patriot soldiers. isn't that amazing? he is not even the moral one. mercy otis warren is the moral one and he is not the man of the people, but that shows you just, anyway so many stories. i could just go on forever. i urge you to conjure your own favorite patriot. as you read this book, wouldn't this be fun? read the book and a lot of people know a little bit about one person or another. put your person in there. ..

>> i am listening on recorded books driving over here and willis and going back to the history of jacksonian at ameritech called the waking giant. >> there are predictions that books might go the way of news that is all digital the amazon candles out there. i tend to like that. i like the book in my hand but i am also a oldcastle

>> hi everybody. i want to say to those of the forbearance those of you who are due, welcome aboard. i am sure all of you knew that close-up remains a gold standard for education programs in washington d.c.. thank you for participating. i will introduce you to a gentleman who has been associated with close-up for

many years. joseph sohm has been called many things some of which are repeatable even though we have a camera in their room. but a photographer is the thing he is referred to as the most that begins to tell the story. but not really. the story may be the operative word fifth because if you are trying he is a storyteller pitchers are part of the presentation but there is more going on than the pictures and a project to he has the story of america. he is in love with america not just in that sort of thin patriotic type of presentation were you put mass-produced bumper stickers on your card in a very deep and historical way that looks at the promise of america and the challenges of america. and the accomplishments. he is one of you.

he began his career as an american history teacher in the classroom. he had the itch to have a bigger class and had a photography hobby and turned that into a career. he is a bit of a cornball i am sorry for saying that and it is true. you can call him the original chromosomes with the last name joseph sohm. he traveled around in a mobile home and he called it the chromahoma. he traveled through the united states every icahn has been seen through his viewfinder and now put on his digital film now shot in panorama expect without knowing if you have seen his images reconcile with -- said with confidence although there is no official statistics it he has the most

icons in america. he will be on an airplane and open a magazine and see one of his shots because he is different agents around the world working for him distributing these shots and they turn up everywhere. he will go to the zero mailbox and see the latest check came from. we will see the latest changes have been changed dramatically but he has been published over 10,000 times per year website, newspapers periodicals tv, film, some of the places that are more high profile in the inconvenient truth, the official credit card of the u.s. olympic team, close-up publications, and maybe that capitol hill brochure for all we know he is generously contributed his library free of charge and it is a match made in heaven. for the things that he

photographs. when i interviewed him at the museum and asked him how he describes himself he use the term of photo historian and i finally had a term that made sense. he never really left the classroom as was suggested high will hold this book up and it takes to terms -- arms. "visions of america" photographing democracy" for essentially his mission has continued to evolve and it went from photograph being given year the iconic superficial images of america to thinking about the a.d. at and photographing the idea, a democracy which he has decided to do with this significant project. the book is part of it. the new format includes a symphony of original music. the prototype premiered in philadelphia and it is the all-star cast of contributors. the book has 21

essays, brought to life her from the philadelphia pops played the music's you have a grammy award winning composer at the home. the original music store was written by roger calle. any jazz bands and the group? tsa of the dairy jazz composer and wrote the theme to all of the family as far as his imprint on pop culture and he performed the original score. the original award winning team of federal the original songs that were performed by patti austin. i am the only page the ec leaders nine stages of a grammy is teenine. this premiere for one week in philadelphia now being refined to being an international to were. in is the telling of the story of america.

in addition he will begin a national speaking tour and kicks it off with you also allow me to introduce writer/producer storyteller for charter for jack of all trades, joseph sohm [applause] >> good afternoon it is still morning for me i just flew in from california and i dodged a few fires on the way and one earthquake centered in the town that i live. it is nice to be here in washington d.c.. thank you for the gracious introduction. mostly i want to think and four pronouncing my name right. has kind of been a problem most of my life where might name is pronounced sohm occasionally i'll be asked to speak at an event were recently it was that food

chain. unfortunately the person who filled out the little name card was slightly dyslexic they had all of the write letters and not in the right sequence. i being into writing go views rather than a close-up excuse the pun. [laughter] i basically did not look at the tag. you should always look at your tags the one i picked it up it was the right letters it was this. [laughter] if you look closely it is spelled shmo drop the conference people start walking up to me saying hey joe schmo what do you know, ? said that you cannot make this up. this is completely absurd. other people were calling me

joe the photographer but that guy is more ball than i am. you can call made a joke. i am the eyes of the common man. i am honored to be part of the close of the with the nation's capital and anderson and most of you just arrived in the last day or two what have you seen so far? can you tell me? give me an idea. >> washington monument lincoln memorial. >> what do plan to see? >> when you go back home with your students or your children or even your parents or friends how do think you will take this home with you? how will you share it? and pictures. that is exactly the point*. this is one of the reasons i

do what i love because i also love the american story by like to tell the story with a camera. exhibit today. like what john was saying i was a former teacher, not a farmer. [laughter] that is a midwestern accent if you did not know it is. [laughter] i was in american history teacher. but basically i was more in love with the story of america and i had more interest in the philosophy of america. alternately i learned from john's wife that if you are a teacher you're not supposed to smile until january. [laughter] i was less of a person forgiving discipline and more every person that required much discipline. so consequently i was looking for a larger class room.

and today that is what my project is called common "visions of america" a can be found photos published in techs books and magazines but really across not the united states but the robot specifically in this book and i should say if your interested in the book, it is too heavy to carry with you on the plane so it does come with a small little chiropractor give certificate in case you throw out your back. it is a pounds and a new economic reality and thought maybe one of the best ways was not by the $70 price tag of by the price per picture soared basically came up it is only $0.07 per pictures of you what one picture you have to cut it out. as john was describing i consider myself a fellow historian and specifically as that of the 10 i use a camera i tell the story of america in

pictures and most recently in various ways of music, images, recently i was looking at a sign and a camera store which basically is where i deposit most of my revenue. the word camera all of a sudden i said i am from california so you have to process this beckham but if you read scramble letters it is almost an anagram, an almost spell america. you can try at home and spell out. it is only missing the i. the eye of the camera so i figured the eye of the camera is a great way to tell the story of america i am particularly attractive to the marquis day lafayette the my heard america i loved her and as john said it can be a

bumper sticker but as you come to washington d.c. you can come to love her as well. i also have a belief of personal destiny. it is not in the karmic way or indian religious the more like with it is metaphorically more michelangelo that would see a sculptor and a piece of marble. i think in your own life if you have this sense of your own purpose that you can kind of eat out the path that takes you were you want to go. as i told you in front of the classroom when i was comfortable moving my jaws up and down, i clearly did not feel like that was the particular place i should be in order to be in that classroom. i know some if you are government teachers and others cover civics which unfortunately is not as often

covered as it could be or should be. also american history. but basically the story of america is in the details and the books. i have to find my trail. of my personal trail and story began on the banks of the mississippi just off of route 66. these are the clues how you find your purpose. i was born in the st. louis in a small town. ironically the town i grew up they actually, cbs isolated by community as the most typical community in the united states. there must be something here. i am typical. after all i am joe schmo. [laughter] in the eyes of the common man. so consequently i went on and

i bought my first house four years later i found out it was in jefferson county and at that time my god it was too graphically the population center of the united states. so now the story is the merging. we have the eye of america with a camera, with the most typical community growing up on the banks of the mississippi and he is named joe schmo. the story starts to emerge. here in the midwest with the river that separates it is one of the things i like about it and if you grow up there you can attest to this that basically they call it the last city of the east or the first city of the west that is why the gateway arch is there. if joe schmo grew up and st.

louis you could say that is where superman came from so we would specialize on route 66 of getting lost that was my sole purpose getting lost and then ultimately not doing a very good job because it ultimately found my way home and back to washington d.c.. but this became almost an obsession as i am embarrassed to say as an adult for i have spent more time getting lost than most of you have been found. in fact, that almost became my daily commute. this was my destination or no destination at all and this is where i find my photos. these are easy to find. aquino where the jefferson memorial and world war ii and the u.s. capitol and you will know where the lincoln memorial is because sam and others will take you there. but many of those that i take

are what you are called found america. i find it in the most unexpected places. like just today i have any mail coming in the, i have scouts and this is going to be a police ceremony for a fallen officer. i photograph those before were officers lined up and it is quite a moving experience but i was told there would be eight helicopters flying over the city and someplace over washington, there was. to be fellow historian is to basically walk and view life through a viewfinder which is what i do even if the camera is not in my face my gut instinct is i am looking for photos. whether the u.s. capitol or a

man sleeping on the streets under the u.s. capitol not completely in view, were you place the camera replace a story i can tell that is the selectivity of the photograph and what it can say. my film orgy peg is the memory. the camera is my eyes and my ears. learning is a lifelong adventure. such as a journey that i want to enjoy. four and be my success or failure as a photographer depends on the foundation of where our nation came from and where we're going progressive federal the story and i need to anticipate if i want to issue a baseball game to i do with the phillies will win or the yankees? but when i photograph the opening game of all major

leagues and the united states i had the gut instinct it was the phillies' so fortunately i photographed the phillies opening game that it ultimately went on to photograph them again at dodger stadium during the national league files. it is the same with the cherry blossoms. and john is one of my scouts and i said when will they bloom? nobody knows. it is scheduled for april 1st or around that date of record is the same with the autumn leaves of new england and frequently i have found if they do not always change on time that you try to anticipate the shot. it is the same with the presidential candidates. which one will win? weir refocus your camera and you do spend your time with? the focus on the guy that will finish second or third or fourth or the guy that will win? fortunately when i

photographed the des moines iowa i was state fair which is a great place to photograph candidates, and ssa come to you. that is one of my great metaphors following basketball michael jordan said when he was younger he would take the shots. when he got older he let the shot come to him. he was very obvious during the presidential campaign we were in a sea changing environment. when i went to the iowa state fair i had not been there for probably 40 seconds and there was senator obama is standing virtually right in front of me. at that time it was not 250 photographers but only seven or nine. that is one of the things that

you do you only learn to focus and take shots but also with presidential candidates to walk backwards really well. but you have to be allowed to walk backwards while changing lenses. going this way and at the same time without stepping in front of another photographer who will swap you on the back of your bald spot if you do. many of my images are fixed location ; my book one of the reasons i was drawn to the iconic america in the 1787 is no jefferson memorial or world were to merrill. there was no relevance and if

you trade a new concept which is democracy or the public as we knew it we need to create the symbol of what this is. had represent we the people? france has versailles england has the code of farms and all nations they symbolize the belief system that we had nothing virtually, barely a flag but fortunately for ben franklin he did not get his way because he did propose the turkey as our national symbol. i think the bald eagle was a much better choice. my pictures actually has a name where i get closeups recall them the ego release in the trade. [laughter] and he is called to.

-- bald to his name is challenger and eight realize they showed him dolly parton has dolly when i went there because i thought that was part of americana they have a evo refuge location and challenger was there and apparently he was shot at of an airplane not a good way to be in a federal penitentiary but i photographed him. of i have been taking my way trying to get iconic america. one of my best is now rushmore -- mao rushmore you think everything is completelcompletel why said there is that a tourist incite with sun is coming up, hours go by i bring at more cameras and tripods and equipment and wait and wait and suddenly the

first piquing of caller starts to hit george washington's face a than jefferson but not hitting the other two presidents because they are all living in the shadows of george washington. i guess you could say that metaphorically as well. seven photography that is not a good thing. ideally you what even light in all four but nine sonat just two of the force and now i wait and wait and the pink light is going too slightly golden and slightly to yellow then this guy is turning blue and the magic moment is being lost but at a certain point* sayre are all four presidents. i have driven one day and 1/2 from denver to get to south dakota to get the shot and just when i think everything is right, i just need 18 the the second to end i will be on my way.

at that point* when you think nothing can go wrong always a something will. somebody walks out on the top of lincoln's head. i did not even know you could get on the topic of lincoln's head. i am watching the little dog and of course, he has an orange t-shirt and it is in the book. hi was so assert i had to photograph it. the little orange shot is walking on the top of lincoln's head and i am thinking oh my god. it is likely has a is it the. [laughter] at that point* i guess i channeled my inner new yorker and i said i will not wait another 24 hours or another day to get this shot. not too many tourists were around. i said please get off abraham lincoln's head i am taking a picture. at that point* the park ranger

heard what i was saying and was very upset and walks up to me and said excuse me, sir, that will not happen anytime soon that is the superintendent of the national parks and is in charge of every park west of the mississippi river. what can you do? i waited for mr. orange t-shirt he alternately stepped around out a shot and out of sight and 18 the the second i have been shot and packed up the cameras but i will always remember that superintendent and i am sure he will remember me as well. other shots are ordinary. i would say that i specialize and autographing ordinary america on the ordinary day. this is where joe schmo comes in because it is through the lens that is frequently a bird's-eye lens that i look for the daily things that shout out here is america. the focus on this homeless man in beverly hills where you are

not homeless were too long and if you are you move to santa monica. i found a homeless man sleeping underneath the beverly hills bank. so i laid down in history to get high-level with him because the shot was basically, many of the shots, this is not specifically, it is object directed the shots are juxtapositions the irony that you are looking for. homeless man underneath one of the richest areas in the united states in beverly hills. it seemed kind of unusual to me. i came back five minutes later after i got the shot. he was gone probably on his way to santa monica which is very accepting of all people. other shots driving around in maine. my favorite tiny little fishing village in maine. it takes a long little drive

off of route one when you get there the sunlight is coming up and the magic hour is always what i am looking for. the first two hours of sunrise and the last two hours. but the last moment you see a very older man walking out onto his porch putting up the american flag. the flag goes up and that is the shot. it shouts this is america. another shot of a nine photographing senator obama soon to be president, he is eating a corn dog and there also driving a bumper car with the little girls. there is obama going like this and i am sure he will remember the bumper car in fact, i think he use that as a debate line and iowa they were hammering and anti-said to prepare for these debates i took a ride on the bumper cars. but you have to anticipate the

shopper go these shots you do not have to anticipate the only look for the lighting. in my search for america basically with the cameron i am not here to tell you whether the metaphorical class -- glass that i look for is half full or half-empty but i am suggesting that as you look at your daily america were ever that is whether florida or california if you look through the glass or the lens and have a bird's-eye view that i do and you look at that class inside out and inside in, you get down on the ground and looked on the rooftop kyrylo rooftops that is why they're sitting at the top of the trees. you can say i like looking down on people because it gives you the perspective. many of the shots i take a

panoramic and when you want a panoramic shot you want to see the big view. the only way to get the big deal is to look through the glass in many different ways. i look from the political left for the political right to i may photograph john mccain or senator obama. walk down the street, any street in your neighborhood concluding streets you may be afraid and go down the road that says do not enter. attend a religious mass you don't know anything about. you will see a much bigger picture. a snapshot of what we call america. it will make you a better citizen and also a better for charter for. with my camera and hand and as my friend this is how i learned to appreciate this remarkable country.

through a lens i understand what happened here mattered and there are consequences that what began in 1776 and 1787 i was reading earlier this morning and reminding myself of thomas kuhn who wrote the origins of scientific revolutions. this was an important concept where he introduced the term paradigm shift. prior to enunciating what a paradigm shift is we thought things changed in order the ways but it doesn't. not in our personal life, we lost a job and suddenly we're forced to find something on the inside that we change the

sun-times and crisis it breaks down and others emerge from a. that is one of the exciting things of the current economic situation is we don't know what will happen next. we are all in the process of creating collectively. but basically if you look at the big picture the rooftop position the second millennium a 1,000 year viewpoint what is what happened in the second millennium? you could say christopher columbus is a big thing or possibly gutenberg reading the printing press. that is a big thing and still affects our world today. but i would suggest that the most important thing that the reorder of the world that we know and created a revolution or evolution of ways of thinking and how we restructure our civilization would be the beginnings of america of 177-62-1787.

one of the things that big and getting back to the personal journey of water the clues as to just there is order and our own life is that we look for things that stick out. one of the things i really loved is july 4. it may even a year on this day i was not born on the fourth of july, but interestingly enough a lot of people were born or died on july 4th that really mattered. most of view as american history six government teachers will no of course, thomas jefferson and john adams both died within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. the other interesting fact is you can ask how long was

jefferson and adams an american citizen? there were no american citizens on july 3rd 1776 so both jefferson and adams were assistance precisely 50 years to the day. now we talk about the top five founders in this case which was my interest because i'm specifically attracted as a historian without the camera to the 1770, 1780, 1790 period because that is when the paradyne shifted and the world change. the other was james monroe. he not only died on july 4th , nobody talks about four mr. monroe they just want jefferson and adams it is like red meat for the founders. [laughter] he died on the 55th anniversary of the signing almost as if they will their

death. okay. let's go to the father of the constitution, james madison brochure man who had a big life. he died on the 68 anniversary, not on july 4th unfortunately he slightly messed we know he's tried, but he died june 28 and that is when the declaration of independence was submitted to the committee on that day. so that is the true anniversary on that. there are many other people that are born or died george bush just missed it our lover of america you also said i loved her would be charles kuralt. calvin coolidge born on july 4th, neil simon, george

steinbrenner, and louis b. mayer who embraced the american dream completely. if we want to look for the golden thread that connects us which i call the united states is bus. what is the sticky idea that malcolm glad well talks about in the tipping point* cracks i love the idea the sticky idea how it is something stick to your cellular makeup of your brain? this sticky idea here in america it is basically democracy. the central organizing principle and if i created my federal census this it would be democracy. is it is a conundrum. it is the idea that is the central organizing principle when you think of democracy, it would be the

negative space that is around the object but it is not it so consequently have you photograph it, a meeting democracy? this is my challenge in doing the book. it is the campus repaint our lives on and how we draw our family, and our children, our buildings and a civilization. yet if it is not it, how do i photographic? that became the focus of my book. of democracy defines us, then it is in our dna and a sailor make up. if i can focus lens on the expression of democracy, that is what i have attempted to two i have experience photograph in small towns, games, a big cities, everything that

defines democracy. if i look at the urban skyline, chicago was one of the cities that i focused. it invented the skyline in 1885 1/2 to focus on the use and symbols and i would photographs the near icons. 52 focus then games that would not focus on tennis that is a game of that came from the aristocracy from louis x cory games with a cryptic scoring it was not exactly designed for the common man that is baseball, football basketball usually with balls that role. [laughter] the other thing that i have focused that is relative to democracy how can you say global warming is related to democracy? the curious thing it is

something that is caused by all of us that affects all of us. and a cure is ultimately buy all of us. so in many respects global warming is the ultimate democratic element i put that in my book and i call it red white and green. i was fortunate to have some of the pictures in the film inconvenient truth per ultimately the democratic expression is that i think the race by the presidency. to define a single event or all americans are joined together in a single exercise second think in what is the one thing that we all do together? we all pay taxes on april 15. that is not something necessarily to celebrate. but then i started to look

into april 15 that day has a fad -- bad fiber:basically abraham lincoln was assassinated on april 15 and also the titanic went down. i think it will basically be the photographing of presidentpresident s. when i started john would refer to me as possibly one of the earlier citizen journalist prior to the internet when i started my exercise of photographic america. i needed to photograph president's but i had no press credentials to do so. my staff to photograph presidents but i have no press credentials how do i get and? there is a meaningful personal moment where life intervenes and suddenly your life gets easier. you know, you're on the right track. what happened in my home in

southern california and one comet eight hour period i get one phone call from a friend who lost a job and got a new job suddenly working for the chairman of the democratic national committee who became the secretary of commerce. she asked me could you photograph some of the upcoming campaigns that is ultimately who i became president clinton's photographer during the '92 campaign. hours later, i saw another -- i got another phone call from the horatio alger foundation here and ask me would i be so kind to photograph president reagan when he was coming to southern california and also back in washington d.c.? and one single-day i had my break through and since then i never stopped photograph being every president from jimmy

carter to currently president obama. finally i would like to start to wrap this up if all roads lead to democracy ultimately the journey would take me to charlottesville to monticello. for years i heard about the amazing new america and immigration ceremony on july 4th in front of monticello. there will be new citizens taking the oath. i heard i approached jefferson's dome i could not think of him in paris were in 1786 instead of being in philadelphia helping to write the constitution he assigned almost his buddy james madison to do so he was walking around and one single-day he fell in love twice and one single-day. once was a woman with the artist and also encountered

what john and recommended seen the famous dome of the hotel. he stared and stared and stared at the dome. ultimately his love for murphy fell by the wayside over time. but the love for the dome became the first residential down in the united states when he built that at monticello. curiously it had 13 skylights and reminded me that freemasons, ideas from jefferson to franklin all loved her third teen -- 13 even the national press club was on the 13th floor. this is done it a visual labor prior notice much smaller back there perhaps it is deflationary or inflation.

[laughter] but virtually everything on this dollar bill the pyramid, you can do this at home, there is the all seeing eye, 12 players that lead up to it, 13 gyros, 13 olive leaves symbolizing the piece eight purpose n.m. is the 13 letters in god we trust everything and coated and 13 the founders love to 13 they would understand our phobia with 13 floors or the 13 with airplanes the use to leak -- used to do that take it out for even our phobia about friday the 13th even when i was photographing the

76 citizens there would gather and look at the numerology you take the numbers and add them up 7 + 6 = 13. where this is leading is mr. jefferson as did franklin extrapolated that for every 19 years, there is a new generation of americans born every 19 years. if you will supply that on july 4th, 2005, the day i was walking up to the dome to photograph these 76 citizens, we became at that point*, all of us, the 13th generation of americans since the founding of the revolution. this is the original american dream. again the math is 19 times 12

ultimately july 4th on mr. jefferson's death day, anniversary we become the 13th generation. the question is what would we do to pass on to the 14th generation to replenish what will become hours? whether teachers, parents or myself as but no historians is our challenge to pass the torch on. i guess as teachers, how would you pass this onto a generation that is somewhat preoccupied with ipod, a text messaging, how do make this matter to our children? that is a big question for myself as parents and as teachers. one of the things i really thought about is how do instill in someone that's ratters? one of the ways if you

remember, you will reside in that tomorrow and how they pass that on is basically our challenge. later that day i drove on to washington d.c., july 4, 2005, to run debut with this gentleman and he may remember this. he staked out the exact spot because photography is about alignment, you want to align different elements and there is a shot and maybe sam will show you're along the potomac where the three monuments all line up and that is the shot and you cannot be too far this way or that way. it has to be right there. this was my spot and that was the spot i was looking for and john staked out among 250,000 people along that side of the

river. as i walked through the crowd there is a band playing and as a played, they had america the beautiful and a program and i started to look at it and again partially this sense of my own destiny i started to focus on america. maybe the lemonade was biased but suddenly another anagram appeared, america of the letters started to move around and all of a sudden you can try this at home america spell i am a raised. i again if you move them around you can do it on paper i am a race and as i walked to the crowd antsy every human i could possibly think of i was reminded of the quote our blood is as a flood of the

amazon from the current pouring into one. we are not a nation so much as a world. with the fireworks exploding over the city tens of thousands of images in my book, across the 50 states started to race through my mind by thought of all of the skylines, the president's common macy's day parade, rose bowl parade, a small towns, the farms, where i grew up off of route 66 i look at the 76 new american citizens as the fireworks climax to realize that for me my journey to capture and to photograph democracy could never be taken as a single image bricker could never be accomplished in a single iconic moment. instead my portrait of democracy would be a gigantic

mosaic. if you can rethink back to your history that each single little thought it does not tell anything until you back up and get the bird's-eye view and look down and suddenly all of the dots start to come together to create a larger vision of america. we are all dots per of the 1300 pictures that appear in my book basically is a singular vision of the america of that i started with. but what i came away with it is not my vision of america coming it is plural because it is "visions of america" because you and i are part of the mosaic prepare every time you take a picture and if you

go back home or in washington d.c. you to our photographic democracy. what i'd like to say what i saw then and what i see today matters. when you go back home and remember what you saw in washington d.c. that you share some of your pictures that you took and tell your photo history but specifically when you get home also i want you to tell everybody that you met joe schmo and he took your picture an ally to finish with a picture of you because you are the subject of the stocks of everybody's my. [laughter] -- everybody smile. always remember to turn the camera on. [laughter] thank you very much. [applause]

if anybody has any questions i will be happy to answer them. >> we have five minutes. >> [inaudible] >> i a currently have colleges and universities are always interested i always start been my home town and ojai california my first will be july 4th ironically. i have been giving them along the way but this is kicking it off. the challenge is if you were like yo-yo ma and asked to do a talk on music but you could not bring your cello, that was my challenge here. i would have preferred to show you visuals on the video screen, but unfortunately that was not the case.

but it basically coerced me to think about what it is i wanted to share and how i have been framing photographs the framers framed ideas for any other questions about shutter speeds? [laughter] >> is there one photograph that you plan to you were totally surprised that became a favorite along the way? >> that is like you have five children and you are asked to is your favorite child? i recall shooting the ticker tape parade in new york city that was easier then to do because you could do it without press credentials. and the soldiers it seemed like half of the u.s. army was

marching down broadway. they were coming at me and ticker-tape and some of the shots are in my book but the shop but i remember was turning around to see where i was walking backwards and there is a single american flag hanging on the side of the building surrounded and shrouded buy thousands of little tiny pieces of tape. there is one other one, this is not a cheap plug either but ironically this picture on the cover i had to think of tens of thousands of pictures which pictured you put on the front of the book? the reason i thought of this is number one the u.s. capital has done studies is the most famous building in the world. number two, the number one symbol of democracy. number three, the red, white, and blue balloons which is for

the president reagan speaking for the bicentennial of the constitution and possibly john was there. the unusual thing about this is this has been environmentally incorrect. [laughter] there are no red, white, and blue balloons anymore that are allowed to do that. the photo op as you would say was basically i did not have press credentials to get me close to get the shot of president reagan. so that is my little less than an life which seems to be a liability sometimes is the assets so consequently they stuck me in the back i had no idea the balloons would go off when they went up by thought holy cow the whole sky became red, white, and blue and i was shooting and shooting and following them up and the u.s. capitol and all of the guys that were really close on reagan did not get that shot.

so then what became a liability probably became my top-selling photograph. so in many respects my favorite photograph is the one on the cover. >> you were talking about when you were in the iowa with president obama, when you are falling individual and to shoot the individual can you feel how much of it goes into the camera and how much of it can you stay in touch with the person you're taking pictures of or is that it possible? >> picking up their personality? >> yes. >> certain personalities are completely comfortable having a lens in front of them and senator obama is obviously one of those people.

in fact, in the first four minutes of being at the fair, this is my favorite story, i have not spoken, there is a protocol when you carry a camera. if you are in a room with three photographers and the president of it is not my job to speak at our love to talk to them but actually president obama is one of the few people that spoke to me and within three minutes of being there he spoke to me and my friends say what did he say? he said get off my chair. [laughter] that is the exact quote for you can tell how articulate and direct he is. hi looking for the best shot. so consequently if you're looking at a table in the rounded there is one of the chair i say i will sure

it -- shoe to the bird's-eye view but i did not realize it was empty because the ad is where he is supposed to set. [laughter] but anyway i did find ronald reagan, the camera becomes second nature and president clinton, i have maybe one of the largest collections of private individual "time" magazine, "new york times" have more by its as an individual i have thousands of shots of the president and secretary of commerce, hillary clinton as well. i have to save their personality came across quite well and they are usually quite polite to the photographers for i don't think they are just all-white because i have actually seen presidents reached out and catch the cameraman because they will fall.