I had always read about just how frustrating photographing politics could be. Events are staged, backgrounds arranged, photographers are limited in the areas that they are allowed to roam, etc. I had yet to experience this firsthand (and still have yet to experience it to a high degree) until the San Jose State of the City address on February 8, 2006. Though I had not been told where to stand, I was poked, pushed, and prodded until I was in place. All they had to do was ask…

It has been somewhat eye opening since the start of my journey into photojournalism…one of the main reasons I was interested in pj was my love of politics, and yet the mainstream political photo-ops are often so highly un-photojournalistic.