Next week, you could push your way through 5 million people for a glimpse of President-elect Barack Obama, or you could come face-to-face with the 44th president inside the Contemporary Museum, where acclaimed photographer Dawoud Bey’s portrait of Obama is on display. Bey captured the portrait of Obama in the President-elect’s Hyde Park home in 2007.
» When: Noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday through Feb. 1.
» Where: Contemporary Museum, 100 W. Centre St., Baltimore
» Cost: Free
» Info: www.contemporarymuseum.org
How did the portrait come about?
I finally got the chance to photograph [Obama] when the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago asked if I would make a photograph of a notable Chicagoan for the Museum’s collection. The museum had other works of mine in its collection, and they wanted to see who I would photograph given this commission. I immediately thought of Barack Obama, now Chicago’s preeminent citizen, and told the Museum that he would be my subject. Because I knew them, I e-mailed Michelle to find out what his schedule was and when he would be home and available. At that time, he was still trying to make it home every weekend, and Michelle told me he’d be back in town that weekend. Saturday was reserved for the family, but she said he would be available on Sunday after taking Sasha and Malia to a tennis lesson … I’ve learned over the years that the best way to get a busy married man’s attention is to contact his wife. If no one else can reach him, she can.
How did you select the background and what to focus on?
Once I saw the beautiful light reflected on the dining-room table from the window, I knew I wanted to work with that as one of the visual elements. I placed the chair so that the light would be at his shoulder when he sat down. Having emerged as a public figure he was, as I expected [him to be], very comfortable in front of the camera. I wanted to manipulate the focus so that the emphasis was on his face. He took my gentle directions easily, turning this way then that, leaning toward the camera and gazing deeply into the lens. In making my portraits I always wait for a moment of deepest concentration; that’s when I make the exposure.
How could viewers better appreciate the image?
I would ask them to pay particular attention to the way that — due to the shallow depth of focus in the picture — President Obama seems to project out of the space of the picture, and also to note the calm and focused demeanor of the man.
Why did you choose photography over other mediums?
Photography is the way I best know how to point out the things that matter to me. It is a way to create a heightened sense of another human being. What I try to do in my photographs is to create a momentary sense of heightened and intimate engagement, so that you are left with a feeling that you now know something about that person that you didn’t know before seeing my photograph. In my portraits, I try to create a real sense of a person being revealed to you. Ideally the camera disappears between you and the person, and you are left with a real experience of that person.
