No matter what your party affiliation is, when the president comes to town it’s a pretty big deal. Recently I photographed President Obama and Vice President Biden as they visited Tampa together and i’d like to share some tips and tricks with you.

Normally it is  unusual for the President and Vice President to make appearances together but when they do the security around the venue and along the parade route is extremely tight.  Agencies including the Secret Service, FBI, ATF and local law enforcement officers meet to create a plan of action usually two weeks in advance. Officials plan for everything from assassination attempts to medical emergencies and everything in between for the visit.  If you cannot get into the actual even you will most likely be photographing the protesters that are usually present at every appearance the President makes. Depending on how popular.. or unpopular the current president is will usually determine how many protesters will be at the event and the level of potential problems. Protesters are usually restricted to a certain area sometimes called a “Free Speech Zone” but sometimes they are allowed to line the parade route holding up signs and shouting to the motorcade as it passes. Sometimes bold protesters will infiltrate the venue and try to cause a disruption, especially during town hall style meetings. Obviously law enforcement and Secret Service will handle those individuals accordingly.

As an un-credentialed freelance photographer you will probably be limited to shooting outside with the general public along the motorcade route which can still make for some great photos. Some of you will be on assignment for a publication and will be allowed in the venue to cover the event. If approved to shoot the President’s visit inside the venue expect to get there early! Before you even step foot into the venue the Secret Service has probably already done a background check on you as well as verified your affiliation with the media outlet you are representing so make sure the information you presented for verification is correct. At the venue expect a security screening by explosive detection dogs, magnetometers and a physical inspection of your gear. Bring just the minimum amount of gear with you but don’t forget your step-stool, it will be great for seeing over the hoard of photographers and a great place to sit and rest while you are waiting for the President to arrive. Once your inspection is complete and you have been cleared for entry expect to wait a long time for the president to arrive. Just like with many other news events there will be a lot of down time, use that opportunity to network with other photogs and make friends. Don’t act like a know-it-all either, always be humble, respectful and professional you are a member of the media not a groupie.

Personally I prefer to be out among the protesters and watching as the motorcade rolls by, it amazes me how much security and planning goes into the simple act of getting the President from the airport to the venue.  Just getting the presidential limos, communications trucks and tactical equipment needed to protect the president is pretty amazing. All of the equipment needed flies ahead of the president in special military transport aircrafts and arrives before Air Force One touches down.

Once AF1 touches down and the president steps off the massive plane the Secret Service creates what they refer to as “the bubble” which is an invisible area of protection surrounding the president, his top aids, and family members if they are traveling with him. If you are lucky enough to be at the airport as AF1 arrives be prepared to wait and wait and wait! [private_pro] Once screened for security you will have to remain in the designated media area until the president leaves the airport so bring snacks! For obvious reasons you will be kept pretty far away from the aircraft as well as the motorcade that will be parked and waiting for the presidents arrival. So to get the ever popular come out of the door and wave shot you need a long lense. Preferably a 300mm lense will be great to get the shot when he poses in front of the door next to the presidential seal but i’d reccomend another option. Purchase a 2x teleconvertor to attach to your 70-200mm making it a 140-400mm, the optical quailty will not be as good as a 300mm prime and you will lose some light but it is super lightweight. Once he gets off the plane keep shooting him! … I mean PHOTOGRAPHING him because if he happens to trip and fall that photo can make some money!

Usually there are guests waiting to greet the president once he lands such as the mayor, governor, senators and local citizens who the White House has chosen to meet the president.  Start cranking out photos, take off that teleconvertor and use the 70-200mm and preferably a nice wide lense like a 17-40mm or equivalent, a 24-70mm will work great also. Shoot photos of the president greeting every person because you never know the importance of that person, it could be of value in the future. As a general rule if the president is out of the limo I keep my camera pointed at his direction at all times. In the unlikely but probably event of an assassination attempt you want to get any and all photos of the scene, shooters, president, and any and everything surrounding that incident! We are talking a historic moment in United States history so if you are off staring at something else or checking a text message you will miss the shot of a lifetime, you should probably hang up your camera and never be a photog again!  But seriously it is smart to take as many photos as physically possible so make sure you have plenty of room on your memory card and fully charged batteries.

Scene Safety

Honestly there probably isn’t a safer place to be than in the middle of a presidential visit. At any given time there are undercover federal and local officers, snipers, surveillance cameras and uniformed cops covering every and any angle around the president so overall it is pretty safe. However we are dealing with the president of the United States of America and as history has proven there are evil people who wish to harm him. It could happen, and if it does don’t stop taking photographs, unlike film photographers of the past we have the ability to take hundreds or even thousands of images without even changing our memory card…. so fill it up!

Now I have obviously never have photographed an assassination attempt on a president but I would imagine that after the initial chaos the Secret Service may try to confiscate your images to help with their criminal case against the attacker (if he is still alive) so I would try to upload all of your photos to your laptop before handing them over, because it can be months or even years before you see what is on that memory card. Personally I would pop in another memory card and keep the original in your camera and when asked to hand over the images I would give them a blank card until I made copies of the photos myself. If faced with that scenario do not alter or delete anything on the card as it will be a criminal investigations. Obviously do what a cop tells you to do especially if it’s the Secret Service!

The only actual safety concern that you will probably run into would be a riot or other civil unrest from protestors that will likely be at the visiting . Protesters are usually peaceful but with any large crowd you should always pay attention. If the police decides to disperse a large crowd they will sure to use tear gas, bean bag guns, flash bangs and police horses. An incident like this makes for great images but it increases the chances of you being arrested greatly. If the police starts throwing protesters in jail and you are nearby you will probably be scooped up and taken with the rest of them. You will probably not be charged if you are not breaking any laws, and as we already know photography is not a crime!

Equipment and Personnel

When the president comes to your town expect him to come with no less than 20 vehicles but usually about 40 including Counter Assault Teams, communications staff and vehicles, White House staff and aides, as well as medical and other support staff. Here are some things you should look for.

“Black Ambulance”
Honestly I do not know what the role of the black ambulance is, some say its a mobile trauma center others say it contains the Counter Assault Team (CAT) either way it is a pretty misterious vehicle that is with the president when he travels

Vice President
The Vice President’s limo is a little bit smaller than the President’s limo aka. The Beast and has a white colored flag opposite of the American flag.

Decoy Limo
The President’s motorcade will have two limos one used as a decoy/backup they are identical and are sometimes used to transport family members of the President.

The Beast
The Presidential limo is easily distinguished from the decoy because of the two SUVs containg CATs flanking the limo.

Motor Units
The local police agencies will assist the motorcade by blocking off intersections to help the motorcade travel the route without stopping.

EOD K-9 Units
Local police will provide explosives detection K-9s to the motorcade to inspect and clear suspicous vehicles or pacakages on the route.

Counter Snipers
The Secret Service has specially trained counter snipers that are posted up in strategic areas in and around where the president will be. You will most likely see them on top of buildings with binoculars watching and relaying information to the ground units.

Mounted Patrol
Police mounted patrol units provide extra muscle and non lethal force when dealing with large crowds. The officers and horses are usually highly trained and able to deal with large crowds and protesters. You will usually see the horses patrolling near groups of protesters just in case something gets out of hand.

Traffic Delays
The motorcade route will be on complete lockdown as soon as the president is inside his limo and no traffic will be allowed on the route. Cops will close down roads and intersections creating huge traffic backups and delays. It is best to be in position well before the President lands to avoid the backup.

Route Security
Cops will be on high alert all along the parade route watching for any suspicous activity from bystanders. Officers will usually be posted every 10 ft where large crowds form in addition to undercover officers inside the crowds.

Counter Assault Team (CAT)
In the event of an attack the Secret Service CAT will deploy to take care of the threat and to give the motorcade time to safely exit the area. The CAT will be in unmarked SUV with six team members highly trained to deal with just about any threat. If you see these guys come out be prepared to make some photos!

Money Shots

When the president travels a special group of photographers known as the White House Press Corps, these are mostly reporters and photographers from wire services and major television stations. and reporters follow the president everywhere he goes. They fly in Air Force One, ride in the motorcade and even fly with the president in special helicopters that are used for short visits near Washington D.C. . So as a freelance photographer you will probably not get a real “money shot” but these are some shots to look for when accepting an assignment

• The Man – Photos of the president are a dime a dozen and with the traveling press corps you will probably not get anything that they already have but it’s always good to have good current photos of the president, so not really a money shot but its great to have in your portfolio.

• Protestors – Its good to mingle with the protestors because you can get a feel for how they are feeling and if they are planning anything that would make a great photo.

• Crowd Shots- It is good to take random photos of the crowd and keep them in your archives. If an assasination attempt is made you may have a photo of the assasin in the crowd. If so you can sell that for thousands of dollars.

• Officers- I am all about building rapport with cops and what better way to build a trusting friendship with LEOs than a photo of them standing guard while the president’s motorcade zooms past. I’m not saying you should go out of your way for those photos but if you have an officer in one of your shots that you recognize sending him a print or an email of the photo will sure to make a new friend. As for federal agents such as Secrect Service I wouldn’t try to contact them for obvious reasons!

• Visitors – As with the Monica Lewinsky scandal that rocked the Clinton administration it is a good idea to photograph anyone the president comes in contact with. These photos may be used at a later time if the person greeting the president becomes newsworthy.

• Assasination Attempts – In the event of an assasination attempt or any sort of trouble the would cause the secret service to act photos of that scene will be very valuable. Keep in mind that the White House Press Corps. will be inside one of the vans following in the motorcade. If something was to happen you may be able to get the photo before they can respond. If so you got the money shot.

• The Motorcade – A photo of the president waving to the crowd from inside the presidential limo may sell to local papers, but will usually be of little value to national outlets if the trip is uneventful.

* All of the information in this post is gathered from personal experience, research and from the book “In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect” by Ronald Kessler . It gives great insight on the Secret Service and the people they protect.

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