The three people photographed below are Congressman Doug Bosco, Senator and Democratic Presidential Nominee Walter Mondale, and Unknown.
Forty years ago Doug Bosco hosted a private meeting for California donors to Walter Mondale’s campaign. I was hired to photograph Mondale with the big money donors. I thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity to impress Mondale with the high quality of my images that when he beat Reagan he would consider me for White House photographer.
I arrived at Bosco’s beautiful home overlooking the Russian River early and set up a couple of strobes with photographic umbrellas, thinking that on camera flash photographs, such as the one above, wouldn’t allow for the quality of images that I imagined. Shortly afterwards one of Mondale’s staff saw the umbrellas and said, “Get this shit out of here.” So much for that.
I had hoped that Jadyne would have been able to accompany me as my assistant. She could help change film backs, but the Secret Service wouldn’t give her permission. Nevertheless, I was able to acquit myself alone with images, prints, all that was expected.
Two moments stand out forty years later. Not having an assistant meant that the time-consuming process of winding film, then loading a new roll into the camera was a challenge to do quickly. I turned to a man leaning against a wall and asked, “Could you hold my camera while I change film?” He replied, “I have to keep my hands free.” I thought, “Of course you do. You have an AR-15 tucked into your waist band.”
Later in the evening, when all the photographs had been taken, I stood out on the deck taking in the summer breeze. Mondale walked out by himself, and began talking to me about his boyhood growing up in Minnesota. I forget what he said, but I remember enjoying this unexpected conversation, and thinking, “I love my job.”
P.S. As far as the White House photographer job went…After the election the Washington Post reported, “Mondale’s defeat at the hands of the incumbent Republican, Ronald Reagan, was a historic whupping. Reagan won 49 of the 50 states, a total of 525 electoral college votes, leaving only 13 for Mondale, from his home state and the District.” Later Mondale said, “I wanted to run for President in the worst way. And I did.”