Dangerous Photojournalism? (Moved to the soapbox)

vijayparmar · Sep 28, 2018

As well all may know, there have been recent protests such as the Black Lives Matter and the Charlottesville protests. Many of the ones we see on the news outbreak into violence, cars on fire, people getting hurt, officers in riot gear.

Does anybody on this subreddit have any experience going to such protests and photographing them? Any thoughts or opinions on photographing them in general?

There is a protest similar to the one in Charlottesville planned to happen in San Francisco with a counter-protest to match it. I'm wondering if I should get my feet wet into some photojournalism.

chriscrawfordphoto · Sep 28, 2018

It isn't photojournalism unless you're getting paid to do it; and if you have no experience I'd not choose a violent political protest to begin your career.

Rick A · Sep 28, 2018

chriscrawfordphoto said:
It isn't photojournalism unless you're getting paid to do it; and if you have no experience I'd not choose a violent political protest to begin your career.

Yeah, what Chris said. But hey, if you are looking to make a name for yourself feel free to jump into the fray.

slackercrurster · Sep 28, 2018

vijayparmar said:
As well all may know, there have been recent protests such as the Black Lives Matter and the Charlottesville protests. Many of the ones we see on the news outbreak into violence, cars on fire, people getting hurt, officers in riot gear.

Does anybody on this subreddit have any experience going to such protests and photographing them? Any thoughts or opinions on photographing them in general?

There is a protest similar to the one in Charlottesville planned to happen in San Francisco with a counter-protest to match it. I'm wondering if I should get my feet wet into some photojournalism.

Dunno if you need to be paid to call it photojournalism or not. But either way all that matters is the photo. Sure, get your feet wet. A mini M43 might be your best bet to look low key. Same with clothes, nothing to stand out. I like superwides, but maybe you want to get wet with a tele? Just use a mini if you go tele...a tele can scream trouble sometimes.

Here is a story that was brought to mind from your post...

"Excuse me…I thought you were a nigger." That was what the white cop said to white photog Spider Martin lying on the ground after he bashed him in the head with his baton while Spider was covering the civil right beat for his newspaper in the ’60s.

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswi...lped-expose-brutality-of-selmas-bloody-sunday

Most cops are power hungry just like politicians and need to vent their anger on something – the general public is a good outlet....esp if you got a cam in your hand. Cops are bad...I stay away from em.

Good luck and don't forget to post some pix!

CMoore · Sep 28, 2018

vijayparmar said:
As well all may know, there have been recent protests such as the Black Lives Matter and the Charlottesville protests. Many of the ones we see on the news outbreak into violence, cars on fire, people getting hurt, officers in riot gear.

Does anybody on this subreddit have any experience going to such protests and photographing them? Any thoughts or opinions on photographing them in general?

There is a protest similar to the one in Charlottesville planned to happen in San Francisco with a counter-protest to match it. I'm wondering if I should get my feet wet into some photojournalism.

Get your "feet wet"......it what way, are you a journalism student.?
You might be building this up, in your head, to something bigger than it is.
Almost everybody there well have a camera.
But anyway.....i have been to dozens with a 35mm camera.
"Should You".......what exactly are you wanting to know.?

CMoore · Sep 28, 2018

sissysphoto said:
Don't be a Soros pawn. You can do better than that.Those "protests" are not fooling anyone, except actual fools. A protest in San Francisco, of all places. Hardly news. It's a shame to see the fine craft of Photography sullied with this kind of thing. What if they held a protest, and no cameras were there? We could only hope.
To the op. I wouldn't touch any of this with a 10 foot camera. This whole thing is bought and paid for by Soros, and the media is eating it up. You can do better than throwing away your credibility participating in that. They're in their death throes. It's a sad sight.

Did you take lessons in being wrong.?
I have been actively involved with political protests for almost 40 years. Neither myself, nor any of the other participants have EVER been paid, nor were the protests them selves organized or "Paid for" by anybody named Soros or any other single person.
Regards the protest that the OP has expressed interest in.......
...Do you have any Financial Facts to back up your pontificating.?

BrianShaw · Sep 28, 2018

Someone is trying to fool someone here... not too sure who is who.

sissysphoto · Sep 28, 2018

Nevermind. Post removed.

Sirius Glass · Sep 28, 2018

Do what you want to do.

jvo · Sep 28, 2018

if you don't take the photographs you won't be a photojournalist. your eye may be different than the next photographer, you may be the one published. go for it, every photojournalist started by making pictures!

Arklatexian · Sep 28, 2018

vijayparmar said:
As well all may know, there have been recent protests such as the Black Lives Matter and the Charlottesville protests. Many of the ones we see on the news outbreak into violence, cars on fire, people getting hurt, officers in riot gear.

Does anybody on this subreddit have any experience going to such protests and photographing them? Any thoughts or opinions on photographing them in general?

There is a protest similar to the one in Charlottesville planned to happen in San Francisco with a counter-protest to match it. I'm wondering if I should get my feet wet into some photojournalism.

If no photojournalists nor media of any sort, show up, I am convinced there would be no protest nor counter-protests. No media coverage means no pictures on the evening news which also means that only the protesters care. We have seen more than enough of that "staged" crap. Next "protest", watch how people react when the lights shine on them. I do have a question. Who bankrolls the protesters and the counter-protesters? It costs me money to travel to San Francisco or anywhere else..........Regards!

removed account4 · Sep 28, 2018

i was at a protest about a year ago in MA and a few in RI.
do what you want but be safe because people tend to be on edge.
none of this has to do with soros or fake news .. its too bad people
paint people doing their civic duty as dupes of some vast left wing conspiracy ..

Sean · Sep 29, 2018

Not seeing a way to keep politics out of this one, so off to the soapbox.

Rick A · Sep 29, 2018

Sean said:
Not seeing a way to keep politics out of this one, so off to the soapbox.

In that vein, I'd kill it before it can grow.

pentaxuser · Sep 29, 2018

This was the member's first post and within 13 posts it has had to be moved to the Soapbox. Maybe the OP realised how quickly this kind of thread would degenerate into one where advice as to what the OP should do to take pictures and be safe became completely lost. If he wasn't expecting this kind of twist to occur so quickly then he might just move on to somewhere else. I'd be tempted to.

It may not have been in any way deliberate in which case posters will no doubt avoid accidentally relegating future threads seeking photographic advice to the Soapbox. On the other hand a "skilful person or persons" so minded could easily turn other threads into a rapid descent into Soapbox territory and generally subvert their original purpose.

At some point, it seems to me, the moderators have got to turn their attention to what may be a worrying trend within Photrio and decide if there is not a better way than a simple "0ff to the Soapbox" approach which appears to solve everything but really solves nothing in the long term.

pentaxuser

DWThomas · Sep 29, 2018

Yes, this thread seemed to be walking on a thin edge. It's difficult to discuss going to protests with a camera without perhaps discussing the specifics of the particular protest. The problem here was a now erased post passed judgement on the protests rather than the desire to photograph them. (And now that we're in the Soapbox . . . ) I have attended and photographed three protests myself accompanying my wife and other family and friends. My Canon A-1 went to the Women's March in DC in 2017, there's a few shots here in my gallery. At the Women's March in Philadelphia this year, I backed off to just my iPhone (and a Bluetooth selfie stick!) My wife and I also attended a protest in Philly about the country's treatment of immigrants, the city's cooperation with ICE, etc. this summer.

Something like Charlottesville I would avoid like the plague. I think for anything involving neo-nazi, alt-right type stuff it would be best if nobody showed up to watch, much like what happened in Skokie years ago. Especially today, with bozos running around with military style weaponry (and driving cars into protestors), I'll leave photo coverage to the pros.

(I've said in another Soapbox thread: "I'm glad I'm old and have no children." Unless we change course and stop using hatred to "stir up the base" for political power, I see this country beginning a descent to a banana republic. And the more obvious hot button issues tossed around appear to be mostly to serve to distract the population from the oligarchs who now run the country for the benefit of the few thanks to anonymous corporate campaign contributions being declared "free speech.")

OK -- off my soapbox ...
Thanks, I feel better now ...

removed account4 · Sep 29, 2018

these days ... lots of people rant about political stuff
sorry OP i know you were just asking
for advice for covering a newsworthy event and unfortunately people
starts railing on about political propaganda
just like inprevious threads when people went on about climate change deniers
YAWN
this stuff gets old fast
its too bad people can't leave their political baggage and H8 filled nonsense somewhere else
and leave this place to photography

sissysphoto · Sep 29, 2018

It might actually increase user registrations and viewership by creating a category called politics and just letting it blossom into whatever size it grows. If that turns out to be the draw in the search engines, so be it as long as it also exposes readers to the excellent if not superior quality photographic knowledge available on this site. I've always thought photography had a lot of political animals in it, largely from the Left. They can't contain their contempt so give them a catch basin to relieve the pressure. If an Ann Coulter type comes along and shoots it down in flames, then that's even more drawing power to the site. I'm afraid in Western civilization today, the barn door is open and the horses are already stampeding.

pentaxuser · Sep 29, 2018

The point of the thread however, sissyphoto, was to seek advice on photographing protests. The thread was not political. It may have engendered thoughts on the subjects of protests and I can understand the connection but surely in this case, the right course of action is to start a Soapbox thread on the protests which deals with issues of what point do protests serve etc.

I am sure that if most threads on photography became "knock-about bar-room brawls" within a few posts then we would certainly attract newcomers to Photrio. I have grave doubts however whether Photrio would survive long as a respected photographic forum in that case

pentaxuser

sissysphoto · Sep 29, 2018

Photographers ARE the protests. Take away the photographers and these ninnies would have no venue to carry on. They'd have to get jobs and work. Then they wouldn't have time to protest everything. Blocking roads for their fringe causes. I saw a few YouTube videos. Some activists were blocking truck exit from a hog farm. People are getting tired of it and just running them through. At 1mph today, but soon the speed limit on protesters is going to start getting faster. My point is if you go to a protest to get pictures, you are the problem and the magnet for it. I've never been to a protest. Never will.

removed account4 · Sep 29, 2018

thank you sean for moving this to the soapbox !

removed account4 · Sep 29, 2018

sissysphoto said:
Photographers ARE the protests. Take away the photographers and these ninnies would have no venue to carry on. They'd have to get jobs and work.

sorry you were not at the protests i was at last year and you have no idea what you are talking about.
left wing photographers had nothing to do with it...
can you please leave your right wing diatribes for a different website or go to the soapbox and rant your heart out
this is a photography thread not a thread to stump how the liberals have ruined the country ...

sissysphoto · Sep 29, 2018

I shouldn't have said a thing on here. Sissy, I love you. You're a good wife. a strong moral conservative American woman, an inspriation, and I'm a very fortunate man. Took a long time to find you in this hodgepodge of a country. I'm glad to fix your cameras for your buyers.

Lee Rust · Sep 29, 2018

Not that any non-professional photographer should avoid recording interesting or important events, but remember that you and any pictures you publish will become part of the action and any stories that emerge from it. That's how our interconnected culture works. Therefore you might give some forethought to possible negative or positive consequences of your involvement... based on your personal point-of-view, of course. Here in the USA, the range of viewpoints is very wide indeed.

DWThomas · Sep 29, 2018

Just a historical note -- protests played a considerable role in getting women the vote, improving voting access for minorities, and have helped make progress in reining in pollution and other problems in this country. As one of the signs in a photo in my gallery here says: "Well-behaved women seldom make history."

I personally would feel a lot better about the so-called conservatives if they didn't run deficits to give tax breaks that mostly benefit the 1%, seemingly look for wars to get into, and push social policies that treat women and LGBTQ people as second class citizens. To me none of that is "conservative." Both parties are far too cozy with the corporatists, but at least the donkeys give some lip service to supporting the rights of ordinary citizens. The elephants seem to have become blatantly "F--- you, I've got mine." November 6th will be interesting ...

Dangerous Photojournalism? (Moved to the soapbox)

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