I have been covering the American Political Convention since 2004 and it’s hard for me to believe that it has been 20 years since I photographed my first RNC in New York City.
I have always been interested in American politics and it has inspired many of my photography projects over the years.
My idea is to take the work from these conventions and consolidate the images into a photobook, which will not be an easy task since the overshooter that I am leaves me with thousands of frames to sift through and cull down to the chosen few.
Then there’s the creation of a cohesive narrative through design and sequencing to tell the story I want to tell from these conventions.
But first things first. Covering events like these requires a serendipitous strategy, which means there’s not really a wrong spot to be in because everywhere has its unique angle and photo opportunities — but of course, there are certain places to position yourself if you want to get images of some of the key players along with the journalists, delegates, workers, and protesters that will help tell the story.
Having photographed these conventions many times over the years, I know that it’s not always easy to find fresh perspectives. That said, the pictures I tend to repeat tend to be important for the project, revealing the religious fervor of many of the supporters along with new feature players of the day.
As I look back as a photographer I see the changes in the tech and tools used to capture this political theatre. I’m a Nikon guy who started with a Nikon D70 and its “large” six-megapixel sensor which was more than enough resolution at the time.
In 2008, I doubled my megapixels to the Nikon D3, my professional workhorse of choice. In 2012, I did the majority of my work with two 1.4G Nikkor lenses: 35mm and 85mm and full-frame D800 bodies tripling my resolution to 36 megapixels. In 2016, my megapixel count dropped into the twenties with my Nikon D5/D500 camera combo.
Here we are today. I took two bodies, the Nikon Z8 and Z9, but ended up using the Z8 and one lens, the 24-120mm f/4 lens for the vast majority of images for the last chapter of this project. I used to carry a lot more stuff when I first started this project but learned that the “less is more” mantra applies to so many things in photography.
I have been around long enough to see paradigm shifts, from film and manual lenses to autofocus and digital. Then there are the technology leaps from a Nikon D70 to the astounding Z8.
But, in the end, not much has really changed. We still are transforming a three- dimensional world into the magic of a two-dimensional photograph. Do the incredible tech advances make you a better photographer in this documentary genre? It feels like it but on careful analysis— I would say no. Sure, many of the images I “missed” in the earlier days because focus was off, don’t happen with the same frequency.
When I first started using my Nikon Z9, it almost felt like I was wearing a cape, it was making me a photographic superhero who can capture anything in sharp focus.
But I soon realized it was the million other more important elements common to strong work— angle, moment, selective focus or depth of field, lens choice and a point of view on the world that is unique with something to say— that counts the most.
Looking forward to taking my gear to Chicago next month for my street photography workshop and then the Democratic National Convention.
See you in Chicago!
About the author: Steve Simon is a photographer based in New York City who’s obsessed with documentary photography and all things photographic. When he’s not shooting political conventions Steve is photographing the streets and leads street photography workshops around the world. You can link to his work and writing on his website or follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X.