1. "This Gorgeous Photo Series Crushes Stereotypes About Black Masculinity" — BuzzFeed
On the surface, the pictures are bright and vivid expressions of youth and masculinity. But woven deep within each frame is a powerful statement on the racial prejudices that are ingrained in our society. For me, the most poignant images from this series are not photographs at all, but instead screenshots of two Google Image search inquires, one for “black boy in hoodie,” and the other, “white boy in hoodie.” The difference is not surprising in the least.
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
2. "Powerful Pictures Of Albino Children Highlight Disturbing Murders In Tanzania" — Metro
Marinka Masseus’s strikingly beautiful photo series brings to light the distressing reality that children with albinism face in Tanzania’s society. Each frame is composed poetically and just so elegantly. Masseus is successful in showing how these children live the most awful irony where their condition supposedly brings good luck to others but at the expense of their own lives.
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
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3. "Creepy Portraits Of A Chef Wearing His Menu Ingredients" — PetaPixel
Bad food pun alert: These images are a feast for the eyes. They're menacing and curious and border on nightmarish but I promise you'll keep scrolling, wanting to see more. The premise is simple: A photographer and a chef take their food off the plate, painstakingly attach the items to the chef's face, and then document the results. The standout image for me is the charcoal and prime rib portrait. There's something quite humorous about it which sets it apart from the other unflinching, in-your-face photos and it really nails the concept.
—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News
4. "A Photographer’s 16-Year Project to Capture the Contemporary Séance" — Hyperallergic
Since modern photography was invented, people have attempted to use it as a means to bridge the visual gap between the living and the dead. For the last 16 years, photographer Shannon Taggart has placed herself in the company of spiritalists, ghost hunters, and séances to capture the peculiar world of spirit photography. Needless to say, these pictures will send a chill down your spine.
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
5. "Taking Photographs Of Holocaust Survivors Helped Me Find My Own Identity" — The Guardian
While this isn’t a photo story per se, it’s a moving account of how the craft of photography led Harry Borden to understand his Jewish ancestry. Through photographing Holocaust survivors, Borden learned what he couldn’t learn from his father. It’s this kind of personal connection that can enable one to commit wholeheartedly and power through such a challenging project.
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
6. "We All Grieve For Lost Loved Ones. Here’s how one photographer dealt with it in his own way." — Washington Post
Erik Simander's portraits touch on a universal truth: Death and loss are inescapable. He approached this project as a way to help his grandfather and himself cope with the sudden loss of his grandmother. The cool, blue-green tones and the lighting in his images, whether it's a directional spotlight or an overall brightness, creates a space for his grandmother to exist within the photos. His grandfather is the solitary subject but you get the sense that he's not alone, creating a hauntingly beautiful duality: a man's profound sadness balanced by the seeming presence of the one he longs for.
—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News
7. "Witnessing The London Attack" — Reuters
The relentless broadcast coverage of violent events sometimes overshadows the tragedy itself, as the video cameras take the viewer to the overall scene but obscures the moments of horror that true witnesses can relate to. The photographs captured by Toby Melville are difficult to look at but provide meaningful insight into how brutal and simple the Wednesday attack was, with the individual frames freezing the chaos, confusion, and sadness more eloquently and powerfully than any other story.
—Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
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8. "Before The Refugee Ban" — New Republic
Holly Pickett’s dedication to the Bahar family as they moved from Iraq to Cairo to Ohio is admirable. In light of the recent travel restrictions imposed and proposed by the Trump Administration, the edit of her work that appears in the New Republic is well done and smart, looking at the ongoing struggles and victories of new citizens.
—Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
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