Dec. 15: 'Tis the season to look at internet's most powerful photographs.

Dec. 15: Week in Photography

Welcome to your weekly JPG newsletter!

📸Your lens to the internet's most powerful photographs 📸

MOST POWERFUL PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Mark Lennihan / AP Photo

Mourners fill the streets of Brooklyn for Moshe Deutsch’s funeral, one of four people killed in the Dec. 10 shooting in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The attack — which was labeled a hate crime after it became clear that the JC Kosher Supermarket was deliberately targeted — is indicative of the larger trend of anti-Semitism attacks, which have been on the rise nationally.

FOR YOUR 👀 ONLY:

ON CHRISTMAS WITH JESSE RIESER📸

Two years ago, BuzzFeed News spoke with Jesse Rieser about his work on Christmas in America. Rieser is visiting New York for a few weeks as part of his final push on this project, so we decided to follow up to see what’s new, what’s sparkly, and how New York differs from the rest of the country when it comes to the holidays.

Do you have any grand takeaways about Christmas in America?

JR: It started off in a place that was a little skeptical [about]. I was always laughing with them and not laughing at them, but now I find it to be very sincere, and there's something very endearing about this escapism by way of tradition and nostalgia. It's nice to have something to look forward to every year. It’s like this little bit of hope that I think is vital.

Humans like ritual and they love nostalgia; it’s powerful.

I started this project when I was 30, and I’m 39 now. And that's a long time to do something. At this point I’m ready to move on, but it felt like it needed one more piece.

There is something fantastic about the city and the holidays. I mean, all of it is such a mess, dealing with press people and access and all of that, but there is something very magical about it. It kind of speaks to the kid in you, which I think is kinda what the project is about and what all these people in this circular way are trying to do.

How New York is different from the rest of the country?

The project covers the South, the Southwest, the West Coast, the Midwest, so I always thought that New York would always be a good counterpoint. Not growing up in the city, and being a child of the ’80s and pop culture, there was so much in the holiday filmmaking and commercials that shows New York as this kind of idyllic level of holiday fantasy.

I’m trying to get access to the parade, trying to get backstage to the Rockettes — these sorts of iconic, shiny New York things are the main focus while I’m here.

The thing about decorations in New York — they are very on the nose but very neutral. There’s a level of fabrication that I think is so good with their messaging that they don’t leave any room for subtle interpretation, depending on who the viewer is.

I haven't seen a lot of things where I’m like, that's good, that’s funny. There's a perfectness to parts of the city on display that's a little less inspiring.

Can you talk a bit about the setup?

When you're dealing with lots of visual information, it's nice to dissect it in this meditative way and think about it. I shoot a lot of something and then cull down. I want to make sure that the best idea and execution of a setup has been done, so I like to explore and work a scene. I’m used to being out in the world where I'm not competing for time or space, which is a very different way of working from here, which is the opposite.

In New York, shooting on the street with a tripod is hard, so the city is determining my vantage point. For someone like me who is classically trained and very sort of formalist, it drives me a bit nuts. I like being able to have that control and perspective. And here it's like, how the streets are set up or how the the venue is lit or how the pedestrian traffic flows — all those things play into limiting that sort of freedom and autonomy and power.

I’m trying to do the windows on Fifth Avenue tonight. I am going to go around 1 a.m. when there is a break in the rain and fewer people.

Whats the best place for decorations?

There was something about Texas that I really enjoyed — because Texas was this like this ultra-regional confluence that happens to have state borders. There are just so many differences cultural cues and influences, with the cowboy culture and Mexican Americans and all of that. Plus the disposition of Texans lends itself really well to the project — there's a pride that comes in the way they speak and their body language. It's different from a lot of places. I don't know. I can't think of another place or state or region that has the same level of visceral pride like they do. And in a very honest and earnest way.

We still want to hear from you! We're looking for photos from our loyal JPG readers that show the idea of community.

They can be images of your family, your hometown, your friends — anything fun, weird, or poignant is welcome. The deadline has been extended to Dec. 18.

The best photo selected will be featured in the JPG newsletter and on Instagram. Submit your images here

In the meantime, we've mostly had our heads down to bring you the best end-of-decade content, but we still managed to take a hard look at “American Truth” — an elusive concept if there ever were one — and to scout for the best photo essays from our friends across the internet. Plus, check out the original article about Christmas by Jesse Rieser.

THE MANY VERSIONS OF AMERICAN TRUTH

Kathy Schorr

THE OVERWHELMING ALLURE OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Jesse Rieser

📸YOUR WEEKLY PALATE CLEANSER:

Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Zookeepers hold baby male pandas Meng Yuan and Meng Xiang during the pandas' first presentation to the media at Zoo Berlin on December 09, 2019 in Berlin, Germany.

"That's it from us for now. See you next week! —Gabriel and Kate

“I never have taken a picture I’ve intended. They’re always better or worse.”—Diane Arbus

📝 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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