Rangefinder Magazine
June 2005

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The Last Word by Dana Tinley

It was so exciting for the small town of Hobbs, NM, to hear that the President of the United States was coming to visit on his re-election tour. We received VIP passes and showed up at 5:30 a.m. on the big day, and it was cold and cloudy. My husband and I took turns taking pictures of the President giving his address. You could tell he was really tired but so excited to be back in his part of the country.

As we were shooting (approximately 30–40 feet away from the President), we noticed he seemed to be using us as a focal point during his speech. We shot about 180 pictures, and in many of the shots he appeared to be responding directly to us. This picture is one of our favorites because it reflects his personality and because it felt like he was talking with only us.

We made the picture with a Nikon D70 and Sigma 70–300mm f/4–5.6 lens at 1⁄125 at f/5.6 (ISO 400). Because it was such a dreary, cloudy day we sent the image to our lab (Garrett & Lane in Columbus, GA) and had one of our favorite associates, Rusty Raines, help create the background behind the President. Our studio, Tinley Photography, will send President Bush the portrait as a gift. We also hope to have him sign a copy for our studio.

Our small town has never had the opportunity to welcome such a famous person. We will never forget the experience!