5051 and “Hands Off” Protests

5051

When I heard about the 50501 protests happening at every state capital, I knew I wanted to document the movement. My goal with this project was to capture the emotion, scale, and diversity of the protest in Columbia, SC, and preserve the moment through powerful visuals. 

As I photographed the event, I focused on telling a complete story through a range of images. I captured powerful speaker moments, handmade signs, and wide shots that showed the size and energy of the crowd. These photos reflect the emotion of the day and the determination of those who came out to make their voices heard. 

I edited these photos in adobe Lightroom, focusing on cropping the images to highlight the emotions of protesters.

I also attended the “Hands Off” protest in Columbia, South Carolina. This time I didn’t have my camera, so I used my phone to take videos.

I then created a short video reel designed to inform viewers about the purpose of the protest, what it looked like locally, and how it fit into the national conversation. I kept the editing style clean and informative, similar to a news reel, so the message was clear and accessible. I used Adobe Premier Pro to edit the clips together and add text.

I shared the reel on social media, where it received over 1.5k views and helped amplify the voices behind the movement. 

This project allowed me to apply a documentary-style lens to real-time events, blending storytelling with advocacy through visual media.