How to improve my protest photos?

[The Blinking Eye]

Hi All,

 

I've been on a two+ year hiatus from all this due to personal life upheaval, but I am taking photos again and even got temp access to the Live News feed. I am back in the San Francisco Bay Area (temporarily) so feel inspired to get back into the photography game. This is a great place to catch stories. My past protest photos far outsell anything else I've uploaded. Several have sold many times over. Plus it falls within my interests.

 

Please check my most recent upload and give me some tips on how to get better captures. I really want to improve. I assume photographers respect the journalistic impulse but if this latest topic annoys you, please skip this post and move on.

 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/?comp=1&mode=0&name=Kristin+Cato&sortBy=relevant&st=12&userid={8C460FB4-8E58-4C1A-9E28-91A6ACBE9190}&xstx=0

 

One thing -- I take too many photos in the heat of the moment, hoping I'll catch something important. When I edit them later, it's just a whole lot of sloppy glut. So going forward, I want to take fewer and wait for the photo that makes a punch. Full crowd shots look boring to me. I try to emphasize place (the Embarcadero clock tower, for example) but maybe I spend too much time doing that. I've learned that using my zoom lens works very well for close ups.

 

What are your best tips regarding photographing protests or public events? Do you have a preconceived photo in mind, then wait for it to happen? How do you capture the crowds? Do you zoom into individual faces or zoom out and get the full crowd? Do you frame small groups of people, like three at a time? Do you get close ups of signs?

 

Feel free to give feedback on individual photos.

 

I want to be a GREAT photojournalist, not a mediocre one. 🙂

 

Thank you~

 

Kristin

aka The Blinking Eye

 

 

 

[Mr Standfast]

Well come back Kristin!  

[The Blinking Eye]

1 hour ago, Mr Standfast said:

Well come back Kristin!  

Thank you!

[Steve F]

Hi Kristin, welcome back!

Nice protest images, I like the composition / framing.

 

Not sure about 2TDEFB6, looks like you had camera shake. And are you doing any editing or just uploading directly? Not sure how much editing photo journalists do - sure someone else can chime in - but e.g. 2TDEFFD has a lot of noise.

 

I have almost no experience in this genre, but I'll give my two cents. I would have thought you need to take a lot of images and would expect a lower number of keepers than normal. You're dealing with a constantly moving tableau in front of you, banners that move, people moving, camera shake is more likely at night time too, etc. I wouldn't be checking every image I take, but check to make sure e.g. your ISO is high enough to freeze action. I guess that you want a variety of shot types as you don't know what might sell - closeups can look more impactful and convey the story better, but wider shots of the crowd give a sense of scale. Other options are deliberately skewed angles, taking shots low down and high up etc. - but I would take note of what sells in the media.

 

Good luck,

Steve

 

p.s. not a protest, but I took over 700 photos at a recent civil war reenactment. Was doing a lot of burst shooting, e.g. to get the instant when guns were fired.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Steve F

[sooth]

Personally, I like to try and get the camera at a higher vantage point to focus more on signage and people's faces and emotions where possible 

[Chuck Nacke]

12 hours ago, The Blinking Eye said:

Hi All,

 

I've been on a two+ year hiatus from all this due to personal life upheaval, but I am taking photos again and even got temp access to the Live News feed. I am back in the San Francisco Bay Area (temporarily) so feel inspired to get back into the photography game. This is a great place to catch stories. My past protest photos far outsell anything else I've uploaded. Several have sold many times over. Plus it falls within my interests.

 

Please check my most recent upload and give me some tips on how to get better captures. I really want to improve. I assume photographers respect the journalistic impulse but if this latest topic annoys you, please skip this post and move on.

 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/?comp=1&mode=0&name=Kristin+Cato&sortBy=relevant&st=12&userid={8C460FB4-8E58-4C1A-9E28-91A6ACBE9190}&xstx=0

 

One thing -- I take too many photos in the heat of the moment, hoping I'll catch something important. When I edit them later, it's just a whole lot of sloppy glut. So going forward, I want to take fewer and wait for the photo that makes a punch. Full crowd shots look boring to me. I try to emphasize place (the Embarcadero clock tower, for example) but maybe I spend too much time doing that. I've learned that using my zoom lens works very well for close ups.

 

What are your best tips regarding photographing protests or public events? Do you have a preconceived photo in mind, then wait for it to happen? How do you capture the crowds? Do you zoom into individual faces or zoom out and get the full crowd? Do you frame small groups of people, like three at a time? Do you get close ups of signs?

 

Feel free to give feedback on individual photos.

 

I want to be a GREAT photojournalist, not a mediocre one. 🙂

 

Thank you~

 

Kristin

aka The Blinking Eye

 

 

 

Well Kristin,

 

As someone who has covered many demonstrations in the Bay Area in the 80's & 90's and around the world.  The best advice I would give, if I was asked?  Is get the facts, Who, What and Why are people in the street or at a location?  I also have rarely try to get the photo out fast, unless there is a very valid reason to do so.  AP and the wires will always get images out quicker.  I've always try to make images that illustrate the story for the long term.  I always try to communicate with people and NEVER misrepresent myself or who I am or what I am doing.  I also now do not ask people for their full names as I would have in the past.  I now just use first name, age and location (general town or area) person resides.  As a rule smiling happy protesters do not make good images, the back of people's heads tend not to work well.  I also avoid images that show many different issues I.E. Anti-War and Pro Choice, etc.  

Lastly, I try to edit very tightly.  Keep in mind that I do have a degree in journalism and years ago worked mostly on assignment for the weekly news magazines or for the major news photo agencies. 

With all this in mind, many of my demonstration, protest images from the 80's, 90's etc. still are licensed now via Alamy.

 

Chuck

aka still the original one  

[wiskerke]

Excellent advise from Chuck. If I may add: try to convey the overall impression or feel of the situation. If it is a friendly demonstration, then do get those friendly faces, but indeed otherwise don't. One picture worth a thousand words? The opposite with images of demonstrations. Which means get a really good image of a really good slogan. Preferably with some people showing genuine emotions or doing some emotional things. Shouting or gesturing, yes, but singing and dancing or flag waving or burning candles can all be meaningful, as long as the persons doing it show emotion in what they're doing. That almost always means having faces visible and often engaging with the viewer or the thing they're carrying.

If it's a huge crowd, try to capture that. A higher viewpoint usually helps. A larger distance with a longer lens also. I have gone up to 400mm, which I would have outright condemned when I started out. Plus it's not the easiest thing to carry in these situations.

For longevity of the images, maybe include the odd landmark.

 

wim

[Ed Rooney]

 

Kristin, I like your demonstration pictures on page one. However, I do see some images on your deeper pages you should not have uploaded.

 

Live News means you will be shooting lots of images and many will have problems; it's the nature of the beast. In your edit, that's where you have to be most discerning. 

 

Good luck, Miss K. 

 

Edo

[Mr Standfast]

Hi again Kristen,

 

Random thoughts from somone who is also trying to improve! Every day is a school day. I'm not a photo journalist but I try!

 

• Safety.
  • Let somone know where you are going.
  • At an event march, rally or whatever, know where the way out is, anticipate problems.
  • No shame in walking away.
  • If you are a news gatherer you cannot take part in a protest.
• Rules
  • Learn the local rules, what you can and cannot photograph, children in distress without permission is a no no in the UK
• Location Plan
  • Look for vantage points and also exits on google street view.
  • Look for somewhere to upload that prize winning picture afterwards, my favourites are cafes (buy a coffee!!!) and libraries.
  • Batteries charged? Really, yes!
  • Annual or regular events, check previous coverage.
• Shooting plan
  • Key speakers
  • Hanging around waiting.
  • Placards - they explain the situation, difficult, rude, funny, hand made, factory printed;  they all tell the story.
  • Placards - frame the protest
  • Faces with eye contact.
  • Waist level viewpoint seems popular at the moment.
  • Include a  land mark behind a protestor, it gives a sense of place. Handy when protests occur concurrently across the country.
  • Marching, capture the movement, blur, feet not touching the ground.
  • In all the excitement don't forget photography; Diferential focus, framing, exposure. Check you haven't switched to manual focus or something just as silly.
• Your introduction, it may be helpfull or appropriate, it may not be.
  • Practice your introduction, "Hello, I'm James, I'm shooting some pictures for the national papers." The usual response is what will the article say or which papers? My reply is "my pictures go to an agency who will send them to most of  papers, I attach an honest caption which just says what is going on, just who, what, where and when. I don't know who will pick it, indeed if they will." It is important to have a confident honest fluent explantion of what you are doing, a smile helps.  This does not come naturally to everyone.
• The competition.
  • Keep looking at what is in print. a picture buyer thought it did the job, try and work out what they saw.
  • If you find an alamy picture in print try to find rest of the submitted pictures on the data base why did the published image get picked.
• Books to read
  • Ian Davidson recommended Harold Evans Pictures on a Page. He's right it's good.

 

Good Luck!

[zxzoomy]

I find what sells from protests are very clear, simple text placards with a bit of a human included and a dynamic group, maybe at the front of a protest, with a clear text banner or with clear text placard(s) to sum up the story. They are often used small. 

[The Blinking Eye]

11 hours ago, Steve F said:

Hi Kristin, welcome back!

Nice protest images, I like the composition / framing.

 

Not sure about 2TDEFB6, looks like you had camera shake. And are you doing any editing or just uploading directly? Not sure how much editing photo journalists do - sure someone else can chime in - but e.g. 2TDEFFD has a lot of noise.

 

I have almost no experience in this genre, but I'll give my two cents. I would have thought you need to take a lot of images and would expect a lower number of keepers than normal. You're dealing with a constantly moving tableau in front of you, banners that move, people moving, camera shake is more likely at night time too, etc. I wouldn't be checking every image I take, but check to make sure e.g. your ISO is high enough to freeze action. I guess that you want a variety of shot types as you don't know what might sell - closeups can look more impactful and convey the story better, but wider shots of the crowd give a sense of scale. Other options are deliberately skewed angles, taking shots low down and high up etc. - but I would take note of what sells in the media.

 

Good luck,

Steve

 

p.s. not a protest, but I took over 700 photos at a recent civil war reenactment. Was doing a lot of burst shooting, e.g. to get the instant when guns were fired.

 

Yes, the lighting is challenging at this time of year with protests happening in the evening. (Another one happens tomorrow after dark) I do some editing - cropping and brightening and adding contrast, usually. I wonder if I should try bringing a tripod? Some of these demonstrations are more stationary than others, so that's a thought. I'm impressed they passed QC, to be honest. All those flags were being waved rapidly, so they were hard to capture.

 

I will check the ISO. I did take some very low angle shots and they were much more dramatic. I'll work with that more. Thanks for the feedback!

[The Blinking Eye]

11 hours ago, sooth said:

Personally, I like to try and get the camera at a higher vantage point to focus more on signage and people's faces and emotions where possible 

 

Like you stand on top of something? Shoot from a first story balcony?

[The Blinking Eye]

7 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said:

Well Kristin,

 

As someone who has covered many demonstrations in the Bay Area in the 80's & 90's and around the world.  The best advice I would give, if I was asked?  Is get the facts, Who, What and Why are people in the street or at a location?  I also have rarely try to get the photo out fast, unless there is a very valid reason to do so.  AP and the wires will always get images out quicker.  I've always try to make images that illustrate the story for the long term.  I always try to communicate with people and NEVER misrepresent myself or who I am or what I am doing.  I also now do not ask people for their full names as I would have in the past.  I now just use first name, age and location (general town or area) person resides.  As a rule smiling happy protesters do not make good images, the back of people's heads tend not to work well.  I also avoid images that show many different issues I.E. Anti-War and Pro Choice, etc.  

Lastly, I try to edit very tightly.  Keep in mind that I do have a degree in journalism and years ago worked mostly on assignment for the weekly news magazines or for the major news photo agencies. 

With all this in mind, many of my demonstration, protest images from the 80's, 90's etc. still are licensed now via Alamy.

 

Chuck

aka still the original one  

 

Interesting about not using Live News. I have three political photos in particular that continue to license over and over, years after the event. I also admire how selective you are, uploading just a few photos for each event it looks like. I like this approach. Thanks for the input!

[The Blinking Eye]

6 hours ago, wiskerke said:

Excellent advise from Chuck. If I may add: try to convey the overall impression or feel of the situation. If it is a friendly demonstration, then do get those friendly faces, but indeed otherwise don't. One picture worth a thousand words? The opposite with images of demonstrations. Which means get a really good image of a really good slogan. Preferably with some people showing genuine emotions or doing some emotional things. Shouting or gesturing, yes, but singing and dancing or flag waving or burning candles can all be meaningful, as long as the persons doing it show emotion in what they're doing. That almost always means having faces visible and often engaging with the viewer or the thing they're carrying.

If it's a huge crowd, try to capture that. A higher viewpoint usually helps. A larger distance with a longer lens also. I have gone up to 400mm, which I would have outright condemned when I started out. Plus it's not the easiest thing to carry in these situations.

For longevity of the images, maybe include the odd landmark.

 

wim

 

This is very helpful!!! I love the advice of looking for emotion. Gives me a focus point that I didn't have consciously before. Thanks!

[The Blinking Eye]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Kristin, I like your demonstration pictures on page one. However, I do see some images on your deeper pages you should not have uploaded.

 

Live News means you will be shooting lots of images and many will have problems; it's the nature of the beast. In your edit, that's where you have to be most discerning. 

 

Good luck, Miss K. 

 

Edo

Can you give me an example of at least one that shouldn't be uploaded? Do you recommend bothering with Live News at all?

[The Blinking Eye]

5 hours ago, Mr Standfast said:

Hi again Kristen,

 

Random thoughts from somone who is also trying to improve! Every day is a school day. I'm not a photo journalist but I try!

 

• Safety.
  • Let somone know where you are going.
  • At an event march, rally or whatever, know where the way out is, anticipate problems.
  • No shame in walking away.
  • If you are a news gatherer you cannot take part in a protest.
• Rules
  • Learn the local rules, what you can and cannot photograph, children in distress without permission is a no no in the UK
• Location Plan
  • Look for vantage points and also exits on google street view.
  • Look for somewhere to upload that prize winning picture afterwards, my favourites are cafes (buy a coffee!!!) and libraries.
  • Batteries charged? Really, yes!
  • Annual or regular events, check previous coverage.
• Shooting plan
  • Key speakers
  • Hanging around waiting.
  • Placards - they explain the situation, difficult, rude, funny, hand made, factory printed;  they all tell the story.
  • Placards - frame the protest
  • Faces with eye contact.
  • Waist level viewpoint seems popular at the moment.
  • Include a  land mark behind a protestor, it gives a sense of place. Handy when protests occur concurrently across the country.
  • Marching, capture the movement, blur, feet not touching the ground.
  • In all the excitement don't forget photography; Diferential focus, framing, exposure. Check you haven't switched to manual focus or something just as silly.
• Your introduction, it may be helpfull or appropriate, it may not be.
  • Practice your introduction, "Hello, I'm James, I'm shooting some pictures for the national papers." The usual response is what will the article say or which papers? My reply is "my pictures go to an agency who will send them to most of  papers, I attach an honest caption which just says what is going on, just who, what, where and when. I don't know who will pick it, indeed if they will." It is important to have a confident honest fluent explantion of what you are doing, a smile helps.  This does not come naturally to everyone.
• The competition.
  • Keep looking at what is in print. a picture buyer thought it did the job, try and work out what they saw.
  • If you find an alamy picture in print try to find rest of the submitted pictures on the data base why did the published image get picked.
• Books to read
  • Ian Davidson recommended Harold Evans Pictures on a Page. He's right it's good.

 

Good Luck!

WOW, thank you!

 

Eye contact!

 

Also, and following up on Chuck's comment too, who are you introducing yourself to? Are you asking individuals if you can take their photos? To pose? I never do that, and it hasn't seemed necessary. People are demonstrating in public, holding up signs already. Tomorrow's protest on Shabbat might be smaller and more spiritual. I could perhaps introduce myself to the main group before it begins.

 

I have gotten much more bold and comfortable moving in front of the crowd where the action is. People have been gracious letting me through and I don't spend long there.

 

I have never gone with a plan, other than to show up early. Googling vantage points, such great advice! Awesome tips, thank you!!

[The Blinking Eye]

5 hours ago, zxzoomy said:

I find what sells from protests are very clear, simple text placards with a bit of a human included and a dynamic group, maybe at the front of a protest, with a clear text banner or with clear text placard(s) to sum up the story. They are often used small. 

 

Great, I think I do try to do this exact thing.

[Lynchpics]

Shooting protests - pic editors will look for images that can illustrate the protest in an eye catching / interesting way, think about what is in the frame before you press the shutter button. Try to capture the feel / atmosphere / people's anger etc in a single photo, a pic editor will see lots of images from a big protest, try and make your images stand out from all the images they will get from the other photographers at the protest. Don't be scared to go in close if it's safe to do so. You are there to document what is happening, document it in an honest way. 

 

Editing protest images to upload to news feeds - find 6-12 good frames, get them uploaded quick especially if its a big protest that is covered by more than 2-3 other photographers. Caption the images well, use the 3 W's, Who, where, what. 

 

As others have said after the protest look at what images the newspaper's etc used, learn from that. 

 

[Michael Ventura]

Hi Kristen, welcome back! I like your protest photos.  I think you already know these things I am writing below but will do so anyway.

 

While I don't shoot protests or live news type images, I know what I like seeing.  People with genuine emotions and passions for what they are protesting about, holding clear signs and symbols to illustrate what their cause is.  Get in close as you can safely so as to let the viewer feel they are there.  Get counter protesters engaging with the original protesters (again only if safe to do so).  If it is a large gathering, try to get elevated, so you can get the scale of the protest, shoot both wide and long lens shots. 

 

In my teens, when I wasn't sure what kind of photography I wanted to do, I tried going a march in Washington DC, people were protesting against nuclear power, after the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown (1979).  I climbed up on a base of a statue on Pennsylvania Ave to get some crowd shots and I ended up next to a real pro named Dennis Brack..he was a biggy in photojournalism then.  I thought, okay I must have made a good decision to get in that spot if he was there.  But alas, I did not pursue news photography.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Michael Ventura

[ColdCoffee]

I like your demonstration photos!

 

I have some photos from demonstrations, and most of them have sold multiple times. Especially the ones from the Pro-life demonstration that also drew some pro-choice activists.

I tried to focus on the message and then pick appropriate "supporting actors" to help illustrate the point.

It can be difficult and overwhelming with lots of things going on .. so try to focus on something specific or a specific aspect. I think you already did in your photos.

You have already got a lot of great comments and advice, which are very helpful to me too.

 

Some of my demonstrations were uploaded as Live News, but all the sales were long after they were moved into normal stock.

Edited December 21, 2023 by ColdCoffee

[Chuck Nacke]

This is sort of going sideways.  Some of the things that I wrote are being misinterpreted.  By not getting images "Out Fast" I did not in any way mean not uploading via Live News.  I was one of the first contributors invited to upload to live news on Alamy year ago.  What I meant is that I make sure to edit (select) images and get all the information I can about the event that I photographed before I caption and upload images.  Wire or newspaper photographers upload from the scene often using prewritten captions.

 

Tripods at Demos are a VERY BAD IDEA, Period.  Monopods come in handy, but I've rarely put a camera on one.

 

I also do not "introduce myself" I only respond when someone asks me a question.   I also DO NOT ASK before I photograph someone at a public demonstration.  

 

It might be a good idea for someone from Live News to contribute to this thread.

 

Chuck

Edited December 22, 2023 by Chuck Nacke
addition

[The Blinking Eye]

1 hour ago, Michael Ventura said:

Hi Kristen, welcome back! I like your protest photos.  I think you already know these things I am writing below but will do so anyway.

 

While I don't shoot protests or live news type images, I know what I like seeing.  People with genuine emotions and passions for what they are protesting about, holding clear signs and symbols to illustrate what their cause is.  Get in close as you can safely so as to let the viewer feel they are there.  Get counter protesters engaging with the original protesters (again only if safe to do so).  If it is a large gathering, try to get elevated, so you can get the scale of the protest, shoot both wide and long lens shots. 

 

In my teens, when I wasn't sure what kind of photography I wanted to do, I tried going a march in Washington DC, people were protesting against nuclear power, after the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown (1979).  I climb up a base of a statue on Pennsylvania Ave to get some crowd shots and I ended up next to a real pro named Dennis Brack..he was a biggy in photojournalism then.  I thought, okay I must have made a good decision to get in that spot if he was there.  But alas, I did not pursue news photography.

 

This is a great photo and a great protest photo! I can totally see the need to elevate myself. I sort of know these things, but they are not quite conscious, and I'm fed up with my glut of sloppy photos desperately attempting to grab a moment when the frame isn't even right. So it really helps me to lay these ideas out and talk about them. Thank you!

[The Blinking Eye]

37 minutes ago, ColdCoffee said:

I like your demonstration photos!

 

I have some photos from demonstrations, and most of them have sold multiple times. Especially the ones from the Pro-life demonstration that also drew some pro-choice activists.

I tried to focus on the message and then pick appropriate "supporting actors" to help illustrate the point.

It can be difficult and overwhelming with lots of things going on .. so try to focus on something specific or a specific aspect. I think you already did in your photos.

You have already got a lot of great comments and advice, which are very helpful to me too.

 

Some of my demonstrations were uploaded as Live News, but all the sales were long after they were moved into normal stock.

 

Thanks! Your Pro-life photos are great. They seem really colorful.

 

The idea of making the message the focus, with supporting actors, is helpful.

[The Blinking Eye]

29 minutes ago, Chuck Nacke said:

This is sort of going sideways.  Some of the things that I wrote are being misinterpreted.  By not getting images "Out Fast" I did not in any way mean not uploading via Live News.  I was one of the first contributors invited to upload to live news on Alamy year ago.  What I meant is that I make sure to edit (select) images and get all the information I can about the event that I photographed before I caption and upload images.  Wire or newspaper photographers upload from the scene often using prewritten captions.

 

Tripods at Demos are a VERY BAD IDEA, Period.  Monopods come in handy, but I've rarely put a camera on one.

 

I also do not "introduce myself" I only respond when someone asks me a question.   I also DO NOT ASK before I photograph someone at a public demonstration.  

 

It might be a good idea for someone from Live News to contribute to this thread.

 

Chuck

Thanks for clarifying! When you talk about getting names of people, what were you referring to? Like a news story where they feature a photo or interview of an individual?

[sb photos]

Kristin, there's lots of valuable advice in this thread, so I'll only add a few items. I often carry a small monopod that I attach to a camera to gain height, higher than just holding a camera at arms length. Mine has a strap and clip attached, I will often clip it to my belt so I can easily access it. When elevated I fire the shutter via a cable often tilting the camera at different angles. this is also useful if there is a scrum around something of interest as you can shoot down and over heads. When shooting the head of a march I will if possible shoot the full width of the banner, then segments of it, then individual faces, even though at the time I might not know who the people are. Also I will stand, mostly stationary, in the centre of a march, shooting up close with a wide angle zoom as protesters walk past me. I will often elevate the camera by holding at arms length or via the monopod. If I see an interesting or controversial banner I will head for it, holding a camera high and saying excuse me, then move back to the centre of the road. Most important is having your IPTC info prepared in advance and leaving enough spare characters to describe what is in the individual photo. I currently use Photo Mechanic. Try not to shoot too many images as this will slow you down when culling. Always carry a laptop, mine are either a very light 12" or a 13", never a 15" as too heavy. Mine is always sleeping ready for use. Sometimes I also carry a fully charged power bank and USB-C cable for charging the laptop if it's going to be a busy day. I don't know what kit you carry, but 2 bodies with lenses attached makes life easier. In a crowd I will use 24-70 and 17-35mm lenses, other times likely a 24-70 and a 70-300 or 80-400. If shooting live news I'll edit and upload, usually by my phones hot spot, ASAP. Then there will be many other good images that I upload later that day as reportage, often editing during the 1 hour train journey back home from London. If I drive to cover an event and edit in the car, I use a small umbrella to shield my laptops screen from bright light. If wanting to upload news quickly and there is nowhere to shelter from direct light on the computer screen, I aways compare edited images to a 'gold standard' image kept on my desktop and adjust accordingly. Some time back when shooting a march I was walking/jogging backwards and trod on a march organisers foot, my apology was accepted. I've always had public liability insurance since then, at first for £3M, currently £5M.