Search - Reading The Pictures

International Focus Photo June 29, 2014

Between an Electrifying World Cup and Bodies on the Ground: Mario Tama in Brazil

What Mario has done this deep into the tournament, and with Team Brazil riding high, is to graft together the social and political with the sport and the spectacle.

Iraq and Afghanistan War Photo June 28, 2014

Charlie's Angels

No, I'm not mocking the Iraqi Army or the fact lives are on the line. What I am poking fun at are all the "stage-y" news pictures that end up illustrating a critical story because they're available.

Business Focus Photo June 27, 2014

Hashtag Mining: The Politics of World Cup Watching

We take a hashtag tour to see who's watching World Cup and who -- with all that business to do, and all the fires to put out -- is minding the store.

Faith Focus Photo June 26, 2014

Pictures Beyond the Veil: The Hijab and Free Choice

Although compulsary veiling is certainly a violation of women’s civil rights, the act of unveiling can similarly obscure women’s identities.

Political Psychology Photo June 25, 2014

Thoughts on the Suarez Bite at the World Cup ... and How Social Media Swallowed Him Whole

Instead of the incident showing the player as a freak or a punching bag, it highlights America’s myopia when it comes to the world of soccer and what is happening on the rest of the planet.

International Focus Photo June 24, 2014

As Headlines Mash, War & Sports Mixed Metaphor of the Day

The eye candy news slideshow meets Iraq hysteria meets the sports industrial complex.

Media Focus Photo June 23, 2014

The Twisted Cairo al-Jazeera Verdict, in Pictures

For one thing, the judge spent a good chunk of time during the trial behind dark glasses.

Afghanistan Photo

Staring Our War in the Face

Using the President's suit to simulate a simple dark background, the gaze makes its own larger statement.

International Focus Photo June 20, 2014

What’s Great About 7 Guys in the Desert, at a Camel Market, Watching the World Cup

You'd think these guys from Saudi Arabia would be watching either Algeria or Iran, wouldn’t you?

Middle East Watch Photo June 19, 2014

Israel/Palestine: What's Up

With the Israel/Palestine situation at a stalemate, what else can this girl do?

Media Focus Photo

ISIS Images Go Mainstream: Giving Terrorists a Hand

AP is not just validating, packaging and sanctioning this scene for the Western media news stream, its caption complements the terrorist’s narrative.

Gender & Identity Photo June 17, 2014

When Photographing Is Forbidden: Making Portraits in the McCarren Park Pool Locker Room by Amy Touchette

It seemed wrong, somehow, to forbid me to photograph these girls. The way they were coming into womanhood—the way they revealed it in their body language and style—mesmerized me. To ignore this demographic seems especially detrimental.

International Focus Photo

Terror Imagery the Envy of Hollywood: Why a Scapegoating West Can't Get Enough of ISIS

The question is, why is Western media suddenly so obsessed with the propaganda of ISIS in Iraq, and gratuitously publishing the groups factually-ambiguous terror scenes?

Disaster Focus Photo June 16, 2014

The Marriage of Wedding Photography and Photojournalism Getting Totally Out of Hand

Quick takes on one of the week's hottest wire photos.

Culture Focus Photo June 14, 2014

What's Stressing Super Dad (According to the WSJ)

It's not just that dads need and deserve the same recognition and consideration as moms for parallel engagement. It's the fact that families cannot cut it anymore on one salary (and haven't been able to for some time).

International Focus Photo June 13, 2014

The Storming of Mosul, Iraq on the Brink, and the Impressive Access by Reuters to ISIS Militants

Impressed with the acumen and how Reuters managed this kind of access to the ISIS fighters in Mosul, I do think the process of procurement -- while providing for the safety of photojournalists -- must also secure the confidence of the audience.

International Focus Photo June 12, 2014

World Cup Optics: Mario Tama on Brazil Vs. Brazil

Instead of the social stories functioning as due diligence, as preamble and warm up act, what if the coverage over the next four weeks did simultaneous justice to both the thrilling sports spectacle and the social cost?

Gun Violence Photo June 11, 2014

Duck and Cover Redux: Bulletproof Blankets for Kids

On the heels of widely publicized shootings, particularly school attacks, the violence and trauma seemed to bring out the entrepreneurs.

Middle East Watch Photo

Photographer Stephen Shore from Israel/Palestine: The Audacity of Puppies

And yet, is it possible — puppies as metaphor, and emotional suggestion -- to conceive of the Israelis and the Palestinians engaging in a way that is softer? When you put it into words, it sounds remarkable silly, but such is the power of photography.

Media Focus Photo June 10, 2014

US Media + Brazil + World Cup = Show Me Some Skin

Talking predictions, get ready for a generous and gratuitous display of skin -- and I'm not just referring males on the pitch -- in the North American coverage of the international sports spectacle.