Protests in portrait

Photographer Tomàs Bernal looks to personalize the movement

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Many of the photos of recent protests in Madison have focused on the mass gatherings, the signs and, in some cases, the confrontations between demonstrators and the police. Tomàs Bernal takes a different tack. He goes small, rather than big, focusing on the individuals who make up the movement. He took these photos May 30-June 1. Bernal asked for permission to take the photos and publish them, but he did not ask for names. All of the subjects are men. He says he asked some women to take their portrait, but they were not willing. “Men are just more likely to say yes when another man is asking for their photograph,” he says. You can see more of Bernal’s work on Instagram @Tomastakespictures

Artist statement: Demonstrations, protests and marches are typically driven by crowds, a sea of faces, and a symphony of chants. In those seas of faces there are people who fight for a universal goal. I take portraits during these events because I find them more powerful than the large-scale protest photos usually published. In my work I try to humanize my subjects; by humanizing an individual we can humanize the movement in which they partake. 

Always perfectly framed, the human face needs no special composition. These days much of my portraits are obstructed, the bottom half of many of these faces are covered in masks. This not only reflects a special time in history, but implores the viewer to focus on the eyes of the subjects — they are, after all, the windows to the soul. These images suggest souls that have waited for change for far too long.