Galloway, N.J.- Photojournalist and author Christy Bowe took an audience at Stockton University inside the White House through her images that focus on the human side of our nation’s past five presidents. 

Ian Marshall, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, introduced Bowe and noted a picture’s power to communicate. Of Bowe’s images, he explained, “They tend to capture that key moment when an image becomes both accessible and relatable. It becomes art that helps us make meaning of the world around us.”   

Alyssa Maurice, head of research for the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, moderated a conversation with Bowe on Feb. 28 following a presentation of her photographs.  

“News is history in the making, and I’ve found from my years covering the presidencies that all these folks in the Oval Office are human beings and have a lot of emotions,” said Bowe, who has 2 million images in her archives.   

One of Bowe’s goals is to capture emotion. She shared an image of George W. Bush wearing his cowboy hat on the south lawn of the White House.

“He was looking out at the sunrise as the Olympic torch is being run from the Pentagon to the White House just a couple of months after 9/11, and it is being carried by family members of people who were killed on Sept. 11,” she explained.  

She saw Barack Obama’s frustration with gun laws and sadness when he met with the families of the children who had been killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

“He just started crying, and everyone in the room was crying. I was crying, still shooting, but I was crying,” she recalled.  

During one of President Joe Biden’s last bill signings, he handed Vice President Kamala Harris a pen.

“It was a sweet, tender moment when he said, ‘Here kid, keep this going,’ and it felt to me like he was passing the torch to her as this was before the election,” she said.  

Maurice started the conversation by asking Bowe how she entered the field of photojournalism. Bowe’s earliest photos were a disappointment that inspired her to learn more about photography and led her to a career with a front-row seat to history in the making, the title of her latest book.  

The 20 rolls of film from her cross-country road trip to Texas with her friends didn’t capture what she had seen. She realized her mission: “I want to have people see what I see.”  

“I think those of us in the media are very curious, and that’s what really fuels the fire,” she added.   

Maurice noted the behind-the-shot stories Bowe shares in “History in the Making” and asked her how much of the job is about gathering information on where to be and figuring out logistics.  

“Probably most of it,” answered Bowe.  

Creativity and fast thinking put her in the right spot at the right time when photographing Hillary Clinton’s email scandal.  

“There were so many of us pushed into the hallways of Congress that I ended up getting shoved into an old phone booth that had no phone in it. I kind of hid out there until she came out with her security team and had the best spot in town for a picture,” she said.  

Maurice asked her to share the most moving photograph she’s captured.  

Bowe talked about the moment when President Bush awarded Muhammad Ali the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a president can bestow on a citizen. Ali was struggling to walk and could no longer speak as he was battling Parkinson’s disease. Bush lightened the atmosphere by throwing punches at the air, and Ali responded by spinning a finger at his head as if to say the president would be crazy to take on the heavyweight champ.  

“President Bush gave him a big bear hug, and as he stepped back and turned away, the picture you'll see is of him with tears in his eyes because it was so heartbreaking to see the champ so fragile. That's a real human moment that stands out for me,” Bowe said.  

Her most challenging event was covering the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “That morning they were certifying the votes at the Capitol, and because it was during COVID, I was not allowed to go,” she recalled.  

When she heard news reporters warning people to stay away from downtown D.C. due to escalating danger, she went straight for her camera.

“When people in my line of business hear that, we say, ‘Let’s go,’” she said.  

That day she put her credentials inside her jacket because “it was dangerous to be a member of the media.”  

The photos resonated with a diverse audience that included Egg Harbor Township High School students, members of the local Stay Focused Photo Club, art faculty, public relations professionals, aspiring photojournalists, history buffs and students.  

One member of the audience who was moved by her images of Jan. 6, asked her what it was like being in that situation.  

“At the time, I was just doing my job. I could feel this was big and this was going to be history, so I wanted to hang in there as long as I could. Sometimes you have to lay low and be a fly on the wall in a dangerous situation. You want to be documenting. You don’t want to be part of the situation. You have to detach yourself from what you’re seeing,” she said.  

Story and photos by Susan Allen

See more images on Flickr.