After looking at a few photographers that also capture events using a documentary style, I wanted to do some research into what to expect from these events and how to deal with it if it turns violent.
This was an interview with the award winning press photographer Cathal McNaughton, and draws on his experience photographing different violent events and how he stays safe, while getting the picture he needs.
What goes through your mind when it kicks off?
It’s important to try to stay calm, because you get caught up in the moment. Your instinct when adrenalin kicks in is to rush around and shoot lots of pictures. But then you’ll look at the back of your camera and realise you don’t have anything good.
So I make myself slow down and remember to pick my shots. I have to be quite clinical. It’s hard, though, to avoid getting overly excited when people start throwing petrol bombs, and bricks and bottles crash beside you.
The hardest part is being aware of your surroundings at all times, yet disciplined enough to choose your pictures carefully.
Where is it best to be when violence breaks out?
These running riots can be very fluid, moving from street to street very quickly. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll be caught suddenly in no-man’s-land. Avoid at all costs getting caught between the rioters and the police, as you’ll risk being injured from both sides.
Strangely, it is best to be among the rioters or slightly off to their side. Unless police start firing baton rounds, they’re not going to be throwing any missiles. So if you are standing close to the people who are hurling missiles, you won’t be hit by them.
You have to be aware, though, that in these tense situations people can change their moods very quickly. Amid the trouble, there are moments of great humour and excitement among the rioters, but this can turn to anger in an instant. If they suddenly don’t want you there, you have to run. So I try to read their body language as the situation unfolds.
After reading his interview it has given me some good tips on what to do if violence does brake out, and the event turns into a riot scene because some EDL marches in the past has led to this happening. This has just reminded me to stay out of harms way if this does happen by not putting myself in the middle of the event. Also its better to be on the side of the EDL because they are more likely to throw objects that could hit me. Furthermore if the mood changes they might suddenly decide that they don't want any photographers capturing whats happening, which means that I potentially could become a target. Another point he's given me to think about is not letting my adrenaline get the better of me and end up shooting loads of photographs that end up being pointless. Its much better to stay calm and remember the type of images you want from an event, and shoot a small amount of good images rather than a large amount of bad.
I have also looked at this article online -http://photography.about.com/od/lessonsbysubject/a/howtophotographaprotest.htm
Which goes into detail about how to photograph a protest and what to do in certain events while also mentioning how to prepare for the protest itself.