‘The Occupiers’ series by New York City-based photographer Eddie McShane reveals the real-life people behind the larger-than-life Occupy protests. The photographs were taken in Zuccotti Park and then applied against a blue background that is consistent throughout the series.
The protestors are diverse. From scruffy hippies, to war veterans, to suit-and-tie professionals, McShane leaves no demographic out. A striking feature in this regard, is the age range of the activists. Baby-boomers and Septuagenarians are in full force along with young Millennials.
For many, the Occupy protests conjure images of faceless crowds. Indeed, the hacktivist collective ‘Anonymous’ have associated themselves with the movement, for better or for worse. These photographs from Zuccotti Park reveal the human side to Occupy.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Personalized Activism Photography
- Opportunity for photographers to capture the human side of activism through personalized, diverse portraits.
- Generation Gap in Activism
- Opportunity for brands to cater their activism campaigns to both baby boomers and young millennials who share the same goals.
- Humanizing Crowds
- Opportunity for media outlets to humanize and diversify crowd imagery to connect with audiences.
Sectors Adopting This
- Photography
- Opportunity for photographers to capture activism in a unique, humanizing way.
- Advertising
- Opportunity for brands to market their activism campaigns through inclusive imagery that connects with a broad audience.
- Media
- Opportunity for media outlets to produce content that goes beyond surface level coverage and humanizes activism.
