THE SUNDAY STILL: Capital Hill Intrigue

Photojournalist Patrick Farrell has joined the blog with his weekly feature, The Sunday Still. Farrell selects one image each week that showcases the best photojournalism by photojournalists from around the world. The feature runs weekly in The Sunday Long Read. The goal of the newsletter, edited by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jacob Feldman, is to put the week’s best journalism in your hands every Sunday morning.

The Sunday Still from Patrick Farrell

Capitol Hill Intrigue How do you cover a closed-door deposition as a photographer? Backpedaling in a pack through fluorescent-lit hallways, opportunities are reduced to closing elevators doors and short sprints to vehicles with dark-tinted windows. Washington, D.C.-based photojournalist Sarah Silbiger, shooting for Bloomberg, captured one of the most striking images yet from the Trump impeachment inquiry by demonstrating dogged persistence, patience and an eye for political intrigue. Taking on windshield reflections and the dwindling light of day after a 10-hour hearing, Silbiger’s photo of former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker on Oct. 3 is rich with ambient light from the car’s interior and the setting sun. The phalanx of police officers in the background adds depth to a photograph that conveys there is still much to be seen on Capitol Hill. Patrick Farrell, the curator of The Sunday Still, is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner for Breaking News Photography for The Miami Herald, where he worked from 1987 to 2019. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management at the University of Miami School of Communication.