Why would a teenager or a parent choose to spend their Saturday at a protest?
This is the question I asked my daughter to think about when we photographed the March For Our Lives protest last Saturday, March 24th in New York City. Together we created a mother-daughter photo series about an issue that we both have a vested interest in. (She does not wish to be part of a school shooting and I don’t wish for her to be part of a school shooting.)
On the subway up to 72nd Street and Central Park West, I shared with her the lessons I’ve learned as a photojournalist. I happen to love photographing protests — they are made up of people who are passionate, engaged, and willing to sacrifice a day or a lifetime for what they believe in. They are my people. My daughter, Lucia Shorr, is 17. She is quite a good photographer, though photojournalism isn’t really her thing. I distilled my knowledge for her down to the list below.
What to Wear and How to Prepare
Charge your batteries and format all your cards the night before. Wear shoes you can walk, run and climb in. Wear clothing that isn’t restrictive. Pack a snack — I bring bars. Bring water. Keep your bag and gear as light as possible. Bring your phone and charger but know that at protests, with so many people using their devices, you will likely have trouble sending and receiving messages.
It Isn’t Just About the Signs
Sure the signs are important, clever and usually colorful. But a protest is about the people — the placards aren’t carrying themselves. As a society, we choose to protest, and/or spend a Saturday marching in the streets because we want to be heard. Because together, our voices are louder than on our own. However, still photography does not record the chants. It is our job to show the passion in the photos sans audio.
What Is This Protest About?
It is important to think about what the protest is about. This one was inspired and organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, following the shooting at their school on February 14, 2018.
People were marching about the issue of gun violence in schools, but the real story had to do with the younger generation taking the lead. As you can see, the majority of the images we made and included in our edit focused on teens and children.
Are You Trying to Make One Good Image or a Series?
A series needs an establishing shot, as well as medium and close-up images. I find the establishing shot to be the most important in a series but also the most challenging to make truly interesting. Sure you can take a wide-angle photo of a crowd but that in and of itself does not make the photograph interesting. Photographs shot from above with a drone or from a helicopter will show the size of the crowds but there has to be some interesting composition or light component to the crowd images to make them visually appealing. I love the photo that Lucia took below because you get a sense of the crowd but you also can see the people’s faces and how they are interacting. It is a wonderful establishing shot.
Get High. Get Low. Get Creative.
This is photojournalism 101. Show different perspectives of the protest. At any opportunity, climb something or get down low. I always try to make photographs that will help the audience feel the energy of the crowd. Protests offer so many opportunities for interesting visuals that it’s a great place to push your own creative boundaries.
The Gear We Used
I like to keep gear to a minimum when shooting a protest. The less bulky I am the easer it is to maneuver through a crowd. Both my daughter and I shoot with Canon cameras. I use a 5D Mark III and brought along my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.2 lens. Lucia uses a Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with an 18-55 3.5/5.6 lens.
I wear my camera on a BlackRapid strap, which I swear by. I keep my other lenses, flashes, cards, water, snacks, metro card, money, business cards, pen, small notebook and lipstick (I don’t always remember to put it on but I have to bring it) in my Think Tank lumbar bag.
If you have any questions or comments about photographing protests or about our images get in touch. If you want to see more images from protests visit doriehagler.com.
