In No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy authors Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites undertook a fascinating survey of some of the most iconic images of the last century, analyzing their profound effects on the American political and social landscape. Since the 2007 publication of their book, the authors have also started a blog where they continue their critique of the role that photojournalism and other visual practices play in democratic society, bringing their ideas to bear on current issues and new media in real-time.

Today’s posting showcases the work of another UCP author, photographer Ashley Gilbertson and his extraordinary images of the war in Iraq which have illustrated the pages of the New York Times and other publications since the beginning of the U. S. invasion in 2003. The No Caption Needed blog offers a brief slide show of Gilbertson’s work taken from his recent book, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: A Photographer’s Chronicle of the Iraq War. Navigate to www.nocaptionneeded.com to check it out as well as read the other insightful critiques of visual media the author’s offer.
To find out more about Gilbertson’s book see the press’s special website featuring an exclusive half-hour interview with the author where he relates his experiences photographing the war in Iraq as well as some of the his own ideas about the importance and impact of his images on public culture.