How to photograph a protest march, the Montreal experience.

As you might know, I enjoy street photography a lot. In fact I find it to be a form of photojournalism about every day life. So naturally when students started to protest against tuition hikes last March 2012, I was attracted to the events and figured it would be a great way to learn photojournalism right then and there.

Being charged by the riot squad May 2012

I've been to at least 60 events since then and I'll try to share with you what I've learned over this surreal experience. This is not as dangerous or crazy as war photography or demonstrations elsewhere in the World where the risk of death is ever present but it still involves some levels of risk. I'll be breaking down my experience to make it easier on the eyes.

Reconnaissance

Get informed about what the event is about, what the debate is, who's more likely to be present and where it is happening. Show up early to recon the terrain and see where police will set up. If you can plan an escape route or more than one ahead of time, it's always better. Information ahead of time is always worth the effort in the long run.

Police preparing for evening protest Spring 2012

Police

Take for granted that your press pass (if you even have a press pass) is worthless. Cops will arrest you regardless from my experience. The best strategy here is to take it for granted so you're always on your toes and ready to avoid being kettled or worst getting rushed by the riot squad, pepper sprayed, gassed, hit by a baton or shot by a rubber/plastic bullet. Prepare for all these things and hope for the best but do be prepared physically and mentally. Also, police hate to be photographed so be careful when doing so to make sure it doesn't bring unwanted attention to yourself at a bad time especially when you are alone. You have the right to photograph anybody on public domain but they either don't know it or don't care.

SPVM doing a "preventive" arrest at the COPB March 2013

Protesters

Here's where recon pays off. Don't show up and start snapping away at everybody. Introduce yourself first and explain what you are there for. Make some new contacts and say hi to old ones if you have them. It's also a good time to get the feel for the mood of the crowd so you can have an idea on what kind of event you will be covering.

Can you find Anarcho Panda? Summer 2012 Montreal

Photographing the protest

Chances are your not the only one there so go ahead and try to find the angle nobody has. If something happens and 20 other people are there shooting it from the same spot, being 21 won't be anything special. Take a few seconds to read the scene and get a better or more original angle. If you're lucky, you might spot an element that everyone else has missed. On a more practical note, stay alert and vigilant of your surroundings. It's hard to have eyes in the back of your head but keep in mind that while you're looking through the viewfinder, things happen around you and sometimes they can be bad. Stay to the sides of the perimeter and on the outside if you can. Always plan ahead for an escape route as you move, you might need one at a moments notice. Use a telephoto lens if you're not sure how close you want to get. Starting with a fixed lens like a 50mm would not be a good choice for a first timer in my opinion.

I found these 2 guys having diner on the terrace like nothing was happening pretty odd. Grand-Prix weekend protest June 2012 Montreal

Gear

The first rule for gear in a situation like this for me is simple: don't bring anything you're going to miss if you lose it. My DSLR comes with me on the tame protest marches during the day with thousands of people. I have a vintage prime lens on it and it will stay home when I go to an evening protest since I know these can get crazy. I bring 3 cameras on those, a Canon G12 because it is rugged and can take a beating while pumping out great images, a old Nikon S8100 because it is expendable and makes a great back-up and an old Minolta Himatic 2 auto focus 35mm film camera that cost a whopping $5. Apart from that I bring water, eye protection and a first aid kit. Keep the weight down and only bring the strict minimum, you'll be carrying that stuff during the entire event. Also have a plan for your memory card in case of arrest. Montreal Police are notorious for seizing and erasing them.

99Media videographer March 2013

Shoes

Pay the bucks and get real good walking shoes. Just trust me on this one.

Objectivity

Don't bother with that, nobody does. Objectivity is a noble goal that goes out the window the minute someone has any form of interest in something. Concentrate on taking great images and let your lens do the talking because it doesn't lie. If the mainstream media can't be objective, why should you? Just go with the flow.

Montreal March 2013

Unemployment insurance reform protest 2013

Share

Of course why would you bother taking these shots if you don't share them?

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

The Daido Moriyama experiment

I came across Daido Moriyama on Youtube some time ago and couldn't believe how this guy came up with some great street photography shots. Mr Moriyama has a philosophy that the camera is nothing but a tool to capture an image, a moment in time.

He uses a simple 35mm point and shoot film camera with auto-focus. His technique is also particular where he hardly uses the viewfinder, he literately points and shoots!

I decided to give this technique a go but film being so precious I didn't want to waste any on an experiment that might turn out a bunch of crappy shots. Let's face it, I wasn't expecting to master in a day what a man has worked decades to perfect. So I went ahead and loaded up the old Nikon S8100 Coolpix with some fresh memory, juiced up the battery, set it to black and white, set up ISO and focus to auto. I even blanked the view screen since I couldn't turn it off and decided to not review my shots until I got home.

Out of 110 shots, I kept 70 and 30 are to my satisfaction. Most of the images were taken in the Montreal Metro since it was a very cold day outside. Hope you like how my experiment turned out. I will definitely be doing this again.

Gerry :)

My Top 10 Pictures of 2012

Well it's been quite a year for me and photography. I've rediscovered the magic of film, became a citizen photojournalist, got published in online zines and some of my shots made it in 2 exhibits including the World Press here in Montreal.

Being a freelancer means I take pics for me and this is also the premise for my selection of the year's 10 favourite pictures of mine. That's right, favourite not best. Out of over 20 000 images I chose the ones that pleased me not just for their overall look but for what was behind the image. Each one has a story beyond what's in the frame and they bring back happy memories.

So I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taken them.

Taken during a very cold outside show in front of Place des Arts while on safari with my buddy Bob. One of my first shots actually knowing what I was doing composition wise while on the fly.

You don't see those in the wild too often. The original idea was to shoot it while it was waiting at the light from the front. Sure enough the light changed before I was ready and the car went on it's way. I settled for this rear shot hoping something good would come out as I had to recompose pretty fast. Needless to say I was very pleased with the result.

Not a great picture but a very scary one. While even though the crowd was burning things in the middle of the street during one of the Summer's evening protests, I wasn't too worried about them. What I was worried about were the riot cops seconds away that would show up at my back while I was shooting this. Thankfully I was able to move out before they showed up.

Taken while on safari with my friend Denis-Carl. I used the timer to set up this long exposure of the Montreal Forge and Five Rose sign when a car drove in the middle of my shot. F%?&! I took another one after but this one came out looking better than what I had planned.

Technically not a very good shot but you had to be there to know how unreal this situation was. This nice cop was giving the evening's rule for the upcoming protest and the people in the masks did not really give a flying one as they exchanged no words with the officer keeping this pose during the speech.

The leg pose, planned. The moving metro cars, planned. The Lady smacked dab in the middle of both cars, not planned. One of my best shots ever.

I don't know if she was playing with me but I took 2 shots before getting this one because I knew the first 2 were crap. Keep in mind this was taken with a manual film SLR.  If she never saw me, she must have been in her own little world since I was merely 3 feet away!

This shot was taken to prove a point to a track official idiot. He suggested I get a better camera so I took this car using a simple Nikon point and shoot on full auto mode. In your face moron!

The main subject was the clown but he little girl turned around one macro second before I pressed the shutter release. This was at the end of a street protest in Montreal. This is the scan of an actual photo print made in my darkroom.

I found this alley and figured the gateway would make a great framing opportunity. I brought the camera to my eye, this guy showed up in the frame and reflexes took over. This was in Old Montreal during the big snow storm of December 27th.

Hope to make even better ones in 2013.

Happy New Year

Gerry :)

Canon FTb SLR test roll

I was recently given a Canon FTb SLR with 3 lens. This is a vintage fully mechanical SLR with a dead light meter (Batteries made with mercury are no longer available). Last Friday I hooked up the 100mm lens on it and went for a walk in the Montreal Plateau district to test it out. This beast weighs the same as a WW2 German Tiger tank, so my neck got one serious work out!

Here are those amazing images.

Film used was Fuji Superia 400 ISO processed at the local pharmacy and tweaked in Gimp.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

FED2 camera test roll

I recently purchased a FED2 which is a Soviet era Leica knock off. A very hefty rangefinder this is as close as I'm probably ever going to get to a Leica. It is in mint condition and it even smells fresh oil from a recent CLA.

I think I have an issue with the shutter mechanism or I'm not doing something right. The next roll will tell. I'll be going for a black and white film next time since I want this to be my main street camera.

Film used was the $0.99 Likon 100 ISO processed at the local pharmacy and tweaked using Gimp.

Gerry