Day 1 of the Democratic Convention took place in sweltering heat outside (bad news for the protesters) but in the comfort of an air-conditioned Wells Fargo Center. I will tell you that surprisingly to me, it is much tougher to shoot the DNC then it was in Cleveland with the RNC.
Technically, the light is not as bright which means higher ISO’s and slower shutter speeds generally. Most importantly, access is very limited. They close the floor at 2pm which means getting a revolving floor pass (some media of course have dedicated passes which lets them on the floor all the time) which has to be brought back and renewed every hour. Problem is, when you go back to renew you may miss key moments of the night and getting back and finding a decent shooting position on the floor is increasingly challenging as the night goes on and the crowds swell.
Here in Philadelphia, security has been much stricter which means no shooting in the aisles and at the front of the stage, except for the chosen few who get to shoot in the “buffer” an area at the front of the stage which allows photographers to shoot the speakers and the crowd with clear views.
But that’s okay. I am looking for different types of shots than many of the media here. No more time. It’s day 2…need to get back to work. Here’s a few from yesterday. Feel free to comment or ask questions, I will try and answer during a break in the action.
Great Photos Steve! Keeping up with your tradition.