You really should read this story. It’s written by the woman who photographed Obama while at Occidental college. It’s the 4th paragraph that got me.
In 1980, while a student at Occidental College, I was experiencing some success as a photographer. My black and white portraits of fellow students had gained some positive recognition. Consequently, when my roommate’s best friend introduced me to this “hot guy” named Barry, I knew I had to take his picture because, well, he was “hot” and I just couldn’t resist. Barry agreed to be a model.
I never did realize my dream of becoming a professional photographer, but I did keep the negatives from my early photographic explorations. And now that “Barry” is the President-Elect, I offer them up so that others may see a side to him I have yet to observe captured in the current maelstrom of contemporary media. I believe the images reflect his spirit of fun and thoughtfulness that I hope he hasn’t lost on his road to the White House. For the record, there wasn’t a nicer, more sincere guy in college.
These photos were taken in 1980 in a small apartment in Los Angeles, one block from Occidental College. My roommate and I had an overturned shopping cart as an end table, and our couch was a plaid nylon loveseat that had been left on the side of the road. The carpet was an indoor/outdoor lime green shag that probably hadn’t been cleaned since it had been laid sometime in the 1960’s. Barry showed up in a bomber jacket, carrying his cigarettes and a straw hat for effect (his idea, not mine). He was as friendly and charming as could be and followed instructions very well. He just kept flashing his awesome grin and asked how I wanted him to pose. We talked about Hawaii and New York, mostly superficial stuff, and I tried to get him to “speak to the camera”.
After that afternoon of the photo shoot, we ran into each other on campus occasionally, but we didn’t interact all that often. The next summer, while I was at a club in Hawaii, I spotted Barry sitting at a table near mine. There were two gorgeous women sitting in his lap and he had his arms around both. He was smiling and flirting and when he looked up and saw me, he enthusiastically said, “Hey, I know you.” We had a drink and a cigarette, and then we both went back to being busy with “other things”; but it was fun to see him and I appreciated being acknowledged by such a cool, handsome guy. That was the last time I was to see Barry for over 25 years
(Cont’d):
http://augnet.augsburg.edu/news-archives/2008/12_15_08/jack_obama.html
Why did the 4th or any paragraph get you?