The Most Interesting Photo Stories We Saw This Week

    This week was dark and full of surprises.

    by Kate Bubacz, Gabriel H. Sanchez, Jared Harrell, Ben King

    1. "A Brief Visual History of ISIS in Bangladesh" — BuzzFeed News

    Allison Joyce / Getty Images

    "Following the horrific murder of two Bangladeshi LGBT activists on Monday, Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor of BuzzFeed News, shares an insightful perspective on the rise of Islamist terrorist groups in the region. In the series, photographer Allison Joyce meets with individuals who have been directly affected by the fear and violence imposed by such groups, documenting their scars and listening to their stories." —Gabriel Sanchez, Photo Essay Editor

    2. "A Teenage Photographer Witnessing the Syrian War" — New York Times

    Furkan Temir

    "The title is catnip for photo editors — but the images are beautiful. I'm impressed with Furkan's eye at such a young age, seeing the humanity, the beauty, the bizarre, and the brutality of a war that is happening in his backyard." —Kate Bubacz, Senior Photo Editor, News

    3. "Mossless Teams Up With ICP" — American Photo

    Tommy Kha

    "Mossless, an experimental photo publication founded by Romke Hoogwaerts, launched a Kickstarter to fund its fourth issue in collaboration with the International Center for Photography. Themed around portraiture and the idea of how the idea of the private vs. public self has changed, 'Mossless Issue 4: Public/Private/Portrait' boasts an impressive list of contributors, including Kris Graves, Tommy Kha, Namsa Leuba, and Sabrina Jung." —Ben King, Deputy Art Director, News

    4. "The Genderqueer Artist Recreating Her Mother's Old Photos" — Dazed

    Vivek Shraya

    "Vivek Shraya’s photo essay re-creating her mother’s old photos is an incredible and beautiful look inside the relationship of a mother and her transgender child. Shraya’s powerful re-creation of her mother’s younger years really show the honor and admiration she has toward her mother. A truly beautiful and honest statement spoken visually with photography." —Jared Harrell, Photo Editor, News

    5. "Cindy Sherman Takes On Aging (Her Own)" — New York Times

    Cindy Sherman / Metro Pictures

    "Since the 1970s, American photographer Cindy Sherman has built a career around constant reinvention and rigorous self-evaluation. Her seminal body of self-portraits, Complete Untitled Film Stills (1977-80), reimagined herself as a Hollywood starlet to visually explore societal archetypes of women in film. Here, the New York Times speaks with the artist about how her latest pictures continue in this tradition with a more autobiographical tone." —GS

    6. "Inside the Tiny Greek Village on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis" — Time LightBox

    Rena Effendi

    "It's hard to show a slow-moving crisis in the fast internet age. The migrant crisis in Europe is no exception. Props to Time LightBox for turning the camera away from the truly terrible, heartbreaking images of migrants arriving on boats in Greece and examining in a humane way the larger picture of this small town upended by their arrival." —KB

    7. "Photographer Documents What Students Wore When Sexually Assaulted" — Huffington Post

    Katherine Cambareri

    "In this deeply poignant body of work featured on the Huffington Post, photographer Katherine Cambareri has documented the various articles of clothing worn by women at the time of their sexual assault. What’s revealed is an eye-opening perspective on victim-blaming during such horrendous circumstances, rendered as a series of heart-wrenching still lifes that each speak volumes on the topic." —GS

    8. "Ain't No Grave" — VICE

    Stacy Kranitz

    "Stacy Kranitz's work is well-showcased in a really comprehensive Vice series on Appalachia. Her longstanding relationship with the area helps to show it in a way that is real and nuanced, resisting some of the tropes about the region and letting in some of the complexity." —KB

    9. "Bamboo Bombers and Stone Tanks" — The Atlantic

    Charles Gorry / AP Photo

    "In this fascinating collection of historic images, Atlantic Senior Editor Alan Taylor has immersed himself in the U.S. National Archives to uncover a little-known aspect of World War II. The pictures, somewhat clerical in nature, depict what appears to be a battalion of fake war-machines used by the Imperial Japanese Army for strategic advantage on the battlefield — recounting the age-old proverb that nothing in war is what it seems." —GS

    10. "22 of the Most Powerful Photos of This Week" — BuzzFeed

    Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters

    "Every week, Gabriel Sanchez finds the coolest photos — this lead image is cray and the rest of the roundup is better." —KB