Lawrence Jackson (photographer)
Lawrence Jackson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | James Madison University (BA) |
| Spouse | Alicia Jackson |
| Relatives | Patrick Leahy (father-in-law) |
| Website | Official website |
Lawrence Jackson is an American photographer and photojournalist. He is an official White House photographer, covering the vice presidency of Kamala Harris. He also served as an official White House photographer for the Obama administration. Before his work in government, he was a news photographer.
Early life and education
[edit]Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia. He attended George Wythe High School, where he worked for the high school newspaper.[1][2] He earned his bachelor's degree in photography from James Madison University in 1990.[1][3] While attending college, he was photography editor for The Breeze. After graduation, he worked as an intern for Landmark Communications.[2]
Career
[edit]Jackson's first full-time photography job after graduation was for The Virginian-Pilot. In December 2000, he joined the Associated Press (AP) as a staff photographer. First based in Boston, he covered sports and also worked in South Korea. In 2002, he moved to Washington, D.C. to work at the AP's Washington bureau. In Washington, Jackson covered national politics and Washington sports.[1]
Obama administration
[edit]
On election night, 2008, Jackson went to Lafayette Square in DC, where thousands had gathered to celebrate Obama's election win.[1] He shot the celebration for the AP. During the impromptu event, Jackson interacted with college students who were reveling in the Obama win.[4] Inspired by the experience and his appreciation for Barack Obama, he decided to apply to be a photographer for the Obama administration.[1][5] In a 2019 interview with WYNC, Jackson said if Hillary Clinton would have become president, he would have not applied for the job, saying "that's no knock against her. It just shows how much I appreciated him and thought his message was important."[5] Pete Souza called Jackson and reviewed his portfolio with him at a coffee shop in Arlington, Virginia.[4] He offered the job. However, he hesitated, concerned about the salary, which was lower than his AP salary. He was concerned it could not support his wife and two children. However, his wife, Alicia, convinced him otherwise, offering to go back to work herself.[4]
Lawrence started in March 2009. His first assignment was to photograph the ponds of the White House which were dyed green to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.[4] Jackson was the only African American photographer in the Obama administration.[6] During his eight-year tenure, he traveled to 42 countries and shot half a million photographs.[1][4]
Work between administrations
[edit]Jackson became a freelance photographer after working in the White House. In October 2019, he released a book documenting his time in the Obama administration called Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African American President. Obama provided the foreword for the book.[1] He also worked as a photographer for the Obama Foundation.
During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Jackson worked for Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, documenting their time on the election trail.[7] He was a staff photographer to Harris on the Biden-Harris Campaign.[8]
Biden administration
[edit]
On January 15, 2021, Jackson was named as an official White House photographer, again, joining the administration to document the work and life of Kamala Harris.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Jackson is married to the former Alicia Leahy, daughter of former Senator Patrick Leahy.[9][10] They have two children.[4]
Works
[edit]- Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African American President. New York: TarcherPerigee (2019). ISBN 0525541012
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Williams, Kesha (December 13, 2019). "Photographing history: Richmond native Lawrence Jackson returns home with book about his years as President Obama's official White House photographer". Richmond Free Press. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Ziu, Christina (March 23, 2017). "JMU alumnus photographed Obama presidency". The Breeze. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "From SMAD Major to White House Photographer". James Madison University News. January 23, 2020. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Burnett, Rebecca (January 3, 2020). ""Yes We Did": Former White House photographer remembers Obama Administration". WDVM 25. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Picturing Obama: Eight Years of Photographing the First Black President". WNYC. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ Donahue, Joe (November 5, 2019). ""Yes We Did" New Book By White House Photographer Lawrence Jackson". www.wamc.org. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Valentine, Victoria L. (January 19, 2021). "Lawrence Jackson: Black Photographer Will Document Historic White House Tenure of Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris". Culture Type. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Lawrence Jackson: Black Photographer Will Document Historic White House Tenure of Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris". January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Gillette, Sam (October 22, 2019). "Obama Photographer Shares Candid Photos of Former First Family at Work & at Home in White House". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Bill (April 21, 2021). "Photo of the day: Family chat". Roll Call. Washington, DC.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- "Lawrence Jackson – Yes We Did" Archived June 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine interview with KSCJ