Obamas

I grew up a good liberal in Pittsburgh. That did not mean I hated Republicans, I just chose not to glorify Republican politicians. The picture editor at Ladies Home Journal had called me once to photograph George W Bush and I had turned it down. When she called me to shoot the Obama’s - she laughed, knowing how thrilled I would be. This is such a crazy moment. He had just won the Democratic nomination. I set up a studio in a room at a nursing home that he had an event in Columbus, Ohio. The shooting only lasted ten minutes. I was so excited to photograph Barack and Michelle, the power went out on the strobes - and I just kept shooting silhouettes. Obama has a perfect smile he can switch on. I am often introduced as having shot the Obamas….and this was only ten minutes from my career. Well into a career of photographing on one side of the aisle, you can imagine how thrilling it was.