Since cutting my teeth as a Citizen Blogger for the G20 Summit, I think I've photographed maybe 50 - 60% of the protests in Toronto (that have more than 50 people). There's a lot of 'fun' to be had photographing protests. Whether you believe in the cause or not, there is usually a high level of passion, and expression that you just don't get in many other situations. It's a fluid situation, dynamic and ever changing. It's hard to get that shot you want since it's there one second, and gone the next. You don't get the chance to compose your scene, adjust camera settings, check your focus and shoot. You literally have no time. So, what I've taken to, is running through the protest. If it's marching, I try to get through 2 or 3 times, sometimes as many as 5 or 6 depending on how the crowd is. It's a lot of running, but it's fun.
Once I get to the front of a protest, I usually have a moment or two to wait. Since I'm staying the in same area for a few dozen shots, now I'll take the time to adjust settings, and see if there's anything interesting that I can throw into the background. Sometimes, you have to get into weird positions in order to get the type of shot you want. I've been pinned against light standards, laid out across newsstands, crouched under a first floor window sill, between fake plants and walls, and probably many other places I can't (or don't want to) remember.
While I was at Queens Park today, I saw this guy shooting the horses that were there. He's lucky while shooting this, there aren't a lot of people around him. But this is the kinda thing you have to do to get the shot you want!
No comments:
Post a Comment