El Paso Refugee Camp, Awkward Mueller, Netanyahu Morphing

This week in ‘Chatting The Pictures’

by Michael Shaw

“The News” photo this week was taken by Sergio Flores for The Washington Post. At a makeshift detention center in El Paso, a surge of asylum seekers has been overwhelming Border Patrol and the U.S. immigration infrastructure. In this frame, we see how a news photograph can present many messages at once. The government and Democrats would agree it shows a humanitarian crisis. But it’s one that the government has designed.

Photo: Sergio Flores for The Washington Post. Migrants gather inside the fence of a makeshift detention center Wednesday in El Paso, where a surge has been overwhelming Border Patrol and the U.S. immigration infrastructure.

For “The Look,” we discuss an image by Cliff Owen for the Associated Press. This photograph of Special Council Mueller in front of the White House, after leaving church, was taken a day after his report was delivered to Attorney General William Barr. After a careful and meticulous investigation, that awkward look at the camera is the perfect compliment after the government engineered a four page summary of his 300 page report, and the White House declared itself vindicated.

Photo: Cliff Ownes/AP. Caption: Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and his wife Ann, walk past the White House, after attending St. John’s Episcopal Church for morning services, Sunday, March 24, 2019 in Washington. Mueller closed his long and contentious Russia investigation with no new charges, ending the probe that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump’s presidency.

“The Pick” this week features an image of Benjamin Netanyahu. It was taken by Kevin Lamarque for Reuters. The photograph shows the Israeli Prime Minster’s image transitioning on a screen while addressing the AIPAC conference in Washington. Our reading is informed by his multiple pending corruption indictments and Netanyahu’s alliance with a far right party with neo-Fascist ties. Morphing like this bringing to mind “The Great and Powerful Oz”, while the red tie and white shirt favored by Donald Trump evokes a totalitarian uniform.

Photo: Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS. Caption: A monitor transitions from a still image to a video satellite feed from Israel of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing AIPAC in Washington.

You can find all the Chatting the Pictures replays here.

Originally published by Reading The Pictures, the only site dedicated to the daily review of news and documentary photography. Sign up for the Reading The Pictures Week in Re-View email. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.