John Harrington’s Experience Capturing His Eighth Presidential Inauguration Through Photography

John Harrington has long been one of the premier political photographers. Over three decades he has covered Washington D.C. while also serving two terms as President of the White House News Photographers Association and covering eight Presidential inaugurations over that timeframe. Recently he created a short documentary showing his daily journey starting early at 3am by carrying 220 pounds of gear to his photo position for that day’s coverage.

I sent John an email with some questions regarding his day.

Your kit has advanced significantly throughout its nine(!) presidential inauguration coverage years; how have your clients’ needs changed during that time?

“I may have said nine in my video, but after counting again it turns out to only be 8. So much for counting accurately when exhausted!” Since 1989 and George H.W. Bush’s election to office, I’ve covered nine presidential terms, starting with Clinton in 1993 (both times) before Bush in 2001/2005/2011; Obama in 2009-13 then Trump/Biden (twice each). Now here’s to hoping I make my ninth in four years!

At first I brought two cameras and four lenses; quickly realizing I needed both tight-in and wide-angle shots I lost time switching lenses when switching lenses back and forth. By 1997 I’d brought more tripods but there simply wasn’t enough room to accommodate all of them. Since 2000 I’ve been developing the single tripod with cross-rail that could hold multiple cameras/lenses on it. Recently Pocket Wizards have taken over from trying to manage multiple cable/wire releases by hand. This year I had more space between left and right sides, which allowed me to fit both Wimberley gimbal camera mounts on each rail side. Once balanced properly, these tripods make longer lenses much easier to handle; and this time I used an unconventional Sachtler tripod used by TV cameras which provided me with even greater stability. While my setup may still need some tweaking from time to time, it is now pretty solid and I feel pretty comfortable using it for photography.

How have your clients’ needs evolved since then?

At first, it was important that my film be processed immediately – I even had my own darkroom at my office to process slide film! Over time however, my needs became much more demanding: images needed to be sent out minutes after shooting for online galleries as soon as I took them; additionally the print edition had an early deadline of Friday (inauguration was Wednesday), which required a wider edit by Thursday.

Are there any differences in how you cover an event as a freelancer versus working at a newspaper or wire service?

Covering an inauguration requires careful preparation, whether you are covering it solo like I was or working for one of the major wire services – they have hardwired network cables so nearby editors can access their files instantly. Construction on my dias and press risers began in mid-2018; trailers arrived months ago. Due to cost and space considerations, I didn’t request for one myself. Years prior, I would rely on having a runner/tech to assist with gear and retrieve my cards during an event for editing, however due to Covid, this wasn’t possible and was reduced considerably as part of a more focused operation for all involved. Furthermore, since my position allows only for limited coverage from one entity at once; thus requiring me to work harder at getting multiple views/angles which is partly why multiple cameras were brought along with me.

On that particular day, using five cameras and approximately three hours. There were early arrivals who helped set the scene before beginning production. As one example, at 8:30am President Trump’s helicopter departed from the White House and flew a “lap” around Capitol and Washington Monument before landing at Andrews Air Force Base to transport him directly to Mar-a-lago instead of attending this ceremony. The famous Bernie Sanders meme captured by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski was, according to my review of its timestamp, an early set-up before an event like an election ceremony or rally, for instance. So much goes on at noon before and during the swearing in ceremony that it can keep anyone occupied until then! From bands playing, past presidents arriving, celebrity performers and past President Harris being sworn-in – all this keeps the atmosphere lively! And don’t forget Vice President Harris being inaugurated before her counterpart does – which makes this day of swearing-in ceremony all the more remarkable! So for a few, brief seconds, Kamala Harris served as Vice President and Trump as President. At 10:30, formal announcements of dignitary arrivals begin and with President Barack Obama delivering his inaugural address, the formal proceedings began and my day started at 3am almost ended at 1pm – but due to equipment breakdown/loadout as well as editing of images I kept going until finally collapsing around 9pm that night!

Which organization was responsible for allocating photo positions?

Congressional press galleries assign positions based on requests, who has covered in previous years, and any special needs of those making requests. I was fortunate to get on the press riser given there was a 75% reduction in available positions due to social distancing requirements; additionally, all attendees covering this event had to undergo and get cleared for Covid testing; my test was scheduled at the Pentagon Monday morning but took until evening time before receiving all-clear clearance; among all of my Covid tests this one proved the most nerve-wracking while waiting for results!

Your inventory indicates that you had both a shotgun mic and Sound Devices MixPre, so was video captured of the event? (That was some of the clearest audio of mask-wearers I’ve heard!)

Yes. The MixPre was there to capture ambient audio as well as my commentary for potential livestreams; which I was. Years before still photographers started shooting video, they would intermix still photos and audio from events using software such as Soundslides; I remember doing one from John McCain campaign rally in Arizona. Though my primary focus was still photography, two GoPro’s and the MixPre were present to record some BTS footage and audio recordings for future projects.