We are all aware of the recent elections this past Tuesday evening, and we at the Journal anticipated a long night ahead of us. Waiting for results, hanging out at the congressional parties and also keeping an eye to the television for our own interests made for a very long day. It seems that every election, local or otherwise, we are caught in a pickle of who to cover, which photos to run on the front page, and which place to be at. With both Democratic and Republican congressional parties happening at different locations in Roseville, we had the help of the Press Tribune covering Charlie Brown, while I covered Tom McClintock’s grand entrance. In reality covering election parties is pretty basic with supporters shaking hands with their favorite candidates, drinking cocktails, eating food and making small talk.

Getting a good photo is a bit challenging though, with crowds of people gathering around one person plus other media trying to get their shots as well. Depending on who wins obviously depends on which photos we run on the front page. Democratic Congressional candidate Charlie Brown made the front page while the photos I took of McClintock didn’t even make the paper. For the lack of space and the fact results were not conclusive at the time we went to press, we ran with Brown.

Covering political photo assignments is more than just getting a guy standing at the podium. Some people talk with their hands, which makes for a better photo to convey their speech. While others simply stand and talk, making for a not-so-intense photo. When covering an electoral candidate I try to photograph the person facing in the direction for which he represents. For example, if we are covering a Republican I try to photograph him facing toward the right and for a Democrat, the left. The November 4th photo of Tom McMahan making phone calls from the Democratic office, I had him use his left hand while looking to the left, representing the “left” side.

Another good example of this strategy is from the October 10th edition of the McClintock and Brown debate held at the Holiday Inn in Auburn. How we placed the photos on the front page was no accident either. Naturally they are both facing off at each other, with McClintock looking toward the right, and Brown looking back at him toward the left. During the actual assignment I had to keep the same crop size on both, so they mirrored each other. In the shots you notice the other opponent framed in the corner of the background. That’s not an easy task considering they’re sitting on different sides of the table, and candidates also tend to only look in one general area when speaking to a crowd.

As a newspaper we have to be equal to both parties, so running both photos together was the best. Not all photos are in my control like this, but if I can make it happen, I will. As a reader, people may not notice these little details but I’m sure there are those out there who pay attention to that. It’s just another way to help tell the story through a photograph.