What I’m Reading
February 27, 2024
I’ll recommend three photo stories and two bonus links in today’s What I’m Reading. The first two articles bring us back in time to the United States of the 1980s and East London between 1950 and 1980. The third visual story works through the grief of a mass shooting in Maine, U.S.A.
Photography as a Time Machine
American photographer Sage Sohier used the pandemic slowdown of life to peruse her archives. She discovered decades-old images she’d never published. Sohier collected some of the photographs for a book project. Given the prices for good photography books, I’m happy that The Guardian published a first look at this America of the past.
If you head over to ‘Time moved more slowly then’: Sage Sohier’s vintage America — in pictures, you’ll find impressions of life in varying U.S. states, from New York and Pennsylvania to Florida and West Virginia.
The black-and-white photographs from the first half of the 1980s depict a different time and way of life. The captions offer Sohier’s fascinating observations, which speak to the qualities and differences of life in the 80s.
I enjoyed this time jump, which shows a society that appears much more relaxed about life.
I also tremendously enjoyed her commentary on the photographic process. Sohier’s words on working with strangers are fascinating.
I highly recommend you check this gallery out.
I found a second example of time travel photography in the pages of The Guardian.
‘He made the East End look glamorous’: Bandele ‘Tex’ Ajetunmobi’s London — in pictures celebrates the life and work of one of Britain’s first black photographers, Bandele Ajetunmobi, called Tex.
His work from the second half of the twentieth century shows the “glitz, diversity and camaraderie” of London’s East End — as the introduction puts it.
The pictures are fascinating, be it the calm of ordinary street scenes, the warmth of posed portraits on the streets, or the diversity his work captured.
Most of his work appears to have been lost with his death, which makes collections like this even more important. You can also see an online gallery of his “Street Scenes from the East End, 1950–1980” here.
Photographing Grief
The next picture story is a heavier one, but it’s an important one. zReportage’s A Community Grieves also shows a community that comes together after a mass shooting event.
Photographer Carol Guzy documented the aftermath of a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, U.S.A. last October. Her photography powerfully captures the emotions and the facts, ranging from the search for the subject, the reactions to the end of the search, and memorial services.
She captured meaningful details and stayed with the story when family members met U.S. lawmakers to discuss the need for changes to gun safety laws.
Despite the sad nature of the topic, I found great value in this visual story and the meaningful photography it’s built on. Spending time with it is time well spent.
Visual inspiration & visual humor
Before I let you go, I have two bonus links to share.
The first is the kind that inspires me. The Media Confidential podcast shared a fascinating conversation with photojournalist Lynsey Addario in late 2023. If you give this nearly 50-minute-long episode a listen, you’ll hear about the photographer’s work in Ukraine and other world conflicts. The conversation also touches on the increasing threat of fake images.
The segment with Addario begins at the 12:25 minute mark and lasts about 30 minutes. I hope you’ll find it as empowering as I have.
Today’s final recommendation is a quick Instagram carousel of cartoons from The Guardian, including some poignant words from their cartoonist about the medium’s power to reach people. I thought a set of cartoons matches today’s theme well. I hope you enjoy these.
Those are my recommendations for this week. I’ll share a photography update on the weekend. Until then, enjoy your readings.
