Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
When I meet people outside of work and say I’m a newspaper photographer, their first question is invariably, “Wow, do you get to cover the (insert favorite Philly team here)?” I usually mumble something about how “I used to,” cover sports and then I watch the enthusiasm slowly drain from their faces. The excitement never returns when I add, “but I do get to cover Philadelphia City Council meetings.” The truth is that I really enjoy covering politics, whether it’s national presidential campaigns, weekly meetings of local government bodies and boards, or a yearslong public debate over a new sports arena. And there are lots of similarities between athletes and politicians and sports fandom and political support. A walking Coke can at City Hall is not that different from a full-body Eagle suit in the Linc parking lot. The energy at a campaign rally is very similar to a crowded stadium, and capturing the emotion, intensity, and even the truth and tension in pictures that are more than just portraits of politicians is what I like about politics. Besides that City Council hearing this past week, I covered the two candidates in New Jersey’s governors race, one of only two off-year gubernatorial races nationwide this year. Covering opposing candidates, I am always aware of the need to be fair, documenting reality without distortion or bias. In this election I was also juggling in my mind the photos that would be used for current news stories with the ones I was making to illustrate the two separate profiles that were published this week, on Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill. I kept track of the kinds of images I’d already made of each, as I covered both candidates campaigning. For example, knowing stories often need a single combo headshot image, after photographing Ciattarelli with a microphone facing right, on the next opportunity I had with Sherrill holding a mic I made sure to stand so I’d get her facing the other way. I always try to keep track of the players and their policies, looking for moments that show people and events in a broader context, not just who or what is happening, but why it matters. Having a political awareness and using symbols and body language and gestures; combined with an aesthetic sense of framing and composition and use of the existing lighting all work together to offer The Inquirer’s readers images that are not the same as they might be seeing in their other news sources. » READ MORE: Pictures on the campaign trail for NJ governor Now a public service announcement. When your sports team loses, there is always the next game... or next year. You might be disappointed but life goes on. The stakes are much higher at the ballot box. How your preferred candidate finishes can affect laws, influence decisions, and shape our government and daily lives. Voting is our voice in democracy. Don’t give it up. Make sure you vote. Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
