political

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and it seems that's the kind of statement the three Russian cosmonauts who just arrived at the International Space Station were trying to send in picking their flight suits. They boarded the station wearing striking yellow outfits with blue accents -- the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Photographer Mitch Epstein explores the divisive topic of land ownership in the United States and how diverse communities come together to fight against the destruction and confiscation of the land.

A local South African commercial photographer has found himself in the epicenter of the country's most recent political unrest that has disrupted communities and left people starving, and has shifted his focus to photojournalism to make sure it does not go unseen.

Republican state senate candidates in Iowa have been releasing advertisements in recent weeks, introducing their lives, views, and plans. With all the photos and videos emerging at around the same time, someone noticed something peculiar: the candidates are all seen talking to the exact same group of kids in the same school hallway.

There's a 22-year-old college student who's shaking up the world of political photography. His name is Gage Skidmore, and you've likely seen many of his photos without knowing it. He has captured and published tens of thousands of photos of virtually every major presidential candidate over the past few years, and his Creative Commons licensed photos are being used by the media and by politicians themselves.

Here's a humorous example of why you should pay attention to lighting when combining photos into a composite image. A few days ago, Jeb Bush's super PAC Right to Rise USA tweeted a picture that showed Bush with a stock photo of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the background. People immediately noticed that something was strange with Bush's left hand.

Local Alaska photographer Mark Osborne found a nasty surprise waiting for him in the mail a few days ago. Among the bills and junk mail was sitting a political attack ad aimed at a friend of his running for the State of Alaska House of Representatives, and illustrating the ad was an screen grab from a video taken by Mark himself.

Osborne was, understandably, a little annoyed. And so he shot the response above to explain the situation, express his displeasure, and laugh at the situation a bit while he was at it.

When the presidential election was looming on the horizon last year, photographer Ashley Pizzuti decided to shoot a project that had been brewing in her mind for some time. Titled "Vote for Chase," the series imagines what political campaign photographs would look like if innocent young children ran for president rather than weathered adult politicians.

Four years ago, Kai-Huei Yau had an idea. During a presidential election year, why not create a series of high school football preview photographs that tie into the political atmosphere? This year, the Tri-City Herald photographer finally put the idea into motion. His "Football Campaign 2012" series features portraits of local high school football players that make them look like they're running for office rather than preparing for a season of war on the gridiron.

Now here’s a person who really believes in the power of photography.

Fine art photographer Jane Fulton Alt has made a series of images commenting on the effect of the Gulf oil spill on Americans. The photos, in her collection "Crude Awakening," are eerie and still portraits of swimmers and beach-goers drenched in oil. Some of her past work includes a chilling and intimate look at the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina in her book Look and Leave.