A series on various historic and prominent figures and how would they see the world if they were photographers.
How would Obama see the world through a lens? What would his images look like? We know Barak Obama as a politician, civil rights attorney and as the 44th president of the United States.
As a photographer he would perhaps go into two directions; As a social documentary and as a landscape photographer. Let’s start with the social documentary approach as it is more obvious considering his achievements and life directions.
As a social documentary photographer he would most obviously use his communications skills to get closer to the core of a problem he is exploring. In urban environments we would most definitely capture and bring forward social inequalities but also the unexpected instances of objects related to places and spaces.
It may seem that he would also have a good deal of humour in his images. As a person of energy we would perhaps walk long distances and look for those scenes that seemingly blend people and architecture as if they are an integral part of each other. These images would also serve as a metaphorical and philosophical vehicle towards better understanding and promoting equality and tolerance.
It may be difficult to imagine Obama as a landscape photographer, but his methodical approach to problems and issues would actually aid him in pursuing landscape photography. Not only for its beauty and the harmony of nature, but also as a tool to promote and be involved in different conservation activities.
He would most definitely be documenting the changes in landscapes and the impact rapid urbanisation and exploitation of natural resources have on the natural environment. Landscape work would perhaps allow him to have more time to contemplate on various issues concerning the environment.
Also it doesn’t seem that he would be using any large format gear as he gives an impression of a person who would move swiftly and with energy from one scene to another. Thus light gear may be his preferred choice.
As always, it is a fun experiment.