Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Describes the Chaos on the Streets of Los Angeles
Professional news photographers with credentials face pressures from all sides in the chaotic confrontation in Los Angeles, says Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Swanson.
“Have I been shot at? Oh God, yeah,” says Swanson, who is on assignment for Reuters. “Sometimes they aim and don’t shoot.”
The violence has also been directed at the media. After retail outlets were looted and police used internet photos to identify suspects, some protesters threatened or attacked media with cameras.
Nearly everyone has a camera. Lines are blurred between news photographers with full credentials and others who claim to be media and, at times, agitate the authorities, Swanson says.
With the world watching Los Angeles, Reuters’ “Pictures of the Day” on June 9 led with Swanson’s widely published photo of a man with Mexican flag amidst burning ruins.
Swanson’s image from Los Angels for Reuters appeared worldwide via news publications as well as social media posts in multiple languages.
Gear and Preparation
Swanson uses Canon cameras with a 70-200 lens on one camera and 28-70mm lens on another.
His gear includes a helmet for protection against rubber bullets and ballistic goggles, which can fog up due to the heat. On assignment, Swanson brings water, snacks, and Clif protein bars.
The Risk Level
With more than three decades of experience at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Swanson documented the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the earthquake in Haiti (2010). He shared The Inquirer’s 2012 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of school violence.
Swanson knows all about danger. He was embedded with U.S. military units in Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2004, when he was shot in the arm.
Covering the current protests in Los Angeles is risky, but less lethal than covering combat.
“I’m not going to get killed (in the Los Angeles protests),” Swanson said on June 10. “I don’t want to lose an eye, and I want to avoid injury from a fall.”
Swanson says his goal is to immerse into a tense, chaotic situation without standing out: “We (photographers) don’t want to be picked out in the (gun) sights.”
A Different Kind of Fire
Swanson (Class of 1988, Ohio University) moved to Los Angeles in 2019, working for leading news outlets and specializing in fire photography.
How is covering wildfire different than covering fiery protests in Los Angeles?
“Fire is a common enemy (in fighting a wildfire),” Swanson says. “In this one (Los Angeles confrontation), everyone has their own agenda.”
Image credits: David Swanson via Reuters unless otherwise noted.
About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).
