Earlier today somehow I heard about an online interactive featuring portraits of world leaders at the United Nations.  I took a quick peek and vowed to return when I got home.  Turns out this project was undertaken by Platon a staff photographer at The New Yorker and there was a printed version waiting for me in the mailbox tonight. But I digress… While it’s fascinating to compare these varied faces from around the globe, I was really taken by the 10-50 second audio clips where you can hear the photographer’s commentary on each of the 50 photos.  Go now – check out this portrait portfolio, take a few minutes to listen-in and contemplate the power of a portrait. The printed version is also worth a glance as it pairs the photos and displays them at a different scale (December 7, 2009 issue). Above is the opening spread: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  and Barack Obama.