Game of chance

Richard Johnstone | Inside Story | 6th October 2026

A lament. Magnum photo agency built its reputation with street photography that captured moments of stillness – “micro dramas”- in the modern city. Such images had a clear relationship with real events. Now, though, scrolling through constantly renewing images is a new way of looking.  Does the still image still exert any authority? Is photographer skill or technology now the critical factor? Can Magnum still rely on us resisting “alternative worlds that are seductive, overwhelming, uncanny”?