president george w. bush speaks to fewer than 100 … photojournalism: the professionals’ approach...

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48 ■ P h o t o j o u r n a l i s m : T h e P r o f e s s i o n a l s ’ A p p r o a c h

President George W. Bush speaks to fewer than 100 people who accepted invitations to aRepublican fundraiser toward the end of the President’s second term. The photographerlooked for a picture that said "disappearing president."Olivier Douliery, Abaca Press

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General NewsBEYOND THE PHOTO OP

Olivier Douliery had been assigned to cover

President George W. Bush speaking at a

Republican Party fundraiser. Shooting for the

French agency Abaca Press, he found himself among 20 other pho-

tographers covering a planned event that attracted fewer than 100

attendees. The president’s popularity in his final year in office was

in a downward spiral, even among his former supporters.

As the photographers moved about the room, shooting from

one position and then another, Douliery knew he did not want another

routine picture of the president lecturing and gesturing.

C h a p t e r 3 , G e n e r a l N e w s ■ 49



A thinking person’s photographer, hedecided to go for an interpretive shot thatwould visually express the downward trendin the president’s popularity.

First, though, he got his safe picture of thepresident speaking. Then he noticed that if hestood exactly beneath the podium that thePresident seemed to disappear behind thepodium and the microphones.

Douliery waited in the same spot for 25minutes. From his position beneath the podi-um, the presidential seal framed in the middleof his viewfinder, Douliery first got a shot ofone presidential arm extending from the sideof the podium. Then the other arm. Finally,and in only two frames, Douliery found theshot he was looking for.

Douliery’s wide-angle lens capturedPresident Bush hidden behind the micro-phones, both arms outstretched on either sideof the podium. The president had faded away,leaving only his arms to wave up and down,the presidential seal standing in for his head.

The picture was an instant success. It waspicked up by Getty Images, Polaris, UnitedPress International, and Black Star pictureagency, and then reproduced in many news-papers and magazines around the world.

Politicians plan media events that attractthe camera, even if the events themselveshave little news value. Called “photo oppor-tunities or photo ops” these non-events, oftenfilled with balloons and confetti, have beendesigned for the camera journalist.

If a senator puts on a stupid hat for aphoto, editors can’t resist the picture.Politicians and photographers manipulateeach other, to their mutual benefit.Politicians look for free publicity and photographers want visual events. The picture of the senator wearing a cowboy hat is not wrong. It is simply notgood journalism.

The challenge—and one that is not easyfor photojournalists to meet when assigned tocover these orchestrated situations—is tolook beyond what the politicos have plannedand focus instead on the reality behind thestaging. Douliery met the challenge.

GOING BEHIND THE SCENESPoliticians come alive at election time. Theold “pol” leaves the desk in his plush officeand starts pressing the flesh at ward meet-ings, cultural parades, and organizations forthe elderly. The young challenger, by con-trast, walks the streets of the ghetto with hersuit jacket thrown over her shoulder. Bothcandidates plaster stickers on cars, erect bill-boards, appear in “I promise” TV ads, andattend massive rallies.

A photographer can take two sets of cam-paign pictures. One would show the candi-date’s public life—shaking hands, givingspeeches, and greeting party workers. Theother would reveal the candidate’s privatelife—grabbing a few minutes alone with thefamily, planning strategy behind closeddoors, pepping up the staff, and collapsing atthe end of a 14-hour day.

All too often, news outlets present theirreaders with a one-sided visual portrait of thecandidate—the public side, planned andorchestrated by the candidate’s campaigndirectors. Editors tend to publish only upbeat,never downbeat, pictures; only happy, neversad, moments. Photographers continue tochurn out photos of the candidate shakinghands and smiling—photos that reveal littleabout the person who wants to run the city,state, or federal government.

The major U.S. news magazines havedone a much better job of behind-the-scenescoverage than most of the country’s newspa-pers and web sites. To capture insightful pictures of politicians, some magazine pho-tographers and their news organizations havedeveloped special access to high-level officials. While these photojournalists haveuncommon access, their techniques are stilluseful for photographing people whose livesseem to be one long photo op.

Diana Walker, contract photographer forTime magazine, has been covering the WhiteHouse since the last year of the Jimmy Carteradministration. Presidents come and go at theWhite House. Walker remains. Walker saysshe is afforded access behind the scenes atthe White House to show readers what thepresident is about when he is offstage. “I canshow you relationships and atmosphere,” shesays, “how these people look when they arenot in front of the lights and microphones.”

Walker tries to act like a “fly on the wall”when photographing private moments in apresident’s life. “My whole approach is forthe president not to know I am there. I try notto engage with him—ever. I don’t talk unlesshe talks to me,” she says.

By becoming as familiar—and as unobtru-sive—as the wallpaper in the Oval Office,Walker quietly records intimate momentsinside the White House. The night beforePresident Clinton’s impeachment trial began,she recalls, “The president turned to his wife,suddenly put his arms around her neck andheld on to her just for a quick second.” Thatphotograph, she says, captures a personalmoment and an emotion that the presidentwould not necessarily reveal in public.

While the president knows that Walker isin the room, neither he nor his staff can



control how the people in the Oval Officewill behave, she points out. “The scene is set,but the characters are themselves.”

Walker, by the way, shoots only black-and-white when photographing inside theWhite House. Time signals its behind-the-scenes access by publishing these kinds ofstories in black and white.

P.F. Bentley has covered every presiden-tial election since 1980. Shooting solely inblack-and-white all these years, Bentley hasfollowed the campaigns of George H. W.Bush, Bill Clinton, Robert Dole, and NewtGingrich for up to a year at a time. AsBentley says, the campaign stops are just the tip of the iceberg. “In the hotel room isyour picture.”

At the 1992 Democratic convention,Bentley’s picture of Bill Clinton warming uphis vocal cords in the steam room beforegoing onstage was more revealing than anypicture of the candidate at the podium.

STRATEGIES FROM THE PROSNot every photographer has the chance toshadow presidential candidates for months ata time or to document the president of theUnited States on a daily basis. However, the

experiences of shooters like Bentley, Walker,and other magazine professionals provideinsights into how to cover any official—fromgovernor to mayor to local supervisor.

WATCH BUT DON’T TALKDiana Walker has developed several tech-niques for avoiding conversation with hersubjects. If someone looks at her, she imme-diately breaks eye contact by looking at herwatch. If they try to start a conversation, sheadjusts her camera.

“Of course, if the president begins to talkto me,” she admits, “I have no choice but toanswer back.” She describes her workingmanner as “trying to be as discreet, quiet,out-of-the-way, and unobtrusive” as she can.“Of course, he knows I am in the room,” shecontinues, “but it is the closest I can get tothe way people really are.”

Covering politicians on the campaign trailhas taught Bentley to be flexible. The observ-er should remain unobserved, he says. “Youhave to become a chameleon,” he explains.“You have to adjust to who (the politicians)are and to their routine. After awhile, youkind of know their moods. You know when togo in tight, when to back off, and, finally,

Senator Barack Obama campaigns for president atthe University of Chicago.The photographer hadunusual access since hehad been traveling with thecandidate for many months. Pete Souza, Chicago Tribune

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when to lay low.” If things aren’t going on,for example, he will usually walk out of aroom and check in later. “I don’t hover all thetime,” he notes.

Newsweek photographer David HumeKennerly is a well-known raconteur when heis not working, but he finds it advantageousnot to chat when he is trying to catch candids.“Usually I am in a place where there is noreason for me to talk,” he observes.

ZIP YOUR LIPSAll the photographers interviewed for thisbook who work behind the scenes have madetacit agreements with their subjects not toreveal what they overhear. “I don’t talk aboutwhat I hear, and my writers never ask me,”says Time’s Walker. Bentley agrees: “Ofcourse, there is a trust that I won’t ever talkabout anything I hear.”

Kennerly points out that still photographershave a real advantage over their televisioncounterparts. Politicians can be themselvesand say what is on their minds with still photographers in the room. They know theircomments will stay off the record. Withvideo cameras rolling, he says, politicians areunlikely to be their usual loquacious selves.

“If you introduce sound into the situation,politicians will not talk naturally,” he says.

NO GEAR YOU CAN HEARTo carry out this unobtrusive approach, pho-tographers rely on fast lenses and a high ISOto avoid using flash. Bentley’s mantra is “Nogear that you can hear.”

Walker, too, prefers to shoot withrangefinder cameras but carries a single lensreflex with a longer lens—“just in case.” Ineach frame, she says, she tries to include thepresident and other players who are in theOval Office. “I am not doing tight headshots,” she explains. Walker looks for rela-tionships not portraits. But if a portrait isappropriate, the longer lens is in her bag.

SELL YOURSELFYou can have the right approach, the rightISO, and the best cameras, but without accessto politicians, you can’t make revealingpictures. Bentley talks to politicians ahead oftime about recording their entire campaignsfrom the inside. “I tell them about the type ofpictures I will take and the type I won’t take.They know they are part of history.”

Bentley assures politicians that he is not out to ridicule them by taking “cheap-shot” pictures. No photos of scratching oradjusting, no images of people eating, heassures potential subjects. “I have been in the hotel room where the candidate is in

Diana Walker, who covers the White House forTime magazine, had behind-the-scenes access to Billand Hillary Clinton during atrip to Africa. Walker wasable to catch this rare,unguarded moment ofPresident Clinton and hiswife joking together. Diana Walker, Time magazine



his underwear,” he says. “That is not the kindof picture I care to take. It is not a picture thathas any meaning.”

Kennerly, who has been on the inside asthe White House photographer for PresidentFord and on the outside as the Newsweekphotographer covering Clinton, has learnedabout getting access under difficult condi-tions. “The picture is only a small part ofwhat I do. I am a salesman first and foremost.I have to sell myself to people to come intotheir lives.”

Members of the House and the Senate are,for the most part, easy to deal with, he says.They have to be re-elected and they have toget along. “Photographers are not consideredto be the enemy,” he says. “Reporters fallinto that category.”

Having worked in Washington on and offsince the Ford administration, Kennerly hasexcellent connections. “I actually know a lotof senators,” he says. “I would count 10 sena-tors that I am well acquainted with and couldcall on a moment’s notice.”

During President Clinton’s impeachmenttrial, photographers were denied access to theSenate chambers during the proceedings.Kennerly likens the situation to covering abullfight when you can’t see the bull or thematador. He wanted to take exclusive photo-graphs at a high-level meeting of the repre-sentatives who were bringing the ominouscharges against the President. He called on anold friend for whom he had done a favor 20years ago. The friend was now a representa-tive—and one of the managers of theimpeachment trial. The 20-year-old favorpaid off, and Kennerly got exclusive accessfor Newsweek.

MEETINGS GENERATE NEWSIn large cities and small towns, journalistscover the news of governmental meetingsbecause the results of those meetings areimportant to readers. Meetings possess thesame news value as fires and accidents.Often, the results of a governmental meet-ing—those involving changes in the tax rate,for instance—directly bear on readers’ liveseven more than yesterday’s fender-bender.

Meetings and press conferences carry achallenge. They test the photographer’s cre-ativity. Unfortunately, a critical meeting ofthe Senate Armed Services Committee looksvery much like an ordinary meeting of thelocal zoning board. If the pictures remaineduncaptioned, readers could easily be con-fused. Press conferences as well as awardsceremonies all tend to look identical after awhile. Sometimes, through the creative appli-cation of framing techniques, catching the

moment, and using long lenses and light, thephotographer can help portray the excitement,the tension, the opposition, and the resolutionof the meeting.

FACE AND HANDS REVEAL EMOTIONRay Lustig of the Washington Post has cov-ered some of the most momentous as well assome of the most trivial political moments inthe country’s recent history. Capitol Hill ishis beat as the Post’s chief political photogra-pher. When Lustig raises his 70–210mm f/2.8zoom lens at a committee hearing or pressconference, he looks for expressive faces. “Awrinkled brow, a grin, or a curled lip can addlife to a routine meeting picture,” Lustig says.“Hands, too, reveal a speaker’s emotion.”Readers, of course, understand the meaningof a clenched fist or a jabbing finger.

REVEALING VERSUS ACCIDENTAL PHOTOSA speaker’s facial expressions and hand ges-tures can be accidental and misleading. Theymight have nothing to do with the personalityof the individual or the thrust of the message.Suppose that during a luncheon the governoris discussing closing the border to illegalimmigrants. You take 100 to 200 frames. Youmight catch a shot while he is eating—show-ing him with his mouth screwed into a knot.This picture, although an actual moment,reflects nothing about the nature of the topicor even the speaker’s character. The mislead-ing picture, in fact, tends to distort the newsrather than reveal it.

As Time’s Bentley says, “I don’t care whoit is, eating pictures are ugly. Once people startto eat, it is not a picture I care to have.”

WHO’S WHO IS IMPORTANT Meetings, speeches, or press conferences in atown take on news value based on the person-alities involved and on the importance of thesubject debated.The photographer must knowor be able to recognize the players in thegame without a scorecard. If you are notfamiliar with the participants in a meeting, asksomeone for information about the speakers.What are their names? Which ones are electedofficials? Who is best known? With thisinformation, you can zero in on the mostnewsworthy individuals.

Here is how Ray Lustig prepares for a dayon Capitol Hill. “When I am preparing to goto the Hill, I first review the Reuters daybook.(The daybook lists all upcoming activities,including Congressional caucuses, press con-ferences, speeches, etc.) If I have questions, Itry to meet with the appropriate editors—national or defense, for example. When I getto the Hill in the morning, I check the web

The hands of formerMassachusetts Secretary ofHuman Services JeraldStevens reveal the pressure,the pleasure, the tension,and the ease of this power-ful state official.Bill Collins


Without the woman’s signin the picture, few readerswould guess that this meet-ing focused on free dentalcare for the aged. TomStrongman, Kansas City Times



for committee schedules. I read theWashington Post thoroughly before I arrive,and when I get to the pressroom I take a lookat The New York Times and the WashingtonTimes. I also will do a quick scan of ournewspaper’s web sites. I also carry a pagerthat gives me information from both Houses’radio/TV gallery of events. I am doing myhomework. I’ve got to know what is goingon. That’s my business.”

The advantage of all this reading andpreparation is that Lustig has a broad grasp ofall the day’s planned news. This allows himto select the most visual or most newsworthyevents to cover.

Fully briefed on the day’s events, he is the first to arrive at a packed hearing or overcrowded press conference. He gets there early and stakes out a spot. His meticu-lous forethought gives Lustig the edge on his competition.

PROPS ADD MEANINGProps can add meaning to a routine meetingphoto. If someone holds up a prop, the readerwill have an easier time understanding thepoint of the photo. If the speaker whodenounces the lack of gun control laws bringsto the meeting a few “Saturday NightSpecials,” the photographer can photographthe person examining or displaying the guns.A photo of an elderly woman, minus a fewteeth yet holding aloft a poster of a toothysmile, helped summarize a meeting on freedental care for the aged (facing page).

SURVIVAL TACTICSWhen Lustig covers an important committeemeeting on Capitol Hill for the WashingtonPost, his gear bag contains two strobes andtwo SLR camera bodies: one with a 28–70mm(18–50mm digital) zoom lens and the otherwith a 70–210mm (50–140mm digital)zoom lens. He uses the short zoom for over-alls of the conference room but saves thetelephoto zoom for close-up portraits. The close-up brings the viewer and the subject nearer than they normally wouldmeet in public.

Lustig also carries a small aluminumstool, which allows him to sit rather thankneel while waiting for a picture. “You needit,” he says, “because it saves wear and tearon your body.” He also carries a monopodand cable release.

Seated on his stool, his camera mountedon the monopod, and his cable release at theready, Lustig can shoot at slower shutterspeeds when necessary and also keep his lensaimed at his subject during those long,drawn-out meetings. Without tiring his arm

Republican Senator Dan Coates (Indiana) holds legislation that would create a comprehensivehealth care package. Republicans critical of the plan claimed it was too big, complicated, andbureaucratic. Both the Senator and the photographer know that props help visualize the storybehind a meeting or press conference. Ray Lustig, Washington Post

Avoid shooting perpendicularto the line of speakers. Theperspective results in a pic-ture with large blank spacesbetween each person, andeach face appears quitesmall. Jan Ragland

Shooting these dignitaries from the side eliminated dead spacebetween the subjects. Photographing with a telephoto lensappears to bring the individuals closer together. James K.W. Atherton, Washington Post


or having to keep his eye glued to theviewfinder, Lustig can train the lens on histarget and look for gestures, mannerisms, and expressions—all the way through eachpolitician’s speech.

PHOTOGRAPH THE ISSUESMost political issues can be translated intopictures. If the mayor says city education is

poor and should be improved, the photogra-pher must search for supporting evidence ofthe claim. Are schools overcrowded? Do stu-dents hang around in the halls with nothing todo after class? If racial tension exists betweenwhite and African-American students, can thejournalist photograph the situation?

A set of realistic photos will transformrhetoric into observable issues.


More than a million immi-grants enter the UnitedStates illegally each year tojoin the millions of othersalready living here.

Politicians debate whatto do, activists holdprotests, and Congressappropriates millions of dol-lars to staunch the flow.

These pictures go beyondthe numbers and the stagedevents to see where some ofthe money spent on immigra-tion control goes.

Two thousand three hundred federal agents ofthe U.S. Department ofHomeland Security areassigned to “detect, detain,and deport” the illegalimmigrants.

(TOP) ImmigrationEnforcement Agents PaulKouame and Greg Dews prepare shackles for thepeople they will transport toSan Diego for that evening'sflight to a detention centerin Arizona. Illegal aliens areprocessed in Arizona and then flown to the LosAngeles field office of theDepartment of HomelandSecurity. They will then bereturned to Mexico andCentral America. Most willattempt to return. (Seepages 302–304 for a storyabout the dangerous journeymany of these immigrantsundertake.)

(BOTTOM) A femaledetainee sits on her cot in awomen's pod at a detentionfacility in Florence, Arizona.Criminal detainees mustwear red jumpsuits. Mary Calvert, Washington Times


president george w. bush speaks to fewer than 100 … photojournalism: the professionals’ approach...

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