On May 24th Ten at the Top and the Urban League of the Upstate hosted a special lunchtime conversation with White House Photographer Lawrence Jackson.
A staff photographer for President Obama from 2009-2017 and currently the official photographer for Vice President Kamala Harris, Jackson shared some of the pictures and stories from his time covering two administrations.
A graduate of George Wythe High School and James Madison University, Jackson was serving as an Associated Press Photographer when he became a member of the White House Photographer Staff in 2009.
Following the completion of the Obama Administration, he published the book Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African American President.
Jackson said that there are three elements he focuses on in his photography with most photos containing at least one of the three:
- Emotion of the Story – Connecting the viewer in an emotional way to what is happening in the photo
- Information – Showing what is important to be relayed from the photo
- Aesthetically Pleasing – Something that draws people into the photo