The presidency of George W. Bush in images

Eric Draper, the official photographer of G. W. Bush, has released a collection of images of the former president of the United States.

The White House plans everything ahead and the staff could not let the image of the president and other officials hit or miss. They have their own photographer and before Pete Souza, the current official photographer of Barack Obama, Eric Draper was the one who was in charge of the way in which the President’s image was presented to the public.

George W. Bush became the 43rd President of the United States in January 2001. His presidency was documented by Eric Draper, an experienced photographer with a keen eye for candid moments.

This means that the artist was able to capture some interesting scenes during his time at the White House. In order to show off some of them, the photographer released a special book, giving people an insight to the life of a president.

President George W. Bush photographed by Eric Draper

Former official photographer of the White House launches a new project

Eric Draper spent 8 years in Bush’s presence and he documented private and public events. On April 1, Draper launched his book Front Row Seat: A Photographic Portrait of the Presidency of George W. Bush, promoted as a behind-the-scenes view of the presidency.

From photos of Bush during the 9/11 events, to photos of his family or of him visiting the troops, this books shows  “unscripted moments” of some of Bush’s biggest decisions or intimate personal time.

An objective observer?

Eric Draper stated that his position as an observer and not a participant of these historic moments gave him a unique insight into the President’s life and career.

According to his official website, Draper was named Special Assistant to the President during the Bush administration, and before that he was West Regional Enterprise Photographer for the Associated Press. He also worked as a staff photographer for the Pasadena Star-News, Seattle Times and Albuquerque Tribune.

Even though we believe that Draper was free to choose the setting, to use the lighting creatively, to show the character by allowing the subject to play with the camera, and so on, there is serious doubt that the images that got selected to be seen by the public are as authentic as they might want to appear.

Nevertheless, we will let you be the judges. Check out the book and let us know what do you think about Eric Draper’s work!