Jim Young’s photo essay makes use of a Polaroid camera, a medium usually brought out during celebrations. As the words in this piece highlight, statistics don’t tell the story and memorials don’t last forever — people continue to live their lives and victims fall largely out of mind. But with Young’s photographic project, he can only hope that these victims are remembered as individual lives lost and as part of the greater discourse on gun violence.
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
The latest breathless weather-reporting style has left it difficult to discern if a snowstorm is actually going to be dangerous, or if it will materialize at all. This delicate balance of caution and, let's face it, excitement in the face of the elements, leaves a lot of room for different reporting approaches. This essay focuses on the beautiful side of miserable weather, and while definitely a “locals mostly” story, the photos are fun nonetheless, showing how New York dealt with what turned out to be a very windy and wet afternoon.
—Kate Bubacz, deputy photo director, BuzzFeed News
This stunning collection of pictures curated by BuzzFeed Parenting writer Krista Torres perfectly captures the timeless dichotomy of motherhood; pure and passionate strength, coupled with that soft, nurturing warmth that only a mother can offer her child. As time progresses decade by decade in these photos, it becomes obvious that one thing will always remain constant — the pure love of a mother for her child. (Now go call your mom!)
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
We don't often think about the distance our goods travel to our homes or the laborers who manufactured them. The unlivable wages and other abuses endured by many in the global workforce has been long chronicled, and a new exhibition seeks to examine how the technological advancements made in the 21st century have only served to harm them further. "Labor and Materials" is on display in Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Walmart's headquarters and a not-so-subtle nod toward Americans' complicity. As greed and growing cheap labor demands force the hand of automation, this show seeks to remind us of the humanity that has always been behind the production of our goods and services, one that has often been ignored and is now in the process of being erased.
—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News
You start to realize how impressive this feature on the lives of Irish travelers is when you think about the nomadic aspect of their lives and how intimate these photos are. For an outsider to be given so much trust to be left with children is massive in itself. But to develop this relationship with a community that’s often alienated and misunderstood is very telling of the compassion Jamie Johnson has toward its members, and it shows in her photos. A lot of the success of photography relies on the access you can get, and the best photos are born out of a relationship developed over time.
—A.M.
The newest multilevel project by Vogue offers up an eclectic look into womanhood. The essays are gorgeously produced and the subject matter is smart, looking slightly to the left of the usual suspects at how women are navigating the workplace, motherhood, and identity politics. Well worth checking out.
—K.B.
Here are the most moving and breathtaking pictures from the past week.
—G.H.S.