Occupy Union Square

A recent sojourn to New York led me, once again, into the realm of Occupy Wall St and Union Square. No major events to grab the headlines this time around, however, the images I've returned with will hopefully illuminate yet another facet of the Occupy movement.

A member of the "Burqa Bloc", an affinity group that believes in thwarting the objectification and hypersexualization of women via traditional islamic dress

An Occupy medic questions police about their decision to "stop and frisk" an unarmed black youth who happened to be walking past the occupation.

The police responded "He doesn't deserve an apology for us doing our job."

Occupiers engage in a fierce pillow-fight to let off some steam

Two occupiers engage in a small "kiss-in" to show their "passionate anger" at the NYPD; attracting the attention of a Japanese television crew

VT Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, SHUT IT DOWN

The following images are from the recent protests at the headquarters of Entergy Corp in Brattleboro, VT following the decision of Judge Murtha and the NRC to disregard the will of the people of Vermont and allow the continuing operation of that plant beyond the expiration of its contract with the Vermont Legislature. See the full article here.

National Student Walk-Out: UVM Gets FED UP

Here are some photos from the National Student Walk-Out. This was a day that witnessed thousands of college students and from across the country in protest of mounting student debt. Dozens of students and professors gathered at the University of Vermont in support of FED UP and their continued campaign of bravery against the school-sanctioned culture of sexism and rape culture.

-Dylan

Dozens of students and professors at the University of Vermont Participate in a national day of action against student debt

Two students briefly discuss what to say during an impromtu speech on the steps of UVM's administration building

One student displays a sign proclaiming the protesters' determination in their quest to overcome school-sanctioned sexism and rape culture

A UVM alumnus marhes through heavy snow in solidarity with current students

Locked out of UVM's main administrative offices, the group of students read their petition via megaphone through the door

I Once Was Lost... but ZAR found me!

No photos here folks, no pretty images, no long ramblings about this policy or that protest. This is just a shout-out.

Recently, I photographed an event that occurs but once a year. I had to get the images to a friend for a project I was assisting her with. Unfortunately, my computer experienced some technical issues and I lost a great many files, including images from this once a year event.

How, oh how was I going to get myself out of this? Enter ZAR (Zero Assumption Recovery). I used a free download that is specifically tailored to recovering image files and applied the program to the memory card that I shot the images with. This was, for me as a working photographer, a bit of a hail mary play. Not only had I formatted the card entirely after "safely" uploading them to my laptop, but I had photographed several times, and in multiple folders since that formatting.

To give you an idea of how effective this program is I invite you to consider this: I'm a working phtographer who sometimes shoots a thousand images on a busy day. ZAR retrieved images that I had shot SIX MONTHS AGO. Whoa. Slightly scary.

While there were some images that simply didn't make it, those that arrived did so safely and perfectly, retrieved with every detail preserved. I almost wonder if DSLRs are even really formatting now that I've retrieved these files so easily. My rear-end is most certainly saved, and I owe it to ZAR.

Education Day at Statehouse

Here are some photos from a day of photographing a rally and protest at the Vermont Statehouse. About 400 people descended upon the corridors of power to demand that their elected representatives address the increasingly crippling debt that many Vermont students are facing as well as pass House Bill 97 that would allow early educators and childcare professionals to unionize.

For the accompanying article, visit Dylan's blog at Vermont Commons here.