Unique Tips For Photographing A Protest
My first protest was in March of 2015. I remember waking up that morning with nerves that I had never experienced before. It was new territory for me and I was ignorant about the rules pertaining to photographing protesters; especially ones that were so heated about the political climate at that time. This was the year of Trump vs. Hilary and there were protests every week in various parts of Chicago. Stomaching my nerves, I suited up in a hoodie and joggers, preparing for that chilly, spring day.
The protest and the photographs turned out to be decent and I am still happy about the way the film developed. However, there are some keys to protest photography that I was unaware of at the time, along with some pretty big mistakes that I was making. Hopefully you can benefit from this list of dos!
Wear the Right Shoes
Although I was prepared for the weather, I was definitely not prepared to move my feet towards the action. There WILL be times during a protest where running is required for you to capture the shots you want. For example, I once photographed a large Medicare For All rally consisting of upwards of 5,000 people. During this rally, there was a group of about 15 counter protesters that stormed through the crowd, some carrying drums and causing a scene. Having learned from my first protest, I had worn my puma running shoes and was able to book it from the very front to the middle, where the chaos was ensuing. Imagine the shots I would have missed had I not been able to comfortably and safely jog to where I was needed. Wearing shoes that you can run in will be the difference between mediocre photographs and exceptional photographs and we deserve the best!
Bring a Snack (and water)
I don’t know about you but I get hangry. When I say hangry, I mean, I become a different human being altogether! I need my snacks and I need my food to be at the top of my game. If you know that a protest could potentially go for more than 2 hours, you will be making a serious mistake to not bring a granola bar or something. It is vital to not only have water, but a snack as well. You do not want to have to squeeze through a crowd saying “excuse me” 20+ times just to get out of the protest only to find that there is no food nearby. You could potentially be missing out on a half hour of material. While this may not seem like a lot, I can tell you from experience that it will matter. There may also be protests that you attend that require marching. I once marched for 1 hour in 90 degree weather after an initial 1 hour meet up and had no water with me. It is fair to say that my photographs from that day showed how much I was struggling with the heat. DO NOT make this mistake! Bring a snack and water. I do not want to have to say “I told you so”.
Bring Back ups
Extra memory cards, extra batteries, a second lens (if need be)... I mean, come on, do I really need to explain to you why?
Mentally Prepare
Every single time you photograph a protest, you are essentially swimming in new waters. No one protest is going to be the same. The crowd, the issue and the setting will be ever changing. This is what is so challenging about this type of photography but what also is so appealing about it. I personally love that there is always something new to photograph and I enjoy challenging myself in different environments. That said, there are some tips to mentally prepare yourself for the day. Let me walk you through my routine. First, I like to find a meditation video on YouTube that I can listen to for at least 5 minutes before I even get out of bed. Find one that has a theme of being calming. You will want to practice a little mindfulness before you get to work so that you can stay grounded no matter what you encounter. After that, I get dressed and have breakfast. Now, this is important so listen: You MUST google the location of the protest. Use Google’s street view and really pay close attention to the area in which you are going to be. Is it a grassy area such as a park, is it a cityscape location, or maybe even indoor? I find that envisioning where the protest will take place will mentally prepare you for the “terrain” in which you will be shooting on. You will envision the space and won’t be surprised when you arrive there. Lastly, right before getting out the door and heading to the location, I like to set an objective for the assignment. Setting an objective is extremely important so that you can get into the right mindset needed to achieve what you are looking to capture. An objective could be as little as, “I want to capture more facial expressions today” or as big as, “I want to snap a photograph that will win me an award”. Whatever it is, honor this goal for yourself and set that as your intention for that shoot. Do all these things and I promise you, you’ll be headstrong.
That’s all for this one! Thanks for reading. Make sure you make a pit stop at my protest folder in my portfolio before you exit my website ;). Also, send me your protest photography! I am always interested in seeing what others are shooting while using these pointers.
