riots

Protest Photography Tips: How to Capture the Action and Stay Safe

I have always been interested in protest and civil disobedience. What first caught my eye was an episode of Whale Wars on Discovery Channel some years ago where activists were going to Antarctica and using direct action techniques to intervene in illegal whaling. Several series on, and last year I decided to go and photograph a protest against Japan’s hunting of whales and dolphins.

An Amateur Photographer’s Striking Pictures of the Baltimore Protests

Just a week ago, Devin Allen was just another photo enthusiast sharing his work on the Web, regularly posting artsy photos for his relatively small and faithful Instagram following. After protests and riots erupted in Baltimore this week, Allen suddenly became a much sought-after photographer who's sharing raw and gritty images from ground level for the world to see.

Getty Photographer and Former Marine Scott Olson Arrested Monday in Ferguson

Getty Images photographer arrested #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/ScOaHO8bjY— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 18, 2014

The photograph above, tweeted out by Huffington Post justice reporter Ryan J. Reilly, shows Getty photographer Scott Olson being taken into custody by Ferguson police while covering the ongoing protests and riots sparked by the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed African American man who was shot and killed by police on August 9th.

Photojournalist Gives First-Hand Account of Photographing the ’92 LA Riots

Back in 1992, photojournalist Hyungwon Kang was the only Korean-speaking photographer employed with the LA Times. So when the riots broke out after the infamous Rodney King verdict, he was sent to cover things in Koreatown.

In this short Reuters TV interview, he tells us what it was like to go in with only a camera, photographing looters and firefights and trying to stay safe in the meantime.

The Lady in Red: How One Photo Became the Symbol of the Turkish Protests

Photos of the clash between the Turkish government and the country's people have been trickling down from many sources. Even as news outlets are accused of remaining purposely ignorant of the matter, professional and amateur photographers alike have taken to Facebook and other social media sites to spread the word and show the world what is happening.

But one of those images -- one depicting a "lady in red" non-threateningly holding her ground as she gets blasted with pepper spray by a police officer -- has become more than a mere photo, rising to the status of "symbol."

Photog Posts Free-to-Share Photos of the Turkish Protests to Help Spread the Word

Charles Emir Richards is only a part-time photographer, but in the industry of photojournalism, being in the right place at the right time can be almost as important as photographic skill. And it's this that Richards has in spades: the right place at the right time.

The protests currently going on in Turkey that have attracted national attention are happening right in Richards' backyard. And as he's amassed more and more photos of the clash between people and police, he's taken to Facebook to share those photos freely, allowing anyone to use them in the name of spreading the word.

How Chinese Photogs Are Camouflaging Their Japanese DSLRs During Protests

Over the past month, there have been violent anti-Japanese protests across China over disputed islands between the two nations. Japanese businesses and manufacturing plants have been besieged, leading companies like Canon and Panasonic to suspend their operations and evacuate their premises.

In the midst of all this chaos, a tricky problem presents itself: how does a Chinese photographer go about documenting the rioting? As you know, Japan is the motherland of most major digital camera companies, while China doesn't have much of a role in this industry besides manufacturing the cameras at the request of those corporations. The answer: flags and tape.