Taking shots: preserving the pivotal moments of protests
14/08/2020
#TFnothingbutthetruth
Mostafa Darwish, an award-winning visual journalist from Egypt, has spent nearly a decade working on stories around situations of protest, clashes and conflict, not just in his native country, but across the Middle East, Sudan and Turkey.
Maurice Oniang'o, a dynamic filmmaker and photojournalist from Kenya, hasn't been short of international attention for his work covering issues such as FGM and climate change. His more recent work includes a documentary on police brutality, funded by National Geographic.
Together, Mostafa and Maurice, both alumni of the foundation, discuss the challenges of capturing dynamic images of social movements.
Mostafa Darwish, Egypt When tens of thousands of Egyptians filled Cairo's Tahrir Square in 2013, before and after president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by a military coup, Mostafa was on the scene using his lens to document the stories unfolding on the front lines.
His powerful photographs, showing rival groups of demonstrators, were published widely in international media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Associated Press and The Guardian.
In one image, Mostafa focuses attention on a demonstrator using tear gas to separate him from the protestors behind. In another, he captures the magnitude of the participation in Tahrir Square, with a protester at the centre of the scene gesturing defiantly towards the oncoming crowds.
Asked what he wants people to take away from these images, Mostafa says that the photographs are simply a depiction of a moment in time.
Documenting a protest with photos and video can be an important part of telling the story of what happened and when, he says. You are in this moment not just a photographer, you are a historian.
While protests can be peaceful, they can quickly turn violent. They are unpredictable, and they can transform from peaceful to dangerous in seconds, continues Mostafa. There is a long history of photojournalists putting themselves at risk in order to document these events.
Mostafa has not just been in the line of fire during protests and civil unrest in Egypt, but often a target. I was attacked by Egyptian security forces in 2013 when they raided a camp of protesters at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, he says.
A year earlier, Mostafa had sustained a head injury during a protest over the slow pace of change in Egypt.
After I was injured in 2012, I started to wear a helmet, he says. In Rabaa, I knew there was a serious risk of being shot and I was more prepared for the unpredictable, wearing full protective gear, including goggles and a bullet-proof vest.
I was mainly centred in a safe spot, only relocating now and then. Despite this, and the police initially being forthcoming with the press, things became dramatically more dangerous. I was attacked. I had my camera taken away. Random beatings, including of colleagues, happened right in front of me.
Here, Mostafa revisits his work and explains the practical and ethical tensions at the heart of photographing violent protests.
A low-flying military helicopter was circling demonstrators in Tahrir Square, Cairo in July 2013, signalling that the military, who had ousted Morsi, had begun to take centre stage in a new phase of political life. This was one of the few moments of peaceful protesting. Shortly afterwards, the tear gas canisters ignited behind me and clashes between police and protestors increased.
Egyptian riot policeman were firing teargas to move back protesters in Tahrir Square. Journalists werent immune. Myself and colleagues were met with the same aggressive policing as the demonstrators. Seven years on, and we're seeing more images of police brutality around the world and of security forces repressing crowds and attacking journalists.
This was the aftermath near the Rabaa Adawiya mosque in Cairo on 14th August 2013, when Egyptian security forces cleared a sit-in of hundreds of supporters of Morsi. It was to become one of the deadliest days for demonstrations in Egypt. It's a haunting image that came shortly after Eid al Fitr, when many Egyptians had spent time with family. Among the billowing smoke is a banner left over from the celebrations reading simply Happy Eid' in Arabic.
Action versus safety Photojournalists who want to document any social issue, be it a riot, a clash or a protest, must always look to find a balance between being safe and staying close to the action.
Try your best to understand the area of the events, the main streets or the side ones and the safest places to run or hide in case something happens, explains Mostafa.
It's also important not to show any partiality with any parts of the protest, the protestors or the police, and to be close to people you know, in case you are injured or you need someone to help keep your equipment safe.
Ideally, try not to use expensive gear. We know how important telephoto lenses are for events such as these, but really try to use cheap gear or stick with your smartphone. And whether it's daytime or nighttime, don't use your flash.
Once your pictures are published, either by local media outlets or on social media, take screenshots and keep them in a safe drive. Some websites archive their news and governments can sometimes play a big role in removing certain material. Never delete the raw material of your coverage.
Maurice Oniang'o, Kenya Maurice was injured covering the annual nationwide Saba Saba demonstrations in July 2020, which calls for both an end to corruption and more investment in public services.
The 2020 event was given extra im
LINK: | http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/taking-shots-preserving-the-pi... |
See more stories from thompsonfoundation |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
25/04/2024
Inside the Archives: Highlighting the Importance of Preservation for the Festival's 40th Edition
Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford during a press conference at the 1996 ...
25/04/2024
SNS Dealer Of The Year Awards: See The Full List Of Winners
alt= class=wp-image-12361 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-booth-2024-960x540-1.jpg/> Set against a vibrant backdrop of innovation and collaboratio...
25/04/2024
Trends And Takeaways From NAB Show 2024
alt= class=wp-image-12356 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-mod-win-960x540-1.jpg/>NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product...
25/04/2024
Peacock Subs Jump 55% YoY to 34M in Q1 2024
PHILADELPHIA Comcast beat earnings estimates in its Q1 2024 financial report, as streaming losses continued to decline and Peacock's paid subscribers spiked...
25/04/2024
Seattle Kraken Inks Deals with Tegna and Prime Video
SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken have inked new multi-year agreements with Tegna and Prime Video that will expand access to their games over broadcast stations and st...
25/04/2024
Opinion: charting a cloud driven future
M2A Medias Matt Hughes asks, is it time for news broadcasting to shift to the cloud? By Contributor Published: April 25, 2024 M2A Media's Matt Hughes ...
25/04/2024
Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ Restores Egypt's Cinema Treasures to Their Former Glory
Cintel Scanner G3 HDR Restores Egypt's Cinema Treasures to Their Former Glo...
25/04/2024
Sinclair Names Kevin Coskren Chief Meteorologist at KTUL Tulsa
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it named Kevin Coskren chief meteorologist at KTUL, its ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma....
25/04/2024
Attend The Business of TV News Event in D.C. on May 2
The Business of TV News, a new one-day event featuring Martha Raddatz, Shannon Bream, Glenn Kirschner and other major figures in television news, happens at Hot...
25/04/2024
Problematic FCC Conditions On Station Sale Could Create Detroit Drama
Conditions put on the proposed sale of WADL Detroit, to Mission Broadcasting have created a potential drama in the Motor City....
25/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision 1Q Loss Widens But DTC Business Expected To Turn Profit in Second Half
TelevisaUnivision reported a $52 million loss in the first quarter, up from $3 m...
25/04/2024
Comcast Earnings Flat As Video, Broadband Sub Losses Continue
Comcast reported flat first-quarter earnings as it reduced the red ink at Peacock but continued to lose video and broadband customers....
25/04/2024
Vevo Brings Music Videos To Telly's Dual Screen TVs
Music-video network Vevo said it launched its app on Telly, the company offering consumers free dual-screen TVs in return for data about what they're watchi...
25/04/2024
Future Today Redesigns Streaming App Interfaces
Future Today said it has introduced a redesigned user interface for about half of its 300 streaming apps, including Fawesome, HappyKids and iFood.TV....
25/04/2024
Czech mates
The writer and director of a hit Czech series tell Robert Shepherd about their approach to portraying real-life Pakistani kidnappings on the small screen, while...
25/04/2024
Molinaire Creative Group opens new Liverpool facility
Notorious DIT will work with the Liverpool Film Office to increase opportunities for regional talent By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 25, 2024 Notorio...
25/04/2024
Deutsche Telekom Powers New MagentaTV Service With Broadp...
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
25/04/2024
Lightware Enhances Microsoft Teams Rooms with Powerful BY...
Lightware Visual Engineering, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market and a pioneer in signal management...
25/04/2024
Net Insight secures collaboration with DMC Production to...
Net Insight has entered into a collaboration with DMC Production that positions Net Insight at the forefront of sports broadcasting in the Nordics. Net Insight ...
25/04/2024
GlobalM and scoopa announce strategic partnership to faci...
GlobalM has announced a strategic partnership with scoopa, the specialists in broadcast-quality content distribution, offering a complementary service for live ...
25/04/2024
DDish TV LLC Chooses PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box for Bro...
PlayBox Neo announces the completion of a new multichannel playout system for the DDish direct-to-home satellite television network in Mongolia. Based in the na...
25/04/2024
Legendary Producer Garth Richardson Chooses PMC Monitors...
Canadian music producer and engineer Garth Richardson also known as Gggarth due to his stutter - has embraced immersive audio by installing a PMC monitoring s...
25/04/2024
Televisa transforms its broadcast ecosystem with proven t...
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced that Televisa, the Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company, has chosen Synamedia as its pa...
25/04/2024
OTTera partners with ThinkAnalytics to enhance personaliz...
OTTera, a leading provider of end-to-end OTT and FAST channel solutions, proudly announces its strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, a global leader in adv...
25/04/2024
Perfect Weather Forecast for American Tobacco Events Tonight and Saturday
The American Tobacco Campus will be hopping with activity tonight and this weekend with two fun events! Durham Night Market At last! The Durham Night Market i...
25/04/2024
Qurate Launches The Big Dish on The Roku Channel
WEST CHESTER, Pa. Video commerce provider Qurate Retail Group has launched The Big Dish, a new culinary-themed FAST channel on The Roku Channel....
25/04/2024
HPA Opens Submissions for 2024 HPA Engineering Excellence Awards
LOS ANGELES The Hollywood Professional Association has announced that submissions for the 2024 HPA Engineering Excellence Awards are now being accepted. This re...
25/04/2024
DV Earns MRC Accreditation for CTV Viewability
NEW YORK The digital media measurement and analytics firm DoubleVerify has announced that it has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for Video Vie...
25/04/2024
DAZN FAST Channels to Launch on Tubi
SAN FRANCISCO Fox Corp.'s ad-supported streaming service Tubi has announced a licensing agreement with the sports platform DAZN that will see DAZN Ringside ...
25/04/2024
IAB Makes Three Appointments to Its Leadership Team
NEW YORK In the runup to the 2024 IAB NewFronts, the IAB has announced three key appointments to its leadership team....
25/04/2024
Epic Games releases Unreal Engine 5.4 with new Motion Design Mode, Unreal VCam for Android, and more
Epic Games releases Unreal Engine 5.4 with new Motion Design Mode, Unreal VCam f...
25/04/2024
Content Creation, Production, Distribution Is In a State of Flux
Content Creation, Production, Distribution Is In a State of Flux Andy Marken April 24, 2024 0 Comments My empathy is creeping towards what I would de...
25/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting Company to Air Carolina Panthers Games on Triangle's Strongest Broadcast Signal
The Carolina Panthers and Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) announced they have...
25/04/2024
Berklee Student Riko Sasaski Named 2024 Yamaha Young Performing Artist
Berklee Student Riko Sasaski Named 2024 Yamaha Young Performing Artist The accomplished saxophonist secured a spot among the elite winners of this year's ...
25/04/2024
Local News Close-Up: St. Louis Born and Bred
Stations everywhere take pride in having a main anchor who comes from the market they represent. That applies in St. Louis, too, but it also pertains to general...
25/04/2024
Edward Moody Joins WBTW Myrtle Beach Anchor Team
Edward Moody is joining the WBTW Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, anchor crew, and will anchor the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts alongside Trish Williford. He comes f...
25/04/2024
MTV Moving VMAs To New UBS Arena in New York
MTV said the 2024 Video Music Awards will return to New York and take place at the new UBS Arena....
25/04/2024
Offbeat Comedy The Outlaws' Returns to Prime Video Next Month
Season three of comedy The Outlaws premieres on Prime Video May 31. Stephen Merchant co-created the show, and stars. There are five episodes....
25/04/2024
Bidders Interested in Buying Bounce, Says Scripps CEO Adam Symson
The E.W. Scripps Co. is evaluating offers for Bounce, its multicast channel for African-American viewers, according to a report from CNBC....
25/04/2024
Paramount Plus Renews Dora'
Paramount Plus has ordered a second season for Dora, the animated preschool show based on Dora the Explorer. The show, featuring Dora on a rainforest adventure ...
25/04/2024
Bayanat and Yahsat Shareholders Approve Merger to Create SPACE42
Bayanat AI PLC (ADX: BAYANAT), a leading AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company P.J.S.C. (ADX: YAHSAT), the UAE...
25/04/2024
Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces Audio Storytelling and Games Lineup
April 25th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES AUDIO STORYTELLING AND GAMES LINEUP Audio Storytelling Program Features 10th ...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Verizon Expands Broadband Capacity To Handle the Spike in Demand
NFL Draft 2024: Verizon Expands Broadband Capacity To Handle the Spike in Demand Mobile cells will help accommodate first responders, social media, sports betti...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: NFL Media Teams With The Fantasy Footballers on Hybrid, REMI Production of Post-First-Round Draft Show on NFL+
NFL Draft 2024: NFL Media Teams With The Fantasy Footballers on Hybrid, REMI Pro...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: ESPN Motors Into Detroit With Trio of Simultaneous Live Presentations
NFL Draft 2024: ESPN Motors Into Detroit With Trio of Simultaneous Live Presenta...
25/04/2024
Unlock the potential of automated node-based and no-code media workflows at MPTS 2024
Published On: April 25th, 2024 data-orig-src=https://www.sgo.es/wp-content/upl...