Powerhouse Books is currently featuring a photo installation by documentary photographer Scout Tufankjian who accompanied Obama on the campaign trail. Her behind-the-scenes photography emits a feeling of “We” with its images of unity and Obama support from around the U.S. All the photos are featured in a new book called Yes We Can.
In a recent interview with BuzzFlash, Scout explains her two-year documentary experience.
“I first drawn to this story because of the potential historical significance of Obama, himself, I very quickly became much more interested in the movement that surrounded him. Not because he was boring (although photographing one person for two years is a little, well, crazy), but because his supporters and their efforts on his (and their own) behalf seemed to be the real story of this campaign.
So many people — from the older folks who put aside years of crushing disappointment to believe in him to the younger people who uprooted their lives to work for him — threw themselves into this campaign. And, perhaps for the first time in the United States, the presidency was won, not just by money and connections, but also by a real grassroots movement that was almost as much a part of the campaign as the candidate himself.”
New Yorkers the exhibit will go on until February 8th.
