Review of The Way I See it on MSNBC
Rating *****
When I first heard about this documentary, I put off seeing it. I didn’t think that a story about a Whitehouse photographer sounded all that interesting. Don’t make the mistake I made. This film will remind you of what the office of the Presidency should look like.
A still image can capture a moment in time better than any video. You can look at a still image and study it in detail, capturing things that you might have missed in a fast moving video. More importantly, you can tell a story about an image: where you were when you took it, what was happening at that moment. I recently purchased a large format digital frame, which I use to display artwork from around the world as well as images that I’ve taken. Some of my favorite images are ones that I took while my wife and I were visiting national parks. They’re not only beautiful images, but I can remember where we were and what was going on at the very moment that I took the picture.
Pete Souza was the official Whitehouse photographer for President Obama. He was also the Whitehouse photographer during the Regan administration. Pete has some great stories to go along with his hundreds of pictures. One story that I particularly liked was an image of Obama at a dance rehearsal for his daughter. Obama is there because he can’t make the actual dance. He has to fly to Connecticut to give a speech about the Newtown shootings. He is sitting alone editing his written speech. His attention, however, turns to his daughter as she takes the stage. That one image says so much about the man and his character.
What comes across loud and clear as you listen to Pete describe some of his iconic images is the stark contrast between President Obama and President Trump. I will celebrate the day that this self-absorbed man walks out of the Whitehouse for the last time (hopefully in a few months). There are certain traits that a good leader must have: honesty, empathy, integrity, character, compassion, intelligence, the ability to listen and learn and admit mistakes. Our current President has none of these qualities. Watch this documentary and you will come away with the same conclusion.
Pete has become an Instagram star with his use of images to comment on the Trump administration. Count me in as a follower of Pete’s work.