[Leica] photographing anarchists (was re: quebec)

[Kyle Cassidy <cassidy@netaxs.com>]

mark commented about photographing in riots:

> 4) The demonstators dressed in black and carrying gasmasks are not
>    likely to have a positive attitude towards the idea of being subjects
>    of your camera.

this is not necessarily true. it has a lot to do with your attitude as a
photographer. when photographing the folks in black with the gasmasks,
what you absolutely need to do is get to know them first. they're not
satanists. go introduce yourself, say who you are and what you're doing,
give them a business card. knowing someone on the inside can't be
overestimated -- your new friends will introduce you to their other
friends, and before you know it, someone says "we're storming the bastille
at noon, come with us." and find them the day before all hell breaks loose
- -- GET YOURSELF A GUIDE.

  http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2001/16/imc3.jpg

i photographed the Black Bloc this sunday in D.C.. I made a bunch of
friends (and then when my photos got picked up by Indymedia I got a bunch 
of email from all over the country, so now I have MORE friends -- weird
that one). I'm actually thinking it would be a worthwhile project
to drag some studio lights down and do a whole series of portraits of
anarchists in masks.

These people definately don't mind being photographed by journalists --
they just want to be sure you're not a law enforcement officer trying to
find out who they are. They are also tired of people hanging back fifty
feet, furritively shooting with a telephoto and then scurrying away --
when I was down there that happened all afternoon, after about four hours,
_I_ was getting sick of it.

Also, during the Philly RNC protests, Lugger Tim Carrol, who was crashing
at my house at the time, covering the event for an Ohio paper, talked his
way, fairly easily, into the anarchist stronghold and photographed them
constructing various seige engines (well, puppets).

Remember kids: PHOTOGRAPH WITH YOUR MOUTH AS WELL AS YOUR CAMERA.

my advice for the week.

kc