
Thomson Foundation trainer and award winning photojournalist Glenn Edwards shares his experience of covering events for national and international publications across the globe, the majority in Africa. Many of his assignments have included covering protests and most recently he has been photographing the Black Lives Matters demonstrations in his native Wales.
Whether a demonstration is at home or in another country, if you don't know the details of the story, and reasons behind the protests, how can you convey this in your photographs?
Often the foundations of a conflict or protest are political or religious, issues that have engulfed the region for many years. Understanding these influence how you approach any situation, what you should wear on location, how you behave. Helping you to better understand your surroundings and integrate more easily.
On any assignment access to local knowledge is key to finding out the best place to record the story, the time and location of demonstrations, the venue for the leading figures to make speeches. Being able to show an understanding of the situation will give you credibility with local people who will be more willing to help you confident that you are interested in reflecting events with honesty.
Sierra Leone elections 2002
Zanzibar elections 2005
Why are you going? Who are you there for? Before embarking on an assignment that will involve expenditure, you should think of the cost implications and how you will sell your work.
As an individual, why are you going? If money is the motivation, in my experience, you are likely to fail. The competition is vast with numerous picture agencies covering any news story.
Picture desks Tell newspaper and magazine picture desks you are going before you travel. It is unlikely you will get a commission. The usual response is great, show us your work when you get back which is often too late. However they will know you are there if they need more pictures.
News agencies Tell the agencies you are going as they sometimes need a second photographer. This will also raise awareness of your work with them. If you are working for an agency everything should be organized but talk to them before you go so you know their procedure.
Other markets Look for stock libraries suitable for your work for long-term sales.
Look for other work with for example non-governmental-organisations (NGOs). However don't forget you will be gone in a week or a month leaving the charity workers still there. Don't do anything or put yourself in situations that could put these people at risk when you are gone.
Sierra Leone elections 2002
Telling the story Often it is good to move away from the front line and look for stories that show the consequences and reasons for the demonstration. Stories the agency staff photographers may miss.
Think of the longer story, the bigger picture, a story you can work on for the whole time you are there. This broadens your market for sales, giving yourself the options of single picture and picture story sales. Research this before you leave but also use your eyes and ears while there to find stories the agencies could have missed or didn't have the time to look at.
Be fast Make sure you get your photographs to all the picture desks early and regularly every day. The news agencies are geared up to get pictures away first and usually do but its good for your name to be seen on picture desks for the future as well as the present. If you send regularly you will be seen as reliable which is very important to media organisations.
Get your pictures into picture agencies the same day so they can distribute your work immediately.
Equipment My advice is to keep it simple. Carry a minimum of two camera bodies with a wide and telephoto lens and leave a spare camera in the hotel. You will be moving fast so don't be cluttered with equipment but always have in mind one camera may get damaged or fail. Don't forget to take spare batteries and other essentials. You may not be able to pop into a shop for spares in the middle of a protest.
Ethics/Respect You are a photojournalist and your work must be objective, honest, and respectful.
Under no circumstances should your pictures be manipulated using tools such as Photoshop. Nothing added and nothing taken out is the rule. If you break it and are found out you would never work for any agency or media organization again.
Captions Be truthful. Make sure your picture captions are honest and not sensationalised, or exaggerated in any way.
Press accreditation Often your press card will not be enough and you will need government accreditation. Different countries have different rules so check in advance. This can take time in certain countries so give yourself plenty of time to apply.
Sierra Leone elections 2002
Safety: Risk assessment & safety equipment Research as much of the environment you will be walking into as possible. You have to do your own risk management.
A demonstration can start peacefully but soon erupt into violence with tear gas so you must be prepared physically, mentally and logistically. This means choosing trustworthy fixers, taxi drivers and contacts.
Most of this can be done before you go by contacting recently returned photographers and journalists, researching social media and news outlets. But if you can't spend time when you get there finding the right people. They can be invaluable and don't forget to budget for this.
If you are new to photojournalism, look and learn from those around you. Most experienced photographers will help with advice.
Though photographers are in competition to get the best picture, when the situation is dangerous there is an element of teamwork. Work in a team or at least pairs by doing this you can look out for each other.
Agency photographers will usually have vest
More from Thomson
08/07/2025
In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...
24/06/2025
Have you got what it takes to be Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year 2025? If youre a journalist aged 30 or under, this is your moment. Entries are now o...
03/06/2025
What does it take to push back against disinformation in a world of fragmented a...
16/05/2025
Across Central and Eastern Europe, journalism is no longer the default source of information. It competes and often loses against a chaotic content stream drive...
16/05/2025
Journalists working in investigative reporting across the Western Balkans and T rkiye are encouraged to enter their published work for the 2025 edition of the E...
12/05/2025
As newsrooms around the world begin to experiment with artificial intelligence, many are asking the same question: how do we move beyond isolated pilots and emb...
09/05/2025
At the Frontline Club in London, a venue long associated with media freedom and ...
01/05/2025
As Tanzania approaches a pivotal election year marked by both promise and concern over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on media, more than 300 journa...
23/04/2025
In 2024, Thomson's Total Turnout project played a pivotal role in elevating ethical election reporting and strengthening journalist safety in Pakistan.
Wit...
16/04/2025
At a time when Sudanese women journalists face unprecedented challenges, She Speaks Sudan has provided a critical platform for training, mentorship, and collabo...
15/04/2025
As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists con...
14/04/2025
Rwanda's vulnerability to climate change is underscored by its ranking of 124th out of 182 countries in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative's in...
19/03/2025
Applications are open for the second cycle of the Validation Booster programme, offering European media outlets, networks, and content creators the opportunity ...
07/03/2025
Increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan is forcing women journalists take extraordinary risks to their own safety to tell their stories.
The ...
21/01/2025
Two senior war reporters from the BBC and Sky News have joined an outstanding array of experts in a unique series of training courses for journalists covering p...
16/01/2025
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Mundy as Thomsons new Director of Research, Policy and Impact. Gary will join the organisation in March 2025,...
15/01/2025
The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism reached a crescendo a...
08/01/2025
A landmark document examining key issues into how the media industry is grappling with the challenges of explaining how its using AI in its publications and bro...
30/12/2024
Leaving Thomson after 21 years, former Managing Director David Quin reflects on a career spent navigating the shifting sands of global media development. From r...
20/12/2024
Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways to tell stories and connect with audiences, but getting started can be intimidating, especially when it comes...
16/12/2024
Thomson's Executive Learning Series wrapped up its 2024 calendar with a landmark event in Prague. The AI in Media masterclass brought together 24 media lead...
13/12/2024
Reporting in secret under the oppressive shadow of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, ...
04/12/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, one of this year's finalists for Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year Award, had a transformative visit to London. As the only finali...
26/11/2024
A woman journalist from Afghanistan has been named Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2024.
The journalist, who we are not naming for her ow...
13/11/2024
Award-winning journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye break new ground with impactful investigations on healthcare, environmental threats, human rights...
05/11/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, a journalist and writer from Balochistan, Pakistan, stands out for her commitment to telling the stories of overlooked communities in her regio...
05/11/2024
Aisha Farrukh a multimedia journalist from Pakistan focuses on human interest stories and aims to create change through her storytelling. Twenty eight year old ...
05/11/2024
One of the three finalists for the Young Journalist of the Year 2024 is a woman journalist working in secret in Afghanistan because of the restrictions imposed ...
31/10/2024
Three journalists whose stories give a voice to people who are oppressed or marginalised have been chosen as the finalists for the 2024 Young Journalist of the ...
16/10/2024
We are pleased to announce that Federica Varalda has been appointed as Managing Director - Development for the Thomson Group. She will be leading project develo...
23/09/2024
Reporting from a female journalist who is working in secret due to Taliban restr...
30/07/2024
We caught up with Yara El Murr, winner of the Young Journalist Award 2023, to find out how her life has changed since scooping the main prize for her investigat...
23/07/2024
Brussels was the location of our third Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 25 June 2024, focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Regulation. Four k...
03/07/2024
AI's integration into journalism has sparked a mix of enthusiasm and scepticism across Central Europe, according to research led by Thomson Foundation in co...
01/07/2024
This was such a confidence boost and so much motivation to keep pushing forward in my work and public service journalism.
Yara El Murr from Lebanon recollecti...
21/06/2024
A new platform dedicated to helping journalists win audience trust and tackle disinformation has been launched and with it a competition offering newsrooms (fro...
30/05/2024
Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...
28/05/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
13/05/2024
Journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye can now submit their investigative stories published in 2023 for the EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
29/04/2024
A groundbreaking initiative offering training and mentoring to 30 women journali...
23/04/2024
Psychology can play an important role in helping us understand what audiences respond to (Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab)
For newsroo...
10/04/2024
A regulator, a technologist and a politician walking into a conference room - the beginning of a very geeky joke - or more accurately, the start of the second T...
09/04/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
04/04/2024
This fantastic course will help you understand and fight disinformation, an absolutely essential skill to acquire during this global election season. Sign up an...
02/04/2024
Thomson's work in captive, closed and repressive media landscapes has long been about making sure we get the best possible idea of what people really need f...
28/03/2024
Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...
15/03/2024
To help empower Sudanese journalists living in exile amidst the ongoing conflict in their homeland, Thomson trainers have been delivering workshops designed to ...
01/03/2024
MoJo is something I want to pursue further and include, not as a last thought, but as a one of the components of my daily work. Michelle Banda Vodacom Young Jou...
23/01/2024
A chance to apply for the new learning programme specifically designed for media...