Hi, my name is Malike Sidibe, and I'm a photographer.
And I'm going to give you five tips on how to photograph a demonstration.
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Tip number one: know your settings.
It's very important that you know how to use your settings.
Know what shutter speed you need, depending on light that's available.
Know what ISO you want to put your camera on,
depending on what you have, what light is in front of you
because sometimes you could be photographing a demonstration,
and you turn around the corner, there's a shadow, and the images are dark.
You got to know how to move very fast,
and that comes with knowing your camera, and know how to move really fast.
Tip number two: always have a flash and extra batteries on you
because you when you go to a demonstration,
you don't know how long you're gonna stay out.
Sometimes you might be out there until it's dark,
and it's hard to use your camera at low light.
So, if you have a speed light on your camera,
you'll have some light!
Tip number three, and to me this is the most important tip:
Be safe.
Don't ever go to demonstration alone,
even if you're a photographer, if it's in your city.
never go alone, and always make sure that you're sharing your location with family and friends.
I personally always bring my best friends along.
I always try to convince them to come with me.
just in case if anything goes wrong, somebody knows where you're at,
or they have your location.
And, if you don't get home a certain time, they could check up on you
and see where you are. Or if you lose your phone and get arrested,
you have someone out there looking for you at least.
And also, it's very important to have a lawyer's phone number on you at all times.
I personally always write them on my wrist because sometimes you could lose your phone.
Tip number four, this is also one of the most important ones:
you are a photographer.
You're there to document, no matter what you believe in
and no matter your experience of...
whatever it is.
You're only there to document what's going on.
You're not there to argue with anyone.
You're not there to give your opinion to nobody.
You're there to document what's happening in front of you,
and that is your process, that's your voice.
Don't get yourself in trouble by
going back and forth with someone who has a different belief than you.
Just do your work, and that's your voice, and that's your job.
Tip number five. I know I said the tip number three was the most important one,
but I think tip number five is the most, most important one.
Always know your exit when you're photographing a demonstration.
Um, let's say cops are running after someone to arrest them.
Things are getting crazy, and people are running.
Things move very fast when you're at a demonstration,
but be the one person that's always taking a little second
to look around, "Okay, cool. If this goes wrong where can I move away."
"If cops throw pepper spray here, how can I cover myself?"
"And how can I protect myself?"
I usually, I'm always looking somewhere.
Like, if we're in the street, I always like to be on the side,
where it's like my back is against the wall
because I know, so nobody's gonna creep up behind me
and tackle me or hit me.
But that's not always the case,
so always just make sure you know your exit.
It's as important as the photos you're going to be taking that day.
So, I hope these five tips really helped you.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.
And if you have any suggestions as well,
feel free to reach out to me on social media
@malikesidibe
and my website is malikesidibe.com
Thank you