Ron Paul Rally (My experience / Very pic heavy)

[Austin Greene]

Hey again!

So today Ron Paul made a stop at UC Davis for a rally, and I'll tell you it was one hell of a photographic experience! I was the only non-press shooter allowed on the raised press platform, apparently I looked "legit enough," so that was an interesting thought. I've never seen so many television cameras and photographers crammed onto such a small space! It was standing room only, and the excitement around good vantage points was palpable. I also got to meet some local professionals, and thanks to one of them I may begin shooting for our campus newspaper come next year.

Cloudy/overcast/dark skies and a setting sun made high ISO's a necessity, though I was overall happy with how my faithful 55-250 performed, it always seems to do me right This was my first experience shooting anything like a rally in a photojournalism context of minimal editing, along with my first time using the new YN565 in an outdoor environment and interacting so closely with other shooters, especially true professionals. I learned quite a bit, and surprisingly felt like I held my own quite well to some degree, so it was a good day overall!

If any of you have any comments I'd appreciate them! I'm posting quite a few images, so CC is not expected, but always appreciated. More than anything, I just thought I'd share my experience

Dont say I didn't warn you its pic heavy!

1.

2.

3. The crowd numbered in the thousands!

4. An interesting shirt.

5. One of my favorite shots of the day, I liked seeing him in his natural state before he hit the stage.

6. Favorite of the day! I just couldn't help but chuckle at the shot.

7.

Wanted to try something different by framing Ron with people, more from the crowd's lower perspective.​

8. The rest of the press platform to my left, the other areas of the platform were completely packed as well!

9. Tried to do a more serious shot.

10. Serious part 2

11. Serious part 3

12. Wanted to include the backdrop as a whole.

13. Crowd sign.

14. More crowd signs (found the left one a tad interesting/comical), more of a snapshot.

15. Cranked the strobe and went all paparazzi for the final shot as they drove off. I somehow felt dirty afterwards

Hope you enjoyed them!

Toga

 

[Designer]

Hey, Toga, these are all very interesting shots! Well done, sir!

 

[The_Traveler]

Several of these are essentially repeats, the processing is flat and the framing is way too loose on most of them.
There is little drama or tension in either the expressions or the pictures; wasn't there anyone who was excited about being there? or happy or angry or something
You need to work at finding something interesting beyond just the content.
Compose or crop the pictures to eliminate unnecessary space or stuff that drains away tension.

for example.

 

[Netskimmer]

I like 1 and 4 (I have a similar t-shirt) though I think the crop is a little tight on 1. As for 14, there is always going to be 'that guy' at any political rally/protest (usually more than one).

 

[o hey tyler]

Ron Paul is still running for president? I think there's already a republican Rominee.

 

[Austin Greene]

Several of these are essentially repeats, the processing is flat and the framing is way too loose on most of them.
There is little drama or tension in either the expressions or the pictures; wasn't there anyone who was excited about being there? or happy or angry or something
You need to work at finding something interesting beyond just the content.
Compose or crop the pictures to eliminate unnecessary space or stuff that drains away tension.

for example.
View attachment 7679

Thanks for the CC Traveler

I totally understand that many of them could be seen as repeats, but thats where I'd like to see them viewed as individual shots, not a set, as far as CC goes. Every one shows some different facial expression on his face, so while the differences are subtle, they are there imo. I think my idea is that besides here, no one would ever see more than one of the shots at a time.

As for the processing/cropping, I intentionally kept it at a minimum this go around, and understand it impacts the photos somewhat. The overcast skies didn't do anything for me in terms of contrast/vibrance either. Personally, I'm happy with the look of most of the photos. They aren't terribly striking, but they give an honest representation of the lighting and feel during the rally. As for the crowd, they were surprisingly subdued, but I will definitely keep an eye out at future events on campus for a little bit more action.

Again, thanks for the CC! I know there were quite a few photos, so anything is appreciated