We Went to a Trump Rally and This Is What We Saw

Donald Trump visited Orlando today for one of his campaign rallies, so Rich Johnson and I went over there to take photos of the attendees and the people protesting it. Our plan was to take character shots of both sides, and it proved more difficult than we originally thought. We don’t get out to do street photography that often, and it really starting bothering us how much people would change when we brought a camera in front of them. The protestors were the toughest to photograph as far as realism goes. They’d be standing there looking inattentive and be talking to one another about leaving, but as soon as they saw us coming they’d straighten up, hold their signs up high, and smile for the camera. They did this more than the attendees, who only wanted to get inside the arena. It was harder to get pictures of the attendees because they were always on the move. 

To us, the protesting seemed like a fashion show for the funniest sign, and I think it reflects in our shots. On the attendee side, they seemed mostly interested in buying Trump paraphernalia and comparing their loot with others. So here’s the photos we thought embodied the overall feeling of the rally, let us know what you think!  

If you’d like to see more, click here to check out the full gallery!