Lynsey Weatherspoon Shares Her Strong Feelings on Photographing BLM

All images by Lynsey Weatherspoon. Used with permission.

“I feel pain and grief,” says Lynsey Weatherspoon when asked how she feels while photographing the BLM movement. She adds, however, “There’s always joy in seeing people come together to protect our hearts as we navigate a better and more equal and equitable world.” Weatherspoon is a black female photographer. Photographing the events over the past year has been difficult, but she’s strong, and the evidence of that shows up in the quality of her work. It’s impressive. We caught up with Weatherspoon to see learn the full extent of her experience during these challenging times.

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A Look at 5 Photographers Documenting Civil Rights Struggles

These photographers are doing the work we need to truly pay attention to.

In our 11 years, we’ve interviewed lots of photographers. But more importantly, we’ve stayed close to our photojournalism roots. Our platform has been used by many photographers to get the word out. Much of what documentary photography about these days is Civil Rights. It’s happening all across the world in various ways. There are stories at the top of the news every morning about it. But there are some that haven’t really been told as much. For Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, we’re counting down a few that we’ve featured.

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Photographing Portland: The Photojournalist Who Was Shot in the Chest

This is the second installment of our series focusing on the Portland protests.

The on-going tension between the people of Portland and its law enforcement has been a polarizing topic in America. Some feel the aggression from the police is justified, viewing it as a direct response to violence committed by a section of the protesters. On the flipside, many believe this is a total abuse of power by those employed to protect and serve. Naturally, events such as this attract wide media attention. A major part of the coverage is photography, something we, of course, want to focus on. Amidst the Portland Protests, there was a photojournalist who was shot in the chest.

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Photographing Portland: “It Was the Most Intense Night of the Last Five Years”

As part of an on-going series, we reflect on the events happening at the Portland protests.

America is facing one of the most challenging times in modern history. A pandemic, protests, and abuse of power from those serving to protect are crushing the nation right now. Portland, often cited as the epicenter of liberal, progressive values, has seen some of the worst acts of aggression from law enforcement in the United States. Beatings, bullets, and all-round brutality have been the harsh reality for the people – including the press and photographers.

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Photos of Beaten Photographer Raise Questions About Photographer Safety

A photographer was allegedly beaten by anti-protesters in London, raising the question of how photographers can keep safe during these difficult times.

London based street and documentary photographer, Christian Cross, attended London’s protests on June 13th. Several groups of far-right protesters were fighting against the removal of certain statues around the UK. Unfortunately, the peaceful protest soon escalated into violence, and many people were injured as a result. Although Cross himself managed to leave unscathed, he did see another photographer beaten and bloodied.

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Did This Photographer Deserve the Outrage Directed Against Him?

As the BLM movement fights for equality, some people in the photography community waste time pointing fingers in the wrong places.

Popular street photography account, Life Is Street, came under fire on the day of Black Out Tuesday. The owner of the account uses white squares as part of the aesthetic on the feed. It so happened that on Black Out Tuesday, he posted a white square, causing an angry response from many of his followers. But as people were quick to point the finger, labeling him “insensitive” and accusing him of having “no solidarity,” they overlooked one key point: the man is black.

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5 Impactful Photographs The World Will Never Forget

All photos can make some kind of impact. But only a small few stay at the front of society’s mind for eternity.

When we think of influential photos, our minds instantly goes to the likes of Nick Ut’s, The War of Terror, or Malcolm Browne’s, The Burning Monk. Most photos that stick in our minds tend to be related to politics, our environment, or terror. Very rarely do we hold on to good news. We’ve had uplifting images such as humankind’s first visit to the moon – but even that is not free of conspiracy and controversy. Many of society’s photographs that are never to be forgotten are from a century gone by. What about the modern era? What’s going to be the leading photographs for the next generation to reflect on? Let’s take a look.

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