Transition and Transformation
Behind the Scenes with Barack Obama

By Eric Easter

It was nearly two years ago that Senator Barack Obama, along with his wife, Michelle, came to our photo studio at Johnson Publishing to sit for a photo shoot for Ebony’s February 2007 cover.  That first shoot was a very different experience from a couple of weeks ago, when Ebony was granted the first print interview with the President-elect, and the differences between the two are indicative of the long route we’ve traveled in 22 months and the dramatic changes to our lives and Senator Obama’s since then.

At the time of the first shoot in December 2006, Senator Obama had not yet announced his run for president, though we had been alerted that an announcement was all but certain. Still his star power was already evident, his presence creating a buzz throughout the building and in the street outside our lobby.

But the scene was very different then.  With only one staffer and no security, Obama arrived in a non-descript van and entered through the front door, signing autographs and greeting staffers with a friendly and nonchalant, “What’s up. Barack.”

Inside the studio, the photographer cranked the music loudly and Obama bobbed his head while creative director Harriette Cole picked a shirt and tie from a table of choices. After 20 minutes of small talk and makeup, the Obamas did a 45 minute photo session as a cadre of Ebony staffers watched from behind the camera.

Contrast that with two weeks ago. This time, Ebony Editorial Director Bryan Monroe got the word that the interview was on just one day prior. Once it was confirmed, a very small core of staff was chosen to participate in the shoot – photographer Dudley Brooks, two photo assistants, the creative director and myself shooting behind the scenes shots for EbonyJet.com.  Everyone who was to come into contact with the President-elect had to pass security screening.

Hours before Obama’s arrival, entrances and exits to the building were shut down completely and the studio was examined with bomb-sniffing dogs. Elevators were shut down minutes prior and greetings were limited to CEO Linda Johnson Rice and three top managers.

Obama arrived by motorcade, but to the rear of the building, entering through the loading dock. Inside, the instructions were clear. We had 12 minutes to get it done, then three minutes to move upstairs so Bryan Monroe could do a 15-minute interview.

I’m told it wasn’t even close to being the fastest cover shoot ever done by the magazine, but the time blazed by. Obama found his cue and his good side, and Brooks managed to change sets twice and get in all the shots he needed in record time. It was flawless. Maybe we should ask the Secret Service to come to every photo shoot.

See the interview and best photos from the shoot in the January Commemorative Edition of Ebony Magazine, which hits newsstands nationally on December 9.