There’s a slight movement from the shooter next to you, maybe just taking off a jacket…Ĭhristy: …it’s just shifting and sometimes it can be very subtle. Somebody can be shifting from one foot to another slightly so and then the next thing you know, you’re five people back from where you were. And some photographers will make subtle gestures that really add up. We’re talking in a group of like a couple hundred members of the media standing there waiting in the White House East Room. And I was telling him to be really careful, because we were standing there for like an hour, maybe more.

I remember bringing an intern with me one time to the White House and we were standing waiting for the First Lady to come out. But at the same time, I don’t want to fight anybody just to take a photograph.Ĭhristy: I don’t want to fight people either but I’ve learned in different situations that if you don’t hold your ground that you lose your spot. I’m not good at the whole, “You’re in my spot,” battle. Ricard: I’m really bad at being assertive in those situations. And if you did not make pre-set and you come in for the final call, then you get whatever leftover spots there are. When photographing on Capitol Hill, the process often requires requesting a spot that will be chosen for you and marked off with a piece of duct tape with your agency’s name on it. If you get there really early, The White House what’s known as pre-set where you mark your little spot with a step ladder or camera bag and then they clear the room and then you come back in when it’s closer to when the event is happening -maybe a half hour prior, and then you go to your location. They choose first, and then whoever’s in the pool gets priority. Ricard: When you are shooting the White House press events, how are the spots determined? Is it all first come, first served, or are spots pre-assigned?Ĭhristy: Sometimes yes, at the White House, the spots are assigned.

The book is detailed and makes you feel like you are right there alongside Christy as she photographs some of the most recognizable people in the country. There are photographs and stories covering Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden as well as photos of other familiar faces such as Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Mitch McConnell, Muhammad Ali, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Dylan, and Mother Teresa. And that’s what she always did and that’s what I tried to do whenever I can as well.”Ĭhristy, who continues to cover the White House and Capitol Hill beat daily, has just published a book of photographs and behind-the-scenes stories, titled, Eyes That Speak. Would you be willing to sponsor me for the credential transition to my own business ?’ Sarah was very good about giving people a hand up. “When Sarah McClendon was getting older, and it looked like she may be retiring soon, I said, ‘Sarah, I would like to start my own agency. Under the mentorship of McClendon, Christy learned the ropes at the White House and Capitol Hill and has been a member of the Press Corps since President Clinton’s first inauguration. McClendon, who was known for posing sharp, blunt questions at presidential news conferences, had founded her own freelance news service, McClendon News Service, and Christy began shooting for that agency. In her earliest days at the White House, Christy made a connection with long-time White House reporter, Sarah McClendon. Christy’s photos have been published both nationally and internationally in publications and outlets such as The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, People, Rolling Stone, Deutsche Presse, La Vie, Scanpix Sweden, GQ Germany, MTV, MSNBC, Wadsworth Publishing, and The Columbia Journalism Review. Are you confident that you can come away with photographs as strong or better than those of your peers? Can you find the small, personal moments taking place in the chaos to create images that are unique? Christy Bowe is a photographer who has successfully accomplished these tasks for the past three decades.Ĭhristy Bowe is a member of the White House Press Corps and founder of the ImageCatcher News Service. Imagine being tasked with photographing press events featuring some of the most famous people in the world, on a regular basis.

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