How to shoot protests

I’ve got hunch that this is going to be the ‘year of anger’ - not only here in the UK but in cities around the world. But in the UK there’s the distinct feeling that we’re heading for the perfect storm of high prices, broken public services and a perception that the government is not doing enough to help. Cue lots of marches, demonstrations and protests.

When I used to photograph protests as a photojournalist, things often got quite exciting and, if you were in the thick of it, more than a little ‘fresh’. In recent years, however, protests seem to have been rather benign and well behaved - too polite almost. However, if you listen to intelligence reports coming from police sources, the mood may well change in the coming months. We could be heading right into protest season with issues surrounding climate change, the cost of living crisis and public sector pay taking centre stage.

And this means that thousands of amateur photographers will be hitting the streets with their cameras to capture some of the action. I’ve been photographing protests for a long time and every time I see a protest – here in London at least – there now seem to be almost as many photographers as there are protestors. So how can you get better pictures than them?

Well, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about this and in this article we’re going to look at how to shoot protests – from the point of view of ethics, safety, gear, logistics and, most importantly, what you should shoot. This isn’t necessarily street photography – it’s more documentary photography and maybe even photojournalism – but I know that protests, marches and demos are usually of some interest to street photographers.

The ethics of shooting protests

The first thing we need to look at when shooting a protest is ethics What are we doing here? Why are we doing it? We always need to be aware that there’s probably a very serious issue at the heart of this, with serious people trying to make a serious point. It’s NOT a photoshoot and it’s not an really an opportunity for every photographer to go glory-chasing on Instagram. And let's be honest, it could even be dangerous.

So be honest with yourself about your motives. Maybe you have sympathy with the cause and want to support it by publicising it with your photography. Maybe you’re working on a project about the issue. Maybe you’re working on your documentary skills and see it as part of a project. And yes, okay, maybe you are there just for fun - and who am I to tell you you shouldn't do it?

Then there are some other ethical considerations. We should never set up shots - we should be documenting reality, not creating contrived photo opportunities. We should provide honest context; for example, we wouldn’t include a picture of someone getting into an ambulance who has nothing to do with the protest - they just happen to be nearby. And don’t do any misleading post-production which adds or takes away something or which distorts reality in any way. Finally, there will be photographers there who are trying to make a living out of this so please don’t get in their way or ruin their shots. 

What to shoot?

Okay, so what do we actually shoot? We get to the protest, camera in our hand. What next? Let’s be honest, most people just shoot crowd scenes, maybe a few signs, a few police officers and that’s it. And it’s often not very interesting - there's no real narrative, just a random collection of people holding up signs and looking angry. To help get around this, you need to arrive with a real sense of purpose and a plan. And it goes back to why are you there. What do you want to achieve? Can you pre-visualise the kind of pictures you’re going home with? If not, you’ll probably end up with some really boring shots just like everyone else’s. So this all needs thinking through. What should you be looking for at a protest, apart from any plan you might have (ie. a project)?

First of all, it’s important that you stay in the loop with what’s happening in the protest, how it’s developing, where the hotspots are, where the march is heading and so on. I find social media best for this – and that usually means Twitter – the event organisers will probably be tweeting live from the event and there should be some useful hashtags to follow. So this means I'll always be ahead of the curve and in the right place at the right time, according to where the action is.

As for the pictures I’m aiming to get, I’ll certainly want some establishing shots. At the very least we need to establish a sense of place. If we think about the ‘What, why, where, who and how’ which is the basis for most stories, this is the ‘where’. Try to include recognisable landmarks in some of your shots - maybe even place names or street names. Another good establishing shot is a crowd scene, often best shot from above if you can find a good vantage point.

Then you’ll need a handful of hero shots. These are the headline images which tell the story of the protest in one single image. They’re your book cover, your newspaper front page, the splash photo in your feature. They’re important and you need several of them.

Protests are often highly emotive gatherings so you’ll want a range of shots which are emotionally charged. Think anger, sadness, depression, elation, frustration - you'll usually find the whole gamut of emotions. Look for facial expressions, powerful gestures, expressive body language and angry flashpoints. And keep your ears open because you’ll often hear emotion before you see it. AsJoel Meyerowitz said, you often hear a picture before you see it.

At virtually every protest you’ll see lots of sign. Although you should try not to fall into the trap over overly relying on signs to tell your story, they can still be a key part of the narrative. Look for the witty ones . . . look for contrasts, juxtapositions, reactions to the sign. Watch for connections between the words on the sign and the people or activity around it (we’re back in classic street photography territory here).

Make sure you get some pictures of any key speakers or leaders. These people will probably have a formal or informal platform so get as close as you can to them. Again, look for emotion or anger in their expressions.

Detail shots, especially those which are symbolic, can be a really useful addition to your story. One their own they might not add up to much but, when used in the context of other, more ‘obvious’ images, they can help bring the story to life.

Don’t focus exclusively on the main event – some of the best opportunities are happening at the margins, in the side streets, round the back; keep your eyes and your mind open to what’s happening off-piste. Look for the symbolic shots, those which help tell the story in a subtle but powerful way. Seek out the characters, the eccentrics, the attention-seekers.

Then don’t forget to capture the aftermath of the protest  – maybe early the following morning. There’s often a significant amount of debris left by the protestors – maybe even damage – and the clear-up operation can provide some good opportunities.

Finally, think about the narrative arc. Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end, so take plenty of pictures that follow this arc. You start off with some establishing shots, then build up the story, covering all the points or messages you want to get across, then relax the tone a little and aim to finish with some closing shots, maybe reflecting the activities at the end of the day. This helps take the viewer on a structured journey and it’s much more engaging than just having a collection of random, unsequenced shots.

Gear for shooting protests

Let’s now look at gear. My first bit of advice is to travel light and don’t take anything too expensive - nothing you can’t afford to lose. Having said that, if you have them, it’s good to have two camera bodies with different lenses. Make your you have a good range of focal lengths – primes or zooms are fine, whatever works for you. Personally, I prefer primes and would typically shoot with a 28, a 50 and an 85. Zooms have their advantages because you can adapt quickly to changing situations but I find primes lighter, smaller and less obtrusive and I can get into tight spaces more easily. So what else will be in my bag?

I usually have a small shoulder bag so I don’t look too much like a photographer. I usually expect the worst kind of weather so I always have a bag rain cover with me, just in case. Obviously make sure you have lots of batteries and memory card capacity to get you through the day – you’ll probably take many more shots than you expect by the way - and remember that in cold weather batteries can lose their capacity quickly.

So, what else is in here? I have a chamois leather to wipe the rain off my gear; I have a bottle of water in case I get stranded somewhere for a long time – and probably an energy bar or two; I have a notebook to help with captioning for specific images – I use this rather than my phone because it’s too easy for someone to whip your phone out of your hand. If you don’t already have some, it’s really worth getting some business cards printed. It’s amazing how much power this little piece of paper has – not only to establish your credentials as a ‘serious’ photographer but it also somehow legitimises what you’re doing. As for lighting gear, I don’t usually use a flash though I may occasionally carry a small  one – I generally prefer the ‘reality’ appeal of ambient light.

Dealing with the police

How we deal with interactions or engagements with the police? There are usually lots of them around, whether it looks like being a potentially troublesome protest or even a passive one. Generally, the police will keep their distance and let things take their course, and they only aim to get involved when laws are broken - at least that’s how it works – or should work - in the UK at least. But it only takes one small incident for that to change very quickly - one dissenter, one unruly anarchist, a racist comment, a firework thrown - there's now a flashpoint and the police are suddenly in there. And, when things escalate, police tolerance starts to evaporate and you can expect a tougher response.

Certainly in the UK there’s no problem photographing police officers and they’re now pretty well briefed in how they should deal with photographers – and I know that’s not necessarily the case in many other parts of the world. But just remember that when the police do see trouble starting, they’ll want to quash it and minimise the risk of it escalating.

Sometimes the police will lock things down and force the crowds into a small contained area and keep them there – this is usually called kettling. Once you’re kettled, you have no way out until the police decide it’s time to let you out from your pen. If you need the loo, or have a train to catch, or you’re late for a dinner date, then tough – you’ll be locked down from anything from 10 minutes to several hours. So do bear this in mind if you’re in the thick of the action.

Can the police force you to delete images? In the UK, no, absolutely not and, in most circumstances, they have no right to even look at them - but always check out your local laws.

If for some reason you find yourself getting arrested, you need to know your rights – and those rights will differ according to where you are in the world. In reality this rarely happens but I think it’s important that you’re aware of those rights in case the worst happens. In the UK, for example, there’s a ‘bust card’ you can download from numerous activists' websites - I think Extinction Rebellion has quite a good one –  and I’m sure similar things exist in other parts of the world. 

Safety issues

I’ll start off by saying that 95% of the time you’ll be in no danger – and if you act reasonably and have a good sense of what’s happening around you, you’ll be in no danger at all. But some protests do get a bit lively so we need to consider some worst case scenarios. And in these situations  what you should really be asking yourself is: is it worth it? I’m not getting paid for this - is it really worth getting myself injured for, or losing my gear over, for the sake of a few pictures?

Here are some safety tips you really should be following . . .

• Firstly, have an exit strategy. Things can very quickly get heated and when the tension escalates you can easily find yourself with nowhere to go. So always know where your route out is - this situational awareness really comes in handy when the police start kettling groups of protestors – at which point you should aim to be out of there fast. Or when trouble starts. Always assume the worst and that there may be no public transport so be prepared to walk lots. Have maps with you, as well as info about all the public transport options.

• Secondly, if you feel your safety is compromised, either stay close to (or behind) the police or get out of the middle of things and move to the edges where you’ll have an easier chance of exit.

• Blend in: don't dress or behave like a photographer or look 'out of place' in any way; ideally wear dark clothing and don't carry anything that looks too much like an expensive photographer's bag. Avoid any clothing or behaviour that may draw attention to yourself.

• Be super-aware of your environment at all times; know who’s around you and what they’re doing. Watch out for people who seem to be looking at your camera. This situational awareness could really save your bacon.

• Know the geography: ideally, do a recce before the event to familiarise yourself with routes in and out of the event, escape routes and, of course, vantage points.

• With a huge influx of people into the area, you could have difficulty getting mobile phone reception so, if you're with other people, ensure you have an agreed meeting point in case you become separated or get lost.

• If challenged when taking someone's photo, smile, say 'thank you' and walk away. Most of the time, this will diffuse the situation and the smile will often bring the temperature down a bit. If someone insists you delete an image, just do it - it’s not worth getting beaten up or losing your camera for.

What to do with your images?

I guess this comes back to why you’re there in the first place – you’ll probably already know how you’re going to use your images. It could be because you want to help publicise the cause, maybe you just want to get some practice in putting together a documentary project, maybe you just want to have some fun – who knows? Maybe you want to sell to images to the mainstream media. If this is your aim, don’t expect great results unless you have images that are truly unique or ground-breaking – it’s highly competitive and there are loads of people, many of them professionals, trying to do this - and even they struggle to make money.

Shooting protests. It can be fun, challenging, exciting, exhilarating, scary, frustrating – all of these things – but I’ll say again that if you approach it with a plan and a sense of purpose, you’ll get much more out of the experience. And just remember to take care out there.

If you would like to view the video version of this article you can see it on my YouTube channel here.