Portraits of Michelle Obama, the First Lady
I was commissioned by Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, to shoot a series of portraits of Michelle Obama, the First Lady, in the formal dining room of the White House in Washington, DC.
The photographs were an integral part of an exclusive feature on The Verge created to illustrate just how well the Michelle Obama has mastered social media. The final feature comprised of a 3000 word written feature (by Kwame Opam) my photos and an incredible 360 video interview complete with custom animations and graphics.
The lead photograph combined the photographic portrait of the First Lady with a number of hands holding smart phones that I photographed in the The Verge’s studio in New York and put together using Photoshop.
By way of a contrast, the group portrait of the First Lady with members of her White House team is one single frame. Nothing—apart from some basic grading and clean up—has been changed or removed. The same is largely true of all the other portraits of Michelle Obama.
Read the final feature HERE
Watch the 360 Video on YouTube (best on phone or tablet) HERE
Client: The Verge, Vox Media
Commissioned by: Nilay Patel
Photography & retouching: James Bareham
Additional retouching (cut outs): David Fish
Executive Producer: Tre Shallowhorn
Commissioned by: Nilay Patel
Photography & retouching: James Bareham
Additional retouching (cut outs): David Fish
Executive Producer: Tre Shallowhorn
