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Dec. 8: Week in Photography
Welcome to your weekly JPG newsletter! 📸Your lens to the internet's most powerful photographs 📸 MOST POWERFUL PHOTO OF THE WEEK Nathan Edwards / Getty Images As bushfires in Australia continue to rage across New South Wales and Queensland, an estimated 1,000 koalas have died in the nearly 4,000 square miles that have burned since the fire season started.
This powerful picture comes to us from the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, Australia, where volunteers and staff, like clinical director Cheyne Flanagan (right), are helping to rehabilitate koalas injured in the blaze. Here, a koala named Paul shares a heartfelt moment with Flanagan after being rescued from the Lake Innes Nature Reserve. SEE THE FULL STORY
In continuing with our visual coverage of the 2010s, our lead photo story this week chronicles the tremendous moments of activism from this past decade. From #MeToo and Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring and Hong Kong protests, these are the pictures that shaped the world as we know it today.
Our second story dives deeper into the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, where universities have become the sites of dramatic battles between demonstrators and police. Follow along with BuzzFeed News reporter Rosalind Adams as she explains how these demonstrations escalated to this point. Lastly, take a trip back to the simpler times of the 2000s and witness why we're all better off now that Black Friday isn't nearly as violent as it was before online shopping was a thing. Here are more photo essays published by our friends elsewhere.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: PROTESTS IN THE 2010s Jonathan Bachman / Reuters BuzzFeed News combed through thousands of pictures to highlight the images that best represent the ethos and events that shaped the world as we know it today. SEE THE FULL STORY
HONG KONG PROTESTS: DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE Adnan Abidi / Reuters BuzzFeed News spent two weeks on campuses and in the streets talking to dozens of students, people on the front line, and medics to tell the story of how the battle at Hong Kong University became one of the darkest chapters in the protracted fight for democracy. SEE THE FULL STORY
HOLIDAY FURY: BLACK FRIDAY IN THE 2000s In the 2000s, Black Friday wasn't just a shopping holiday — it was a blood sport. SEE THE FULL STORY
FOR YOUR 👀 ONLY: ON AMERICAN ACTIVISM WITH KK OTTESEN📸 As a contributor to Washington Post magazine over the last 10 years, author KK Ottesen has used both words and images to tell the personal stories that define the American experience. Her new book, Activist: Portraits of Courage, brings together some of the most influential disruptors in US history from as far back as the civil rights movement to as recent as the current events dominating today's headlines.
Here, Ottesen shares with BuzzFeed News some of her favorite photographs from the series and describes the process of translating such an enormous body of work into book format. John Lewis — American politician and civil rights leader. What do you want people to see in this project?
KK Ottesen: I wanted to do something that was useful in this moment and to contribute to the conversation using whatever tools I have at my disposal — which are writing and photography. I also wanted to do it in such a way that it allowed viewers to see into that individual as a human being and to strip away some of the labels around them. My goal was to tap into the human story on why they got involved and what it was that compelled them, so that we can begin to listen to each other and maybe repair this frayed discourse that we need if we’re going to move forward.
Can you talk a bit about the decisions you made in translating your work into a book?
KO: When we’re talking about the format of the book, I didn’t want a big coffee table book. I mean, I love big, beautiful, photographic books, but I wanted this to be something you can hold comfortably and feel like you’re interacting with on a personal level. I wanted readers to feel like they’re sitting down with these people and listening to them in their own words, talking with them, and seeing their faces. Nicole Maines — actress and advocate for trans rights. I tend to interview them first, if possible, so that we can get to know each other a bit better. You know, you observe somebody when you talk to them and you can see their expressions and what they look like when they’re thinking. I’m observing while we’re talking and figuring out how to capture as much of who they are in these photos. I often shoot in black and white because, for me, it’s a great way to strip away a lot of the noise. It allows people to focus on the expressions and having a real interaction with the subject. That’s what I was really hoping for as I was putting the book together.
What’s been the most difficult aspect of taking on such a huge project like this?
KO: It was incredibly time consuming. It took a while to get a publisher too! Then there are all the logistics of the shoot itself, which is not my thing at all. But once the shoots and interviews are over and you’re left with all this rich material, it’s then that you’re filled with a whole new energy about the work. That’s when you have the opportunity to rearrange the work and figure out how to best present the project — which is exciting! All the hassle that goes into the making of the work just disappears, and I’m recharged. Tarana Burke — civil rights activist and founder of the "Me Too" movement. I mean, it’s a great privilege to work with anybody’s story, but these individuals are incredibly courageous. Every time I feel tired or discouraged, I just think about the strength of these activists and their courage. So many of them spoke beautifully about being compelled to do, and that they couldn’t feel at home with themselves until they were done. For some, that meant real danger for them, but they are living a very true life according to their values. When you do something that is the right thing to do, you feel good! That’s something I definitely got energy and direction from.
📸YOUR WEEKLY PALATE CLEANSER: AP Photo / Kathy Willens 'Tis the season! In this jolly holiday photo, some 50,000 multicolored LED lights illuminate the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City during the 87th annual tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 4.
"That's it from us for now. See you next week! —Gabriel and Kate “Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” —Susan Sontag
đź“ť This letter was edited and brought to you by the News Photo team. Gabriel Sanchez is the photo essay editor based in New York and loves cats. Kate Bubacz is the photo director based in New York and loves dogs. You can always reach us here.
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