Peaceful Protests for Climate Change

For my story, I based it on how individuals are participating in movements, such as peaceful protests for climate change in and around cities.

Climate change is occurring at an increasingly rapid rate and is only going to get worse if no action is taken. I believe it is important to spread awareness on the impacts of climate change and ways individuals can reduce their carbon footprint through education and involvement which is why I chose to base my documentary on peaceful protests and the positive impacts they can bring.

I attended a peaceful protest organised by ‘Youth Strike for Climate’, and also spoke with three young activists to educate myself further as to why protests and movements are beneficial for reducing the rate of climate change.

When researching more about climate change movements I felt it was important to further educate myself through documentaries and articles, and not just scientific studies.

I researched, and took inspiration from multiple different sources, with some including;

  • Article- ‘Climate Change: Our Choice’ by N. Hilton
  • Photographer- Esme Belle Rice
  • Activist- Greta Thunberg

In particular, I found Greta Thunberg’s documentary I Am Greta to be a big influence in the making and ideas behind my story.

This photograph was taken at a peaceful protest organised by ‘Youth Strike for Climate’ on 22nd October 2021.

At times the topic of climate change can be quite overwhelming which is something I didn’t want to communicate through my images, so including these flags in my image was a way to demonstrate a non-threatening approach to the topic. Capturing this image was also a way to express my support for the climate change movement.

This photograph was taken on the morning of 22nd October 2021 as I arrived into York Railway station travelling from Manchester Oxford Road. I focused on framing the train as the main aspect of my photo, whilst also including the bustling station in the background.

Although this image does not directly portray the theme of climate change, it shows the process and journey I took on the way to the protest

This image shows the congregation of people gathered at St Helens Square who had all attended for the climate change protest.

I feel this presents a friendly and joyful emotion, because even though everyone was there for a serious matter, we all attended due to the fact we all shared the same thoughts and strong emotions towards climate change.

The purpose of this image was to capture the making of placards as they are a key element to my story. It helps provide context to the viewers as to what we were protesting for.

My intention for this image was to feel up-close and personal, and achieved this by greatly reducing the field of view to create a tighter frame. This image helps create connection to the viewer and to keep their engagement in the story.

I believe this is quite an impactful photo which really portrays my ideas across to the audience. Here I captured some of the young activists in action whilst the march across York city centre took place.

The purpose of this image is for the viewer to feel involved in the march, as if they were really there. The bright colours seen within this image feel quite positive and draw all attention to the posters and placards.

This image captures four young activists holding their placards at the end of the march where the end of my story comes into place.

I positioned them in the centre of the frame to have them as the focal point of my image. Additionally, I positioned then at eye level to not over-dramatise the scene and keep my images authentic as I believe this will help to resonate with a wider audience.