One of the first ‘events’ I ever took photos at came during a holiday to Berlin in April 2017. I visited Berlin with my friend Caitlin McNeill, an amazing photographer from the Isle of Colonsay, Scotland. We spent the weekend getting to know the city, trying our hand at a bit of street photography with the occasional stop for a currywurst or coffee. On the Saturday of our long weekend, we eventually made it to the Brandenburg Gate and unexpectedly came across a protest in front of the iconic landmark.

Less than two weeks earlier on Apr. 4th, the Syrian regime under Bashar al-Assad had killed at least 87 people in a chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun. 

In Berlin, protesters were trying to bring attention to this war crime and others committed by the regime. Along with posters and signs about Assad, Putin and the conflict in general, the most visually striking part of the protest was the abundance of opposition flags.

Just recently, I went through these photos and edited a few favourites again. Looking back, I really feel like I’ve learnt so much since this protest, and many of the shots I feel like I barely knew what I was doing, but what really sticks in my memory of that day was the excitement of the moment. The protesters were eager to help me get good photos, allowing me to get right to the centre of the protest. 

I also just loved the adrenaline rush. This was the first  protest I’ve ever been to, and trying to take photos of some of the striking moments that happened was a really fun challenge. While I’m sure I missed lots of moments, I really gained a strong interest in covering fast-paced events and particularly political rallies. In another blog post, I’m going to share some of the more recent photos from protests I’ve done over the last few months.