hile the first
President to be photographed was James K. Polk, in 1849, it was not until
President Lyndon Baines Johnson's Administration that the first official
White House photographer was appointed. White House photographers are
responsible for documenting the day-to-day activities and events in which the
President participates. They have taken some of the most memorable pictures of
our time: President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
President Richard Nixon's final wave to his staff as he boarded Marine One
after resigning as President; President Jimmy Carter signing the Camp David
Peace Accords; President Ronald Reagan shaking hands with Mikhail Gorbachev;
President George Bush meeting with American troops during Desert Storm; and
President Clinton encouraging the famous handshake between the late Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. Whether photographing the President
as he works in the Oval Office, enjoys quiet moments with his family, delivers
a speech, or makes a crucial decision affecting our nation's future, White House
photographers have a front row seat to history in the making.
Today, there are four official photographers on the White House staff, and each
In a rare moment in front of the camera, Sharon Farmer chats with the President.
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uses nearly 3,000 rolls of film during the course of a year. Sharon Farmer is
one of these skilled professionals, and she has documented President Clinton,
his family, and his staff in photographs since the President first took office
in 1993. Although Ms. Farmer studied music in college, a chance visit to watch
photos being developed in a darkroom inspired her interest in photography. In
her current assignment as Director of White House Photography, Sharon Farmer has
witnessed history unfolding, capturing on film many of the best-known
photographs of the Clinton Administration. Some of her most memorable photos
are the famous handshake between the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and
Yasser Arafat; the President and Mrs. Clinton witnessing the launch of the
Space Shuttle Discovery with Astronaut John Glenn on board; and the
President and Mrs. Clinton at the annual Easter Egg Roll festivities on the
South Lawn.
Reflecting on one of her most exciting assignments as a White House
photographer, Sharon Farmer says, "In 1998, I accompanied the President and
Mrs. Clinton to Ghana. There was a huge rally in the stadium in Accra. There
must have been over 250,000 people cheering the President and First Lady. They
were given the kente cloth of the Africans and, wearing them, proudly stood
next to President and Mrs. Rawlings of Ghana. What a moment in time! Never in
my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that an American President would visit an
African country and be received so wonderfully. That moment, to me, is only
second to watching and photographing Nelson Mandela being sworn in as President
of South Africa. I attended the event with Mrs. Clinton and the delegation that
Vice President Gore led. Every day I pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming that I
White House Photographer Yoichi R. Okamoto confers with President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Photo courtesy the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
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have this job here, in this time, in this world."
Sharon Farmer encourages aspiring photographers to know that "you should
challenge yourself daily. The more you do, the more you know yourself. Knowing
yourself is very important. Never turn down a chance to show what you can do,
because it's the littlest things that lead to bigger things."
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