The starkness of Matt Black’s work suits the status of immigration in this country right now. The timeless feel of the photos, which are largely stripped of any indication of the 21st century, appeal to the long historical entanglement of immigration and labor, but don’t offer much hope for the future.
—Kate Bubacz, deputy photo director, BuzzFeed News
I love these portraits so much! Ingrid Meijering and Marion Duimel did an amazing job at empowering their subjects by showcasing one of the things they hold dear — their tattoos. Each person is portrayed as strong and confident, and since inking is such a personal experience, these seniors have allowed readers into so much of their story just by posing in front of the camera.
—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia
Joana Choumali's compelling portraits representing a cross section of Africa's diverse cultures are truly beautiful. This Washington Post photo essay highlights two of her series: Resilients, in which Choumali examines "the ability to recover from adversity," and Haabre: The Last Generation, which deals with the vanishing practice of scarification. Shot in studio and against the same backdrop so the subject shines brightest, Choumali endeavors to "translate the continent's social and cultural mutations." Both are rich series which should definitely be viewed.
—Laura Geiser, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
Photographer Bev Grant was 26 years old when she found herself at the center of the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s as a member of a feminist group, New York Radical Women. Her pictures, many of which were never published or widely seen, are striking in that they do not feel documentarian as an outsider looking in, but rather are from the perspective of an active participant. And with the events that have transpired in the past week on Capitol Hill, Grant's story and the stories of the women in her pictures are now more important than ever.
—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
I can't say after reading this feature that I now understand why pre-wedding photos are made to be such a production among couples in China. It sure is fascinating. Olivia Martin-McGuire followed some couples who were marking their impending nuptials with elaborate photo shoots, and she gives us a sense of how they can justify the spending. Martin-McGuire sums it up neatly in this quote: "It’s this real fantasy moment where you are capturing a country dreaming."
—A.M.
Here, Artsy brings together 10 photographers who for over the course of almost a century have approached the US border with Mexico to tell the stories of immigrants in search of a better life in America. The pictures are striking to say the least — from Griselda San Martin's tragic scenes at Mexico's Friendship Park to the aerial landscapes of Tomas van Houtryve. Particularly poignant for me are Dorothea Lange's portraits of migrant workers in the 1930s that show just how vital immigrant labor was in reestablishing American prosperity during the Great Depression.
—G.H.S.
It's been an emotional journey for the traders in Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market ever since plans to relocate were suggested 17 years ago. But now with the move-out date looming in, Reuters took one last opportunity to capture the place and its people before the 83-year-old market is reduced to a parking lot. Even on its last days, the energy is still very much present. But there's a touch of nostalgia in the way Tsukiji was photographed here that suggests it really, truly is over.
—A.M.
Here are the most moving and breathtaking pictures from the past week.
—G.H.S.