A GIF of photos of the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photos/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) |
AP photographer Julia Demaree Nikhinson has been documenting Washington, D.C. during the second Trump administration and was one of only seven photojournalists allowed to cover his swearing-in. Here's what she said:
On Jan. 17 then President-elect Donald Trump announced that his inauguration, which was supposed to happen on the west front of the Capitol in three days, would be moved indoors due to cold weather. This would only be the second inauguration to be held in the Capitol Rotunda.
I was supposed to be one of several AP photographers covering the outdoor swearing in, spending the last several days planning out how to capture the ceremony from my position. When the plan changed, the number of photojournalists credentialed to cover the ceremony went from several hundred to seven. I soon got a phone call from my editor, informing me that I would be the only AP photographer in the room.
It was now more important than ever to bring our viewers photos of the event that they couldn't see otherwise. I spent the next two days coming up with a new plan. Since the President's oath of office is so short — about 30 seconds — I had to figure out how to photograph it in different ways without having time to switch cameras.
This inauguration was also unique in who was attending. Tech giants including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk sat just a few rows behind Trump. Just as important was photographing the interactions between politicians past and present. As former President George W. Bush arrived before the ceremony, I caught him winking at the crowd.
Most people worldwide don't get to visit places such as the White House and the Capitol nor do they get to fly on Air Force One or attend American inaugurations. But as a photographer for The Associated Press I'm one of a small group of people that have a great responsibility in photographing those in power and bringing photographs of history to the world.
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