Mahtab Hussain’s photo series You Get Me allows a generation of young Muslim men to talk freely about their experiences in Britain as their identities are increasingly called into question. The portraits are purposely unaligned from quotes, which at first is disconcerting as one makes unconscious associations, and then becomes liberating as one realizes the commonalities of what they are expressing: The frustration, alienation, pride, confusion, and fear make these men all the more relatable.
—Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
Photographer Karen Jerzyk's Last Days of Earth series proves that a little imagination can often bolster productivity as much as a big budget. Tight on funds to produce studio work, Karen began staging ominous and downright creepy scenes in abandoned spaces. The result is a blend of finding beauty in the decay of some remarkable spaces with the dramatic movement and tone of something more otherworldly.
—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News
The 1930s were truly a golden age of modern photography. These stunning works, on view now at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, celebrate a little-known artist of the era who died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 30. Lusha Nelson was the real deal: an artist with a keen sense of composition, lighting, and — what's most evident in these images — the natural ability to capture the essence of what makes his subjects who they are.
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
I’m familiar with Lauren Greenfield’s work on Queen of Versailles because of my obsession with films about the global financial crisis. Her ongoing project photographing the obscenely wealthy is a more expansive view of that 2012 documentary. Every photograph carries with it the very same themes that predestined the world to a financial meltdown: greed, pretentiousness and a whole lot of flash. What makes Greenfield’s work so great is how initially, the subjects seem just too far out of reality to ever be relatable. But as you keep looking, you realize how these themes can apply to our own lives — that whatever our status in society, we’ll constantly have that insatiable desire for more.
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
There's something seriously soothing about Luis Aguilera's aerial shots of Miami's beaches. Perhaps it's the neutral color palette punctuated by pops of color from bikinis and beach umbrellas, or that anything in miniature form makes us feel more in control. In any case, these images read like a technologically advanced homage to the photos of Praia Piquinia that photographer Christian Chaize so carefully captured, with one major difference: the perspective of the viewer. Where Chaize's work is shot closer to the beach and beachgoers, effectively creating a sense of voyeurism, Aguilera's top-down, bird's-eye view creates distance from our human connection to the subjects. From this angle, the tiny people on the beach are like the rocks in a drone-created zen garden.
—L.G.
This is a picture that makes my stomach sink and my palms sweat. The savage reality of war and death is often shielded from public view, but in this case, the final picture made at the instant of US Army photographer Spc. Hilda Clayton's death has been released by the US government to shed light on the sacrifice and danger that military personnel experience in their line of work.
—G.H.S.
Let me start by saying mannequins — or any dolls for that matter — are never not creepy. One must be unflinching in their commitment to work around these inoffensive objects to be able have a pleasant sleep at night. I’ve always wondered about the thought process that goes into making these mannequins: How tall do they have to be? How much boob or muscle is appropriate? And if they have faces, who do they pattern these from? There’s a whole industry that has to think about these questions. Unfortunately in Egypt, they’re holding on to the last of hopes for their business to survive the country’s economic state and threats of cheaper imports.
—A.M.
As a person who enjoys glam from time to time, there are only a handful of things that feel as great as dressing up in a gown. Why do you think little girls dream about their wedding day from such a young age? Are they daydreaming of their future spouse? NOPE. They're daydreaming about how they will get to look like a princess and have the time of their lives. That resonates within this post, as well. These girls feel beautiful and are excited for a fun-filled night — and eating pancakes! This event has truly helped a lot of people feel amazing on prom, as nice dresses can be very expensive. I love how radiant you can tell they feel in their new gowns.
—Sarah Kobos, photo editor, BuzzFeed
"23 of the Most Powerful Photos of This Week" — BuzzFeed News
