Trump on Trial

We examine how Trump, despite his astonishing legal woes, turns his court appearances into photo-ops and how the images play in his parallel universe.

Continue Reading
Sports Focus Video February 12, 2024

Chatting the Pictures: The NFL’s Cold, Hard Collision With Climate Denial

Call it the elephant in the stadium. Inspired by the Super Bowl, we riff on a shattering hit with zero impact.

Continue Reading
Environment Video December 22, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Personal Meets Political in Undersea Climate Change Portraits

We survey the powerful blending of portraiture and landscape and the brilliant tension between domesticity and disaster in this photo project.

Continue Reading
Middle East Watch Video December 3, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Mourning Embrace in a Gaza Hospital

We discuss the photo's anonymity and intimacy, as well as other images of the woman and child to personalize the interconnection of grief and loss.

Continue Reading
Middle East Watch Video November 3, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: On a Gaza Playground, Seized by the Peril of Fighter Jets

The photo, timeless as it is specific, embodies the instinctual reactions, sustained fear, and psychic harm to children lacking true refuge.

Continue Reading
Middle East Watch Video October 29, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: The Israeli Hostage Poster

Analyzing the posters of abducted Israelis, we examine their format, 9/11 parallels, wide circulation, and how they inform Israeli unity.

Continue Reading

Chatting the Pictures: Libya’s Climate-Fueled Flood at Epic Scale

With an expert perspective, this photo vividly conveys the immense scale of the climate-supercharged flooding in Libya.

Continue Reading
Chatting the Pictures Photo October 13, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Considering Mahsa Amini’s Legacy on the First Anniversary of Her Death

It's a great illustration of the idea that you don’t have to be standing up to stand up for yourself. Considering the impact of Mahsa Amini.

Continue Reading
Media & Culture Video October 1, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: A Portrait that Dares to Expose Musk’s Madness

We do a deep dive into a daring photo that reflects Elon Musk as a supervillain and potentially mentally disturbed.

Continue Reading
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.

Continue Reading
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.

Continue Reading
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.“

Continue Reading
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.

Continue Reading
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.

Continue Reading
Race & Ethnicity Video June 30, 2023

Chatting the Pictures: Rough Times for Trump and His Body Man

In addition to the power imbalance evident in the photo, we explore the racial and cultural dynamics in the Trump-Nauta relationship.

Continue Reading