Over coffee this morning I browsed through a link to hundreds of photos taken on Obama's campaign trail by a talented photographer (awesomely) named Scout Tufankjian. I got through the first two sets, "Early Days" and "The Leadup to Iowa." Weird to half-recognize so many mundane locations and near-familiar faces being given a historic and hagiographic feel. Some of these photographs are completely arresting. Lots of shots of the Obama family and plenty of behind-the-scenes angles give you a fresh perspective on the candidate and the tolls of a campaign.
I'm not sure what someone who doesn't support Obama might see if they clicked through a few dozen of these pictures. (Wish I could link to particular favorites. Numbers 37 and 67 in "Early Days" are particularly good.) Would he or she find preconceptions confirmed (Number 74 in the first set might be an interesting Rorschach test for an Obama and a Clinton supporter.) or do these serve as a different kind of campaign ad with powers of persuasion all its own? I don't know. I think if I were asked to look at a photo essay like this, say, of Dick Cheney, I might be persuaded he is less evil or a little more human than I tend to think about him. (In his case, I can't remember who first suggested this to me, but when Mary Cheney had her baby, someone reminded me that the VP would be "Grandpa" to that child, however odious his actions and statements. Perspective, I guess.)
So I'm curious what the aggregate effect might be on someone who only knows Obama through a lot of scurrilous emails or FOX News stories. Would he or she still believe him to be an "empty suit" or dangerous to the country? Would they see the effect he has on people who got to meet him face-to-face and think he was worth a second look?
Because I can tell you what the effect of these photos is on me: confidence in my choice and certainty that someone who pours his own tea (#37 in the "The Leadup to Iowa") or gives a high-five to a kid (#52, same set) is likely someone who will remember his past and use it to guide future decisions. These pictures fit very neatly with the larger picture I already have of him. I might just be seeing what I want to see. But I don't think so.
