Local Photographer is White House Shutter Bug
Lewes photographer Judy Rolfe has been in some high places recently.
Specifically, on a ladder, high above the action in the East Room at the White House when President Obama signed the new hate crimes legislation adding sexual orientation to the list of applicable hate crimes.
On assignment for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Judy had a bird’s eye view of the proceedings, getting the perfect shot of the president, his pen, and what Judy calls “his million watt smile.”
It was actually a two-part event. First, the President signed the bill, along with Defense Secretary Bill Gates—because, as it turned out, the hate crimes legislation had been folded into the National Defense Authorization Act, funding the military.
Judy was there with the press pack, waiting in line to sprint to their assigned positions when the event began. “Most TV people have ladders,” Judy says, “and somebody didn’t need one so I was able to borrow it.”
A ladder is a good thing, according to Judy, since it gets you up and away from the backs of people’s heads.
From her perch, Judy and her trusty camera homed in on all the action and snapped away.
Then directly from the signing, Judy joined fellow journalists rushing to the press briefing room (“the place where Press Secretary Robert Gibbs always gives his press conferences”) so she could grab a computer and transmit her digital photos back to HRC for immediate web posting.
“It’s very quiet in that room when all the reporters are filing their stories and sending their photos,” says Judy.
Following the bill signing, at around 6 p.m., came the stellar event. President Obama returned to the East Room, accompanied by Judy and Dennis Shepard, parents of murdered college student Matt Shepard, and the family of James Byrd, Jr., an African-American man who had also been the victim of a vicious hate crime.
“I was just getting up on the ladder as they walked into the room and I snapped a picture. “That’s my favorite one, because not everybody else has it,” says Judy.
The President and his guests strode into the room and greeted a packed house—hundreds of gay activists and folks who had been working to see this legislation enacted for over a decade.
President Obama made some brief remarks and presented pens from the bill signing to the Shepards and the sisters of James Byrd, Jr.
As President Obama left the room, Judy jumped down from her perch so she could get shots of the president shaking hands with many of those assembled.
Judy Rolfe has been a Lewes resident since 2001. “Right after 9-11, I decided I wanted to live outside Washington, DC,” she says. She had spent 25 years as a photographer in the Washington area, including an 11-year stint with USA Today. As a freelancer, HRC is one of her biggest clients. She commutes to Washington for her photo assignments, but also spends time here teaching digital photography.
And not only was Judy on hand for the momentous bill signing, but a little over two weeks earlier she was at the HRC Annual Dinner in Washington where she had her first opportunity to photograph President Obama.
She recalls that day as “hurry up and wait,” getting in line for her position and marking time waiting for the president to arrive. “He didn’t disappoint,” says Judy. “He was very charismatic, and he couldn’t have been nicer.”
Following the president’s speech (“amazing and impressive”) Judy recalls how he shook hands and spoke to many of the HRC folks there —and personalized each conversation, seeming to know about each of the people he interacted with.
Judy also notes just how tight the security was—prior to President Obama’s arrival you could hear the sirens and helicopters circling, and see the massive security detail around him. “I’ve photographed a lot of these kinds of events, and this was much tighter security than most.”
So what does Judy think of President Obama’s commitment to gay rights? “There’s a momentum here. You can feel it. I’m very hopeful that maybe Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be next.”
In the meantime, Judy waits for her next assignment, conducts her local classes, and spends a lot of time taking magnificent photos around the Lewes-Rehoboth area, including a recent Letters cover shot of Christopher Peterson.
Contact Judy Rolfe at www.rolfephotography.com