Summary: Eric Draper served as President Bush’s chief photographer for the entire eight years of his presidency, photographing him daily in his activities at the office, abroad, and in his personal life. Draper was named Special Assistant to the President and is the first White House photographer to be named a commissioned officer to a U.S. President. Also during his tenure, Draper directed the photographic and archival conversion of the White House Photo Office from film to digital and took nearly 1-million photos documenting the presidency. Prior to joining the White House, Draper was West Regional Enterprise Photographer for the Associated Press. In eight years with the AP, Draper covered an array of domestic and international news and sports including presidential campaigns, devastating natural disasters, civil unrest, refugee crises, five Olympic games, two World Cups and many NBA, NFL, and MLB championships. In this podcast you will get a behind the scenes look at the Bush presidency and listen to him describe leadership in action from the tragedy to 9/11, the commitment of troops to Iraq & Afghanistan, and the meeting with multiple world leaders. You will also get a sense of what kind of man George Bush was on a personal level and how he treated everyone; from the janitor to the Queen of England, with the same amount of deference and respect. Eric is the author of the highly acclaimed book Front Row Seat: A Photographic Portrait of the Presidency of George W. Bush. Front Row Seat presents a compelling, behind-the-scenes view of the presidency of George W. Bush. Through Draper's lens, we follow Bush through moments of crisis that called for strong leadership, such as 9/11; emotional meetings with troops in war zones, wounded soldiers at home, and Katrina survivors; and happy, relaxed times with his wife Laura, daughters Barbara and Jenna, and parents President George H. W. and Barbara Bush. We also see Bush at work within his inner circle of trusted advisors, including Vice President Richard Cheney, National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Capturing moments that reveal the essence of the man, Front Row Seat is an irreplaceable portrait of George W. Bush. Visit Eric Draper’s website here: ericdraperphotography.com
