That Day I was an official White House Press Pool Photographer.
Some days are just cooler than others.
Like this single day in March of 2011 when I was a bona fide member of the White House Press Pool. Prior to this, the closest I’d come to “presidential media” was in 1974 when my mom, through a friend, got us an unofficial private tour of the White House and, because he was out of town, I got to sit at the desk in the TV studio President Ford used to give his television addresses. Turns out, he was not out of town, but rather just down the hall and coming our way. But that’s another story.
One of the most rewarding aspects about being independent is the variety of skills I get to use on the variety of projects for which I’m hired. This client, a renewable energy company, asked me to be their in-house company photographer, documenting President Obama’s visit to their facility to promote his energy agenda. It was widely speculated that he would take this opportunity to formally announce his running for a second term, so perhaps there was more press present than usual. (He didn’t, but rather waited another two weeks.) I passed the security clearances and was issued my pass. It was an incredible experience and I’ll admit to being a bit awestruck - not because of the presenter, but because I got to witness the massive behind-the-scenes support engine that is the press corps and what it takes to put on a simple speech by a modern-day president. To be perfectly honest, I was most excited about the possibility of seeing (and hopefully meeting) Pete Souza, the official White House photographer. I’d been a fan for some time.
Because I was basically my client’s documentarian for the day, I was able to rove around and see the spectacle from a variety of angles - as long as I stayed on “our” side of the ropes. Once through media security check-in (which was a bit more nerve-wracking than a TSA check, my mind racing through the checklist of what contraband I may have forgotten to take out of my camera bag), I began documenting the press setting up, testing their audio and satellite feeds. There were basically four large areas for the fourth estate: a stand-up area way off to the side for the live, on-camera reporters, two corrals for video/photographers (one at a side of the podium and one in front) and rows of tables for the print media. It is not a free-for-all when it comes to media outlet positioning. Each outlet has their dedicated spot marked out on the floor and there’s definitely a pecking order to the better angles. Since I wasn’t a part of the official press, I didn’t have a spot so I was worried I wasn’t going to get the good shots. But the CNN camera op atop the prime real estate riser told me not to worry - just pick a space of an outlet that didn’t show up and act like you belong there. So I looked for a right-leaning outlet’s name on the riser, figuring they wouldn’t show. And they didn’t, so I found my perch on the A-list side riser. (Note: no politics in that statement: just a logical probabilities calculation.)
Controlled chaos. Kind of like herding cats, except the cats listen.
And that’s where I first saw him. He came in with the secret service detail and walked past within spitting distance. I quickly thought of ways to garner a handshake, a quick selfie, to break protocol and tell him how much I admired his rise to power, his service to the country and how he’d inspired me. And to ask him what camera/lens he preferred. (To be clear, I’m talking about Souza.)
What struck me most about my experience was not the circus that is the international media. But rather the choreography of a presidential speech by someone as talented a public speaker as this president. The rehearsed spontaneity, the “extemporaneous” delivery of the script, the “unplanned” asking the audience if they minded he jetison the jacket to get more comfortable and intimate at the right moment of change of message tone, making a connection with individual audience members 50 feet away - and the machinations of the secret service guard railing it all. It was truly impressive - from the time I arrived to the time we were finally allowed to exit the building once Air Force One had cleared Reno airspace.
Getting ready to go live on-air (NBC) with Kristen Welker. You may have heard of her - she did OK.
And I did come “this close” to my moment with Pete Souza. During the third act of Obama’s speech, I was getting some shots from the side, right next to the waist-high security barrier, when I glanced to my right and Souza was just standing there, not 10 feet away, surveying his next perch. All I had to do was reach out over the barrier to get his attention. But my left brain quickly interceded, realizing the attention I would’ve received from the men in sunglasses was probably not going to be pleasant and most likely a bit embarrassing. So I had to settle for fleeting eye contact and a quick smile between two professionals, recognition that we were simpatico in our craft.
Either that, or he was stifling a sneeze.
This is the shot described above - the barrier (and Souza) was just to my right. So close, yet so far…
