Four former presidential photographers talked about their insight into life in the White House and the history of presidential photography, including the inauguration of Barack Obama. The photographers each showed pictures during his presentation. Then they held a panel discussion and responded to questions from members of the audience. Presidential historian Mark Updegrove and photographer Frank Wolfe made introductory remarks and Don Carleton moderated the discussion.

Frank Wolfe was the photographer for President Lyndon Johnson; David Hume Kennerly for President Gerald Ford; David Valdez for President George H.W. Bush; Robert McNeely for President Bill Clinton, and Eric Draper for President George W. Bush. Mr. Kennerly organized a crew of photographers, including Mr. McNeely, to cover the inauguration of Barack Obama. Their photographs are included in the book Barack Obama: The Official Inauguration Book (Five Ties Publishing; May 1, 2009).


"Behind The Lens: White House Photography From LBJ To Obama" was held on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. CST at the LBJ Library's Auditorium at the University of Texas at Austin. It was the first program of a collaboration with the Briscoe Center for American History.