In support of the Woman’s March on Washington, over 7,500 people participated in the Women’s March on Bellingham, Wash. Counts were unclear as the Bellingham police said the crowd is the largest they have ever seen for any kind of march, protest, or demonstration.

The National Anthem

Demonstrators started showing up at 8:45 a.m. I was assigned by The Bellingham Herald to cover the march from the inside. I kept two cameras and two lenses with me: A Nikon D3s with my 17-35 f2.8 wide to medium zoom, and a Nikon D300s with my 70-200 f/2.8 telephoto zoom.

Too Big To Count

The crowd was insane by the time the National Anthem was sung. In fact, it was so crowded, moving through proved difficult. But as I’ve covered large demonstrations before, the only gear I had was the aforementioned plus a few extra battery packs, a card holder with extra cards, and a notepad with pens.

In Solidarity

I worked my way into the front of the crowd to get some overall shots, a few images of the speakers and singers, and some wide shots to show the crowds size. From experience, it pays to keep your gear light and pay attention.

In Silence

It’s amazing to witness such dedication and power from a committed group of individuals. Thousands of people willing to make change. Thousands willing to stand up for their’s and others rights.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs!!!

There were so many in the march that the original route had to be modified. As the march meandered through downtown, the head met the middle and the police had to quickly reroute the march. For a block on Commercial Street, the marchers squeezed by each other and those in the middle gave high fives.

Coming and Going 

And in the middle of all this, a “rainbow” of light appeared overhead. Just a sliver of a rainbow, but many took it as a sign of acceptance. It was just a sundog.

Giving Support

Many men also marched with their wives, sisters, aunts, and daughters to give support for their cause.

SunDog

Overall, it was a totally peaceful march with no incidents. Something we should all strive for when exercising our First Amendment rights.

For more images and articles from the march by the staff of the Bellingham Herald, visit Women’s March on Bellingham Draws Thousands. Staff photographer Evan Abell produced some really great video and fantastic still images. Staff writer Kyle Mittan wrote an excellent article.

Thank you for stopping by to read and view my work. Don’t forget to sign up for updates so you don’t miss on other postings with tips and tricks to improve your photography.

To view more of the images from the march, visit my gallery Woman’s March on Bellingham, WA.

To view more of my work for The Bellingham Herald, visit the page My Work for the Bellingham Herald.

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Paul “pablo” Conrad

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Paul Conrad is a Bellingham wedding and portrait photographer living in Bellingham, north of Seattle, WA, in the Pacific Northwest. He has won awards in news photography, features, sports, portraiture, and documentary. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States and in Europe. He is available for assignments anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Although his specialty is photojournalism covering news, sports, and editorial portraits, he also is skilled in family portraiture, high school senior portraits, and weddings.

His clients include Getty Images, Wire Image, AirBnB, The Bellingham Herald, and many local business in Whatcom County. Previous clients are Associated Press, the New York Times, L.A. Times, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, and many others.

All images are © Paul Conrad. For commercial and editorial use, contact me with my contact form, or via email here.