Flickr Friends: You, Me And The Obamas

This takes the implied intimacy of the “fireside chat” to a new level, Flickr being the ultimate public/private “fireside”. If democracy requires trust between citizens, then this certainly makes for trust. And even if you think that much could be hidden beside such openness, then that’s as it should be: we can trust our neighbors, but we don’t need to know everything that happens behind their closed doors, by their own firesides.

Mother-in-law jokes used to be a staple of stand-up comedians. According to legend, she was invariably a nag and would make a nuisance of herself by constantly reminding her daughter she could have married somebody with real ambition – like that nice boy Herbert.
The picture shows Obama’s mother-in-law sitting next to him on the couch after he’s just been elected president of the United States. Unlike the beleaguered stand-up comedians of a different era, finally the son-in-law has done something good!

I like this one:
http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/3009086216/in/set-72157608716313371/

My favorite is the one where Obama and Mrs. Robinson are holding hands. Now THAT’S a MIL statement.
http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/3009092600/in/set-72157608716313371/

I thought NBC called the election right at 11pm, not 11:32. Maybe that was another network, since I was flipping through.
Anyway, I love these photos; how awesome would it be if Obama’s people kept updating their Flickr account like this in the White House? I’m hoping for photos more candid than the official White House photography.

Lovely down to earth gathering.
What I think of Michelle red dress? well it is red around her tummy, could it mean a little Obama baby in the WH? Her tummy is burning up, although it is a nice dress, maybe I am reading it the wrong way.
I think a new baby boy should be born in the WhiteHouse – Obama needs a son to carry on his legacy. I hope he realized it. Work on it Mr. President and make more history. The world loves you.
Headlines will read:
Obama’s new son is born in the whitehouse!
Time is of essence

Lovely down to earth gathering.
What I think of Michelle red dress? well it is red around her tummy, could it mean a little Obama baby in the WH? Her tummy is burning up, although it is a nice dress, maybe I am reading it the wrong way.
I think a new baby boy should be born in the WhiteHouse – Obama needs a son to carry on his legacy. I hope he realized it. Work on it Mr. President and make more history. The world loves you.
Headlines will read:
Obama’s new son is born in the whitehouse!
Time is of essence

Note the very first photo, Obama and family, entourage etc entering the REAR of the hotel through the loading dock. Security being what it is, no doubt a smart move but one has to wonder symbolically about the whole “not good enough for the front door/ servant’s entrance” stigma – AND HOW IT DOESN’T SEEM TO MATTER ANYMORE. He could have insisted, he could have suppressed the photo- but who cares? Let’s not make a big deal of this, the photos are saying. It’s more like a “rock star” thing than a “colored people” thing, obviously. Sign of the times?
Second, note what struck me first – this obviously isn’t “the presidential suite” by any means. Looks like a regular two to three star suite to me. That couch is standard issue, probably scotch-guarded herculon, ie. motel six issue. Of course the TV is first class.. but those are in plenty of middle class homes these days. The plant on the table is real.
He’s also had his shoes resoled since the Adali Stevenson shot was put out, or changed pairs. Was the earlier shot a “plant” to counter Palin’s shopping spree news? YOU BET YOUR LIFE it was, and a very effective one, too.
Camera is a top end canon, but shooting at the wide end of the zoom with no flash on manual settings : using “The Force” and also emulating a point and shoot’s look, all photos uploaded fairly low res. Many seem to be taken from a chair, or a position on the floor – and the fist bump is shot from the eye level of Malia.
Fiji water is cold, from the mini bar. Also, it’s Hawaiian! Looks like a small juice, maybe Dole (hawaiian republicans, the sons of missionaries who conquered the indigenous peoples, overthrew the Monarchy, etc and brought in cheap labor from japan) or Tropicana appears on Barack’s side of the couch at some point. Tropicana has a long and storied history, wikipedia it… started by a Sicilian immigrant grower in florida who got the gift box concession for Macys in NYC, and then built a juice empire – they used electric trains through Pennsylvania on up to NYC, etc. Bought out by global corp Pepsi (Batista, anyone?) and now buying Brazilian oranges but still a leader in railroad tech. Pepsi owns Dole, too. Welcome to globalization.
Also a few other notes:
20081104_Chicago_IL_ElectionNight1183
Where the brain trust enters the room, Axlerod and Gibbs – all three have their mobile devices visible, the advisors in their hands, even. After the dust settles, don’t be surprised to learn the campaign cut a deal with one telecom company to ensure secure communication – can anyone name one single leak that emerged from the campaign? This may be the reason Obama caved in on the immunity bit for the wiretapping – how could he have hoped to run a secure communications unit if he had everyone but QWEST against him? (QWEST being the only one who refused the NSA Narus spy machines) he couldn’t fight the GOP AND the NSA at the same time. He chose his battles carefully, but lets hope he does the right thing now and works to move judges to the bench (and THE bench too) that know “retroactive immunity” for crimes is bullshit.
Also, Barack’s red tie matches red dresses.
Mother-in-law seems to have the remote on her side of the coffee table some, too.
Both women on couch keep their purses by their sides – is this just the suite they watch tv in, not the actual suite they are sleeping in? Probably.
20081104_Chicago_IL_ElectionNight1258
Close up of Barack w Michelle in BG, alone on couch hands in prayer position as he soaks it in, presumably while McSame makes his concession speech. Still no flash, even though this is obviously a “money” shot and deserves to be a “photograph” not a family snapshot. At 1/30th of a second, the photog gets a good one off at 70mm handheld at f2.8 or “WFO” as we say in the biz, “wide f*cking open.” No guarantees with that set-up, and yet it is a GOLDEN opportunity. The temptation to bounce a flash here must have been great, despite the rule that seems to have been set down about flash. The smart move would have been to switch to a prime lens like a fast 50mm here, but he’s following the KISS principal – keep it simple, stupid. Spray and pray? Looks like it – one of eleven shots – ten not reproduced here.
previous posted shot of McCain on screen , wide shot of room, Barack in same almost-prayer position: 13:36:30 time, and shot is
tagged: 20081104_Chicago_IL_ElectionNight1247
the “money” shot is
20081104_Chicago_IL_ElectionNight1258 time stamped 14 seconds later 2008:11:05 13:36:44 but possibly eleven exposures later – looks like this was the best of many attempts.
The shot of McCain on screen with Obama alone on the couch, the gunfighter standoff shot is blurry – and stopped down to a f/3.5 to try and get a decent exposure off the tv screen. Right place, right angle, not a great shot technically, won’t reproduce for shit. Tough break for the cameraman, who was restricted for some reason from using remote flash or even a bounce flash or apparently a tripod or monopod, which may have saved his butt here. With a stable support, he could have bracketed shots and made a composite of best of both guys easily. Ethics issues arise tho. Is it real or is it photshop, etc.
Also, the “practical” ie, house light aka ceiling fixture in the entry is an energy saving florescent, since it makes a green cast compared to the other lamps visible. Very likely the photog was smart enough and quick enough to change out these bulbs for good bright tungsten balanced photofloods, ie, bright wattage. Not changing the entry fixture cost him the shot of the trio and then foursome at the door – those are blurry and green.
All in all a great fly on the wall job and also an effective message from the campaign. Mis-en-scene worthy of a feature film…. like…W?
ha PEACE OUT