Campaign 2008 Photos

Feeling retrospective? Here's some campaign pictures

One of the things I learned covering Campaign 2008 was how to take pictures. My friend Ro Foege told me once, "What's the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur? About 50 shots." I took that advice to heart and estimate I shot about 15,000 photos covering the campaign, including a thousand picture day at the Johnson County Dems' BBQ.

Ro's estimate proved right, but a two percent success rate out of 15,000 shots leaves a lot of good pics. Some of the best are in this Flickr photo set.

A lot of the rest are waiting to get deleted: a microphone in front of the face, a sudden movement that turned a perfect setup into a blur, a press platform too far away, or a candidate quirk. You don't realize until you take 200 photos that John Edwards blinks as often as John McCain says "my friends."

There's a few ringers, too: every once in a while I'd hand off the camera and get someone to shoot me a trophy pic.