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from Photographers Blog:
A day with Mitt Romney
Reuters photographer Brian Snyder spent a day behind the scenes with Mitt Romney, documenting his campaign.
By Brian Snyder
Photographing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as he campaigns across the United States is often about trying to find the candidate amongst all of the supporters and entourage around him. We see him at rallies surrounded by hundreds or thousands of enthusiastic supporters, at off the record stops in an uncontrolled swirl moving around a restaurant among unsuspecting diners, in a motorcade of a dozen vehicles, and on airport tarmacs while a parade of staff, security and press load onto the campaign plane. We are always in a crowd with more photographers, U.S. Secret Service agents and campaign staff all working in small spaces.
GALLERY: A day with Mitt Romney
But stepping one layer inside that, to document a "day in the life" of the candidate and the campaign, revealed an unexpected calm. Governor Romney spent time talking to one or two advisors, joked in a room alone with his closest aide, and watched a video feed by himself as he was introduced to take the stage at a rally. There was space.
Ordinarily the photographers traveling with the campaign hustle to keep up, run to get into position, hurry to the motorcade so as not to be left behind. As we photograph the events, we try to wring as much variety out of them as possible. Then we rush to edit, tone, caption and transmit the images while the motorcade is rolling and the plane is taking off -- only to land in a new state and get in the motorcade to do it all over again.
from Photographers Blog:
“We’re pulling an all-nighter”
By Kevin Lamarque
“We’re pulling an all-nighter” -- President Barack Obama's refrain to crowds across the U.S.A. throughout his non-stop 40-hour campaign swing.
An all-nighter? Really? As in we sleep on the plane? On a domestic trip? Seriously? This was my initial reaction upon seeing the White House press schedule and failing to find a hotel mentioned anywhere. But sure enough, that was the deal.
from Tales from the Trail:
Married v. unmarried could be the new election “gender gap”
Despite the American obsession with voting differences between men and women - the famed U.S. election "gender gap" - there is a far bigger "gap" dividing likely voters in 2012 - the yawning divide between marrieds and unmarrieds.
Fifty-seven percent of likely voters who are unmarried support Democratic President Barack Obama in the Nov. 6 general election, including those who have never been married, live with a partner or are widowed, divorced or separated.
from Photographers Blog:
An eternity with Mitt Romney
By Brian Snyder
Here’s something almost everyone who covers a U.S. Presidential campaign says or thinks, “That event yesterday/last week/last month seems like an eternity ago.” That’s certainly how Mitt Romney’s formal announcement of his candidacy at Scamman Farm in Stratham, New Hampshire June 2, 2011 seems.
SLIDESHOW: CHRONOLOGY OF ROMNEY'S CAMPAIGN
But that’s recent history. I was surprised when I looked into the Reuters archive and saw how far back my coverage of Romney extends:
from Tales from the Trail:
Swing state ad from hawkish Democrats hits Romney on foreign policy
A group of hawkish Democrats with close ties to President Obama’s re-election campaign announced on Thursday a new swing state television advertisement attacking Mitt Romney on national security and foreign policy issues.
The 60-second advertisement by the Truman National Security Project is part of a low six-figure media buy and is set to run in veteran-heavy Ohio, one of a handful of states that could prove pivotal to the Nov. 6 election.
from Tales from the Trail:
Pelosi confident Democrats will win back House, says Obama will “win big”
U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that despite predictions by so-called experts to the contrary, she's confident her party will win back the chamber in the Nov. 6 election.
"The momentum is with us," Pelosi said. "Our motto is don't agonize, organize."
Pelosi declined to say, however, if she would remain as her party's House leader if Republicans retain control of the chamber.
from Tales from the Trail:
Hollywood actors pose for Obama campaign social media drive
President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is launching a "celebrity portrait shot" social media drive, a source close to the campaign said, drawing again on its base of Hollywood supporters to drum up enthusiasm for the Democratic incumbent ahead of the Nov. 6 election.
The source said that the initiative would bring between 20 and 30 actors – such as KaDee Strickland from medical drama "Private Practice," Ashley Fink of TV musical series “Glee,” and Penny Marshall of the classic sitcom "Laverne & Shirley" – to a production studio in Culver City, California to be photographed in black and white for roughly 15 minutes on Friday.
from Tales from the Trail:
Not expecting a call from the president? Try the second line
A warning to those who are sometimes slow to pick up the phone: you may miss a call from the president.
President Barack Obama stopped by a local campaign office in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Sunday to visit with supporters, and he placed a call to Barney Roberts, a volunteer in Jacksonville.
from Tales from the Trail:
Obama gets a surprising ‘lift’ in Florida pizza joint
President Barack Obama met his match in the fitness category at an impromptu campaign visit on Sunday.
Stopping by a pizza place -- the Big Apple Pizza & Pasta Italian Restaurant -- in Ft. Pierce, Florida, the president, a workout fanatic, was welcomed by the 6-foot-3, 260-pound, big-muscled owner, Scott Van Duzer.
from Photographers Blog:
Hard to ignore… the teleprompter
By Kevin Lamarque
Teleprompters; as much as the audience, the image makers and even President Barack Obama himself may wish these devices were truly invisible, there are times when the teleprompter cannot be ignored.
SLIDESHOW: OBAMA AND TELEPROMPTERS
For photographers, the teleprompter is most often seen as a nuisance, something that hinders their shot. With teleprompters to his left and right, Obama seemingly never looks directly ahead. His head shifts from side to side, at times giving the impression he is watching a tennis match as he delivers his remarks. Photographers naturally gravitate to the 45-degree angle in order to capture Obama looking down the barrel of the lens as he reads his speech. This usually works, assuming the teleprompter is composed out of the frame. Sometimes, the President is framed clearly through the teleprompter glass and can actually make a desirable image.
