"In the seemingly intractable border crisis, there's been no end of heartbreaking stories and dramatic images. Brett Gundlock cuts through some of the noise by isolating people on white backdrops and allowing them to tell their story. Instead of being one of a faceless crowd, these individuals appear sharp as a human defying improbable odds."
—Kate Bubacz, deputy photo director, BuzzFeed News
"Here, the New York Times brings together highlights from the world’s largest photography show, the Paris Photo Fair. Each of these eight international photographers explores the medium in vastly different and progressive ways — some indulge the traditional approaches of documentary and portraiture to highlight aspects of culture not commonly recognized, while others experiment with the materiality of the medium to create objects that border sculpture."
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
"Mitch Dobrowner’s approach to storm photography is like a love letter to his appreciation for weather itself. What’s a mess to others is a thing of beauty to him. He enjoys watching clouds form and finds magic in the things that nature is capable of — and all this is apparent in his photos."
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
"In post-Mussolini Italy, artists and photographers were left to make sense of the shattered ruins of a culture that had once developed their crafts into a well-oiled machine of nationalist propaganda. In this fascinating profile by Hyperallergic on a new exhibition at the New York University’s Grey Art Gallery, titled NeoRealismo: The New Image in Italy, 1932–1960, these pivotal years of rebuilding Italy's cultural influence after World War II are explored through the lens of photography."
—G.H.S.
"Tom Skipp takes readers on a trip around the different stakeholders in Kiev’s hair extension industry. His photos are visually striking and draw you into the lives of the people who thrive from the hair trend the rest of the world is obsessed with. Interestingly enough, through his investigation, he points out that not all women who sell their hair are doing it against their will and that a good lot do it because they want a new look and, well, why not make money out of it!"
—A.M.
"Katie Wilson's series Bedrooms of London focuses on the sleeping areas of children living below the poverty line in the city. Wilson's images don't propose any solutions for the struggles these children and their families face, but simply lay their situations bare: You can't fix what you can't see. Striking to me were the empty walls. These smooth, wide spaces usually full of photos of loved ones, children, and happy memories, remain blank, as these families live their lives day to day. It will be on view at the Foundling Museum beginning in February."
—Laura Geiser, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
"A recent article in Smithsonian Magazine estimated that just after the Civil War, one in four cowboys were African American. Although this diversity hasn't historically been communicated visually, the series Delta Hill Riders by photographer Rory Doyle seeks to change the well-worn narrative of the 'white American cowboy' and amplify these underrepresented voices. His portraits of African American cowboys (and girls!) in the Mississippi Delta community are quite beautiful and bestow some respect upon these men and women, and all those that came before them, which has for too long been absent."
—L.G.
Here are the most moving and breathtaking pictures from the past week.
—G.H.S.