On Friday evening, Xposure International Photography Festival hosted an inspiring visual memoir of the White House when it was occupied by Barack and Michelle Obama, presented by Lawrence Jackson, the man behind the 4 million-plus White House photos that represent his two terms in the Oval Office.
Speaking at a session titled ‘Yes, We Did!’, Jackson started his dialogue with a story why he decided to leave his well-paying job at the Associated Press to document the first African American President of the United States.
“I was there at the George Washington University when the president had just been elected. I took pictures with one of my colleagues at the White House; just feeling this energy from the crowd celebrating America’s first African American president is indescribable. I went back to the office, filed the pictures. When I walked back to my car, there was this black guy on the street who I made eye contact with. “He looks at me and says, ‘can you believe it?’ It was at that moment I decided that I wanted to work for this president, Barrack Obama.”
Sifting through a gallery of dozens of pictures of the Obamas at the Oval Office, travelling, making speeches, engaging with citizens, and sometimes, just having a laugh – several of which have never been showed to an audience before – Lawrence remarked that it was the easiest job to photograph the two. “We called them ‘naturals’ in the world of photo journalism, which means that they would enter a room and totally ignore the camera; just go about their business.”
He also said that the job of official White House photographers had become especially important during Obama’s time, as the president pledged complete transparency during the 2008 campaign. In one of the campaign videos he played for the audience, Obama was heard saying: “We will ensure that our business is people’s business. As Louis D Brandeis said, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’”.
The audiences at Xposure were treated to a special tradition of the White House they had named ‘Jumbles’ – a gallery of the best pictures taken throughout the week that would be selected by the Oval staff and exhibited at the White House West Wing every Wednesday night.
Pictures of when the First Lady and her husband got the giggles while taping a Christmas video, to the president’s quizzical face during his interaction with children on a school visit, him making phone calls to leaders of other nations, and more, viewers received an insight into all the wonderful details.
One of Lawrence’s favourites is one he took of the president with actress Meryl Streep. “I don’t think they had met before. He was gushing on her like a fan boy. Michelle was just giggling standing behind.”
Another one of his favourites is the president hugging a little girl, exhibited at Xposure 2018. “The little girl said thank you for everything you have done. I’m not sure about his exact response, but I think what he said in response was that you are the future and you are going to carry the baton forward.”
While there were many shots of important public speeches and diplomatic visits, Jackson also has an eye for moments of non-action, ones that are rare in a place like the White House. “Capturing the quiet moments was my favourite. Be it the White House or when we would be on the road.”
A sizeable number of the pictures exhibited included the Obamas’ interaction with children and young people. “They loved kids. They both become childlike when they are surrounded by them. If a kid asked to touch Obama’s hair, the president would get on his hands and knees and allow it,” Jackson noted.
One thing about political photography is that you know how to read body language. A lot becomes evident even if you are unable to listen in on a conversation.
Presidential photographers also spent time with the Cabinet Secretaries and Lawrence was assigned to the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood. “The reason we did this was to show the government in action; to show what was being done on a daily basis by various government departments”
He also showed his ‘Alan Gross comes home’ collection when he was assigned to shoot the homecoming of Gross who was brought back to the US during a prisoner exchange with Cuba, after he spent five years in a Cuban prison. Pictures of Alan hugging his wife, of him being greeted by Senators back in the US, the whole episode came to life. Sharing his feelings on the trip, Lawrence remarked: “From the minute we landed to the minute we boarded the plane was 38 minutes, but it felt like two hours. Everything was so tense.”
Jackson’s side project these days is covering the activities of the Obamanauts,
ex-officials of the Obama administration. He follows and photographs their lives after they have left office. Some are running non-profits, some are writing books, one of which is going to be adapted to screen, some others are helping run ‘My Brother’s Keeper Alliance,’ Obama’s initiative to help young boys and men of colour to stay in education and get jobs.
