10 Photo Stories That Will Challenge Your View Of The World

Here are some of the most interesting and powerful photo stories from across the internet.

"This Powerful Photo Series Captures the Horror of Sexual Harassment" — BuzzFeed News

The ordinariness of the locations in this series of work by Eliza Hatch on sexual harassment will not surprise any woman. As allegations continue to come out against powerful men across the spectrum, this series is a bleak reminder that harassment occurs with depressing frequency in everyday life as well.

—Kate Bubacz, deputy photo director, BuzzFeed News

"Primitive Acids" — GUP Magazine

In this digital world of portrait-mode iPhone photos, it's refreshing to see that Thomas Gosset's work employs the analog editing technique of negative manipulation. The work is begun by developing the negatives of arranged photos and then altering them with mediums as innocuous as paint and as destructive as acid. Many of the finished photos become allegories of the tragic ends met when the human psyche is forced to reconcile itself with the instruments that now control much of our modern lives.

—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News

Down by the Hudson: A 3-Mile Strip of Main Street in Poughkeepsie, NY

Caleb Stein's images of Poughkeepsie's main street reveal an all too familiar story of a city in severe decline. A graduate of Vassar, one of Poughkeepsie's two elite liberal arts colleges, Stein spent a lot of time in the city and has taken hundreds of walks down Main Street to meet and document the people who still remain. Although some may overlook a story they've seen illustrated in countless cities across the US, I think it's important to continue to put a human face to the problems plaguing once-thriving cities.

—L.G.

"Petra Collins on the Power and Pain of Coming of Age" — i-D

There's a certain raw intimacy that has always come across in Petra Collins' work. Each picture is as if seen from a fly on the bedroom wall of a young woman, caught at the cross-section of innocence and adulthood. In this interview between Collins and i-D contributor Rory Satran, the artist discusses her new book Coming of Age and discusses the role that photography played in her own coming-of-age.

—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News

"The Man Who Made History by Photographing India in Color" — Feature Shoot

It wasn't until I read this Feature Shoot article that I learned photographer Raghubir Singh was the first to experiment and work with color photography in India. His access to the film in the ’60s and ’70s, which only became available in India in the early ’90s, was initially dependent upon the overseas outlets hiring him. Singh's color-rich photographs of street life in Bombay are made that much more salient when it's understood that these are one-of-a-kind color photos created by a trailblazer in that medium.

—L.G.

"Trump Voters Who Erected Signs During the Election Grade the President One Year Later" — BuzzFeed News

One of the great attributes of democracy is the diversity of opinion that it allows. One person’s nightmare president is another’s dream, and we just have to fight it out messily, finding compromise with the least amount of damage possible. This essay on how voters feel about Trump one year after his election is a sharp counter to the polls and many opinion pieces but offers welcome, unbiased insight into how our neighbors and fellow citizens feel.

—K.B.

"Early-Morning Photographs of Turn-of-the-Century New York City" — Hyperallergic

"Daylight Bob" is the nickname attributed to a turn-of-the-century photographer who was too scared to bring his camera out at night or even develop his pictures in a darkroom. Despite this fear, Robert L. Bracklow found solace in the early morning, capturing the hours of New York City before the afternoon bustle and the evening rush. Unfortunately, not much of Bracklow's work has been seen publicly until this month, when the New-York Historical Society digitalized his portfolio as part of their online collections. Here, Hyperallergic profiles the artist and his incredible time capsule of New York City.

—G.H.S.

"Putting a Face to a Comment: The New Online Crusaders" — New York Times

Kyrre Lien’s essay on the faces of online commentators offers a fascinating insight into who trolls are as people — a lesson in humanity that is often lost on the internet. 2017 may go down as the year of reckoning as we face down who we are as individuals and what our reputations are worth.

—K.B.

"Circus School Brings Hope to Afghan Children" — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

In war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, we've seen countless images of the children who have been forced to bear witness to the atrocities of these conflicts. This is why it was a relief to find Vaiva Bhezan's reportage of the Afghan Educational Circus for Children. Bhezan's images showcase the brightly colored school, which provides formal education, meals, and clothing in addition to the training of traditional circus skills such as juggling and acrobatics. The smiling, thriving children in Bhezan's photos are a testament to the importance of creating safe spaces where kids can simply be kids.

—L.G.


"22 of the Most Powerful Photos of This Week" — BuzzFeed News

Here are the most moving and breathtaking pictures from the past week.

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