Photographing History
Chattanooga Women's March 2018
I didn’t go to the first Women’s March. Truth be told, I was too scared to go. The country was unpredictable in a new way, and I imagined that day to be much more dangerous than it turned out to be.
In 2018, I was near Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the Women’s March weekend. I woke up early, made coffee, grabbed my camera, and photographed part of our future history.
The moment in the image above was very emotional in realtime. I don’t know that any photo could capture it.
The man in the blue jacket waved his scarf, letting the people on the neighboring bridge know that he could see their sign.
While you can't see it in the photo, his cheeks were streaked with tears. I have no idea if he knew the party across the way, but it was apparent that he was there for a purpose and that the people on the bridge were there for a similar purpose.
The day was full of heavy feelings, silly posters, and primarily positive energy.
I have photographed several protests in my life, and I never regret going to photograph them.
A part of history is distorted and lost in the news and even in our oral and print retellings of the events.
When you're able to safely witness a part of the history of your planet, country, city, hometown, or neighborhood, you should take it.
A moment in time that may seem hyperbolic or insignificant to some and the defining issue of our time to others can turn out to be very important to the future narrative of your little piece of the planet.
You can view my entire collection from the Chattanooga Women's March in 2018 by clicking here or using the link below -
https://unsplash.com/collections/S07vLttzkqQ/chattanooga-womens-march-2018