Of Mud and Famous People

I made this photo before Mr. Obama was elected president. I started off naive, unaware of the magic that was held within my press credentials. I stood in line for 15 or 20 minutes and slowly meandered through the fairgrounds as part of one of the largest lines I've seen. I passed two cameras, a bag full of lenses and a cell phone through the metal detectors and fought my way as close to the stage as I thought I could get.

I didn't have a shot.

Long story short, a volunteer saw me with my cameras and led me to his supervisor who, in turn, led me underneath the media riser into the press area. I waded through mud and rain and high school journalists and, though my shoes never smelled the same, produced some of the best images of my life.

Its funny, I didn't have a lot of room (physically and figuratively) for artistry. Mostly, I just wanted high quality images of the man. Yet, somehow, though his gestures are so rehearsed that they are reproduced in nearly every speaking series, the now President-Elect managed to make even a dull rainy image something inspiring.

Let's hope this effect remains true.