No Kings

Recently, I had the opportunity to be one of the official photographers for the No Kings Protest in Minneapolis, MN. I was one of three photographers brought on by the official organizers.

To say I was excited by this, would be a complete understatement. An opportunity to photograph one of the biggest protests in American history and access to the press box so I could be up close and personal to some of the biggest moments!! I mean come on.

Communication prior was very hush hush. We were each given an assignment that we had to cover and then were allowed to meander and capture candid moments when we weren’t “active”. Certain areas and information were on complete lock down and were only available on a need-to-know basis and apparently the photographers didn’t need to know.

They provided a shot list, but it was pretty generic - speaker/performer shots; crowd shots capturing as many people as possible; individual images of great signs, day-of lifestyle shots; march shots: any crowd shots along the route or images of the chanters, etc. but I knew I wanted to get some shots that really captured the essence of the day overall. Shots that felt as historic and important as the moment was.

So my question was, how do you prepare for a protest photoshoot? This is what I kept thinking the week leading up to it. It’s not like this is something that happens regularly. It’s not really working with people that you have to model or pose. Not landscape or even really action shots. Honestly, I felt most of the prep was in the years prior, understanding how to change my settings on the fly. Not being afraid to look weird or being in weird stances in front of lots of people. So instead, the way that I prepped was through narrowing in and understanding the focus of the day and by doing a little research to see what types of photos people have taken before for this kind of thing.

For the first, understanding the focus, I made a short list in my head. Rally speakers, signage, camaraderie, and just the sheer size of the event were clear focuses. But I also decided that I wanted to lean into American flags at the event. Because protesting, in itself, is inherently American and I felt like showing all the flags at an event like this could tell a really compelling story.

For the second, the research, I realized that the images that felt really powerful to me from past protests were always those candid moments. There are always great posed images from events like these, but the candid images, the ones that are filled with power and emotion, those were the ones that spoke to me.

So that was my plan. Get as many candid images as possible that incorporate the flag and the overall emotion of the day,

The day of the protest came and it proved to be a beautiful fall day in Minnesota. The leaves were in full peak. The weather was warm enough for a light sweatshirt and the sun was beaming.

I got there early to grab my press pass and scope it out and it wasn’t long before people started flooding in. Over 100,000 people to what turned into the 5th largest protest in the country that day! My station was at the Federal Court House, where the march would end, so I would have the entire day to wander as I please before then.

I checked in with the other photographers and changed my camera to Aperture Priority at the recommendation of one of them. I knew the sun was very bright so in Aperture Priority, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about the shutter speed and I could only dial the F - Stop as needed for quick adjustments. I kept my ISO at 100.

I met up with a few friends, then took a spot in the press area for the speakers. It was packed - photographers, cameramen, and news stations filled this little area to get the nice juicy close ups of the community leaders and politicians. I’m not gonna lie, I felt very cool being in that little box with them. But as the speakers started doing their thing I quickly realized, that as nice as these shots were, this isn’t what I wanted. These weren’t the shots I came to get, and to be honest, they would be the same shots everyone else in that box had.

So I made a decision - I left that press box and started wandering through the crazy packed crowd.

I didn’t regret it.

This is where the people were. This is where the real emotion and action was. I may have had to say “Ope, excuse me, just gonna squeeze by” maybe a thousand times. But this is where I got the passion you expect to find at a protest.

I was still able to photograph the speakers, just through the eyes and reactions of the audience.

Leaving the box was probably the best decision I made.

The rest of the day was a blur. Some highlights were laying down in the street to get the right angle for a certain shot while I was surrounded by protestors. Literally sprinting up and down the street along the march route so I could get all angles of the marchers. And just the overall vibes of the day. Not combative, not dangerous or hostile, but a bunch of people who got together because they can imagine a better world than the one we live in.

Overall, it was a day I won’t soon forget.