Doug Mills and Tyler Hicks are my photographer heroes.
2
No offense to Mills, but photos of the Trumps trying to be patriotic are a cross between surreal, hilarious, and terribly sad.
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I agree with most of the comments here: great insight, great commentary, great photographs. However, what's missing is a few images from the other presidents whom Mills has covered, for purposes of comparison. He describes what they were like to work with and to cover, but one image from each president from Reagan to Obama, would have provided vivid imagery, even if selective. I agree, 45 comes across as a mostly dour, shallow, self-conscious and narcissistic being, and his daughter just looks like a wannabe model on the runway. Would have been nice to see the King of Debt contrasted with images by the same photographer of the Gipper, Bubba, W, etc.
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I certainly would like you to be my photgrapher. Based on the photos presented in the article, you have failed to capture the meanness, smallness, cruelty, and stupidity of the first family. Even if the first couple are dwarfed by Lincoln, they look attractive. C'mon.
10
Mr. Mills is convincing about his attempts to be neutral and fair, but a lot happens in editing. The photo of Trump at the medal ceremony with Ryan, McConnell and Schumer is a good example.
We see Ryan looking pleased, McConnell looking noncommittal, and Schumer looking skeptical. I'll bet that among the shots Mills took in those moments there are shots of them looking bored, or annoyed, or angry.
6
Obama's people did shut out the press when he played golf, one wonders why? He's allowed some down time. And the pics of 45, what a dour person he is. No warmth at all.
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A great, interesting and informative article! Wonderful pictures! Doug Mills is a true journeyman.
10
Thank you for this JOURNALISM. Oh how I wish there were more articles like this in The Times: insightful, analytical — yet not judgmental. Can we please, please, please have more “Washington” pieces that educate instead of manipulate, that analyze instead of handing the reader the conclusion they’re supposed to reach? We see this still in other sections of The Times ... just not in Politics, where it’s all-hate-all-the-time. Hate is not interesting. Sincerity and objectivity are.
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Stunningly captivating, both the chosen photos AND the insightful interview -- thank you NYT, Doug Mills and James Estrin!
My picks -- Most Orwellian: Nato shot -- wow! Most positive: Lincoln Memorial (look, they were still holding hands back then). Most telling: Mid term election shot of Trump's displeasure. Most unflattering (yikes!): Ill. rally back-lit shot (yikes!).
Loved them all though!
7
Covering the White House, as I and many others have done over the years, can often feel silly and inconsequential. Cooped up in the small media zone, waiting to be let out or let in to something the White House wants the media to cover, is a trial of patience. I have heard other reporters on more than one occasion say out loud, or mumbling to themselves, that they plan to do something different when they grow up (or words to that affect).
As a photographer for the NY Times, Doug Mills has the benefit of knowing that all of his photos matter, that they will be treated with respect by editors and that he is helping to inform the nation and record history. I have watched and noted his work for a long time because he has made some extraordinary photos truly worthy of the task, ones that reveal a great deal about Washington, this president and our times.
It is a pity that the public cannot read or see more interviews like this one because, if they did, they would be less likely to accept wild blather about fake news and understand there are serious, dedicated professionals trying to serve their outlets' needs and the public good.
Indeed, for all of Trump's negative talk about the media, he uses them to great advantage. His purpose in constant criticism is to weaken their voice and encourage the public to doubt the truth when the truth runs against his preferred narrative. He's playing a political game and millions of people buy into it, thinking he means it.
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Doug, I believe he's speaking the truth. I believe it is the truth. How can one review the output from CNN, MSNBC, WaPo, Fox, and this paper objectively and not come to the same conclusion? How can one see that illegal immigration by it's very name isn't appropriate, yet call those who oppose it "racists"?
I'm educated, compassionate, and I always try to be fair-minded. I mostly succeed. Yet, I would be shouted down and insulted on college campuses and belittled in newsrooms. None of this is by accident, I'm afraid. So please count me as one who has nearly fully lost faith in our 'journalists', and I'm grateful that someone has finally had enough and is willing to call out loudly that these emperors truly are wearing no clothes.
2
As many commenters have said, it is the “arrogance” which comes through best in most of the pictures of Donald Trump. As for the photo of top White House advisor and “first daughter” Ivanka, it is her blazing sense of “entitlement” which is the defining feature in Mr. Mill’s photo of her advancing (lips pursed ) across the tarmac. He has captured her essence perfectly.
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Just reading between the lines, this photographer seems tired. Neutrality, this up close, is exhausting. The best photographs of this Presidency are with small groups of strangers. The stiff poses, furtive reactions, clasped hands, or uneasy smiles is a constant in Trump's working photographs. No one is comfortable. Trump cannot see their anxiety, only his own. The photographs are crucial, historical evidence of a President, forced to notice their work, but only by pretending glory.
15
Dear NYT journalists, please stop referring to Trump's standard navy business suits as black. They may be inelegant (Brioni off the rack, and baggy), the wearer may be a slob (there's a button; use it), but they aren't black, which is for funerals or tuxedos.
Print reporters in the Times have made this mistake often; a photographer should know the color difference between navy blue and black.
10
@Max Alexander
With all due respect, Max, not everyone can actually see the difference between black and navy. It's not color blindness exactly, it's a subtle color perception thing. Black vs. navy is all a blur for some of us. Also, you have to admit, once photographed, navy often turns to black in the resulting image just as the camera adds ten pounds. But the camera almost always captures character - or the lack of it - to a tee.
4
Wonderful selection of photos revealing the glossy and empty veneer that is the subject’s outstanding characteristic. I especially love the 45 on his cuff and the blacked-out photo showing only the golden silhouette of his hair—both expressive of his vanity. Thanks for allowing the photographer to comment—it was refreshing to have his honest take on his job, and I appreciate his modesty. I hope the Times will publish a book of these photos when this presidency is over.
12
I admire Doug Mills for his impartiality and professionalism. When he says he has no agenda as the White House photographer for the New York Times, I believe him. It would be very hard for me to have his job during this administration, so I’m glad Doug is there to document this historic presidency. Like it or not, Trump is certainly making history.
Thank you, Jim Estrin, for this excellent interview.
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That NATO summit photo looks like it could have been taken by Leni Riefenstahl.
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@David Rea
How true and it should be taken as a compliment. She was a genius in her own way. But unlike Doug Mills, she was infatuated (to say the least) with her "hero".
1
@David Rea That photo is hauntingly captivating -- struck me as very Orson Wells Orwellian.
2
@David Rea That photo is more Twilight Zone than 1984. It's the Murphysboro rally photo which is the most chilling. Trump is indeed "iconic." The outline of his body - you know it's him, The Trump. Sometimes I think he's just a buffoon who stumbled into the Presidency. When I see photos like Murphysboro, I think maybe he's deadly serious.
3
Technical photo question: Is it hard for your camera to get an accurate white-balance when his face is such a changing shade of orange?
47
Really respect the balanced perspective given in this interview. Simply the facts, which is rare these days - let the photographs speak for themselves. A true professional.
30
Mr Mills captured the brilliance of the Pelosi clap perfectly! Pelosi's supercilious staredown, Potted Plant Pence's wide grin, even Trump's annoyed profile.
It's worth more than a thousand words - it's priceless. Thank you for your service, Mr. Mills.
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Very interesting read. I enjoyed reading about the perspective that Mr. Mills offered - especially as he has a unique perspective (and a long history of covering) on the Office of the President of the United States.
It was also interesting to read that President Obama relied so much on his official photographer. Many photographs of his presidency - especially those of the private moments - seem so incredibly personal. Perhaps I now know why.
The photographs taken by Mr. Mills and the other NYT photographers are indeed remarkable. Thank you for this interview. Much appreciated!
24
Kudos to Mr. Mills - his pictures of President Trump definitely validate the old idiom: A picture is worth a thousand words. As a New Yorker, I’m very used to looking at Mr. Trump’s older pictures in a variety of places like Page Six (NY Post), Vanity Fair, Playboy, Spy magazine etc. Invariably, Mr Trump posed for these pictures with a lot of panache and brio befitting a very successful and wealthy businessman. As Mr Trump is now the President of our country, the oeuvre of Mr Mills’ presidential pictures very much epitomizes the inherent dignity and decorum associated with the US Presidency,
4
Doug Mills photos of Trump are very revealing, simply because it's clear in each one that his base/core personality consists of utter, total arrogance. He thinks of nothing except himself and his face shows this in every photo. Amazing. It's amazing what a completely flat, one-dimensional person he is.
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The most interesting aspect of this interview is Mr. Mills's reflections on the previous presidents he covered. There is nothing surprising or new about Mr. Trump here.
24
Bravo !
6
The camera has no conscience. Perhaps before the era of this technology, they would say that the canvas or the sketchpad has no conscience, no agenda, no judgment.
If the medium is the message, we are getting closer and closer to that ideal, and where, in other words, the message is dominated by the medium.
Hard to argue against that. Often, when I listen to people explain themselves, especially about so-called "political" issues, it more and more sounds as if they are trying to reconcile themselves to and come to terms with, not facts, but narratives about those facts, stories they have heard -- snapshots, as it were.
A picture indeed can be worth 1000 words. I understand that. But in our hyper-mediated world, sadly, a picture is just worth yet another measure of distance from the things themselves. We are lost in the medium, subjects of the medium, essential aspects of why media even exists in the way it exists, namely as if it were transparent to the real.
Very few people say they pay slavish attention to media. But when I talk to them, a lot of what I hear, is just variations of cat's-cradle of whatever has been in the chatter lately.
1
Thrilling, your photos of president Trump, Doug Mills. Your pix are witnesses of great change in our country, in democracy and in a president who is unloved by many fine Americans, and loved by some others who do not have democratic values at heart.
The Press and "The Photo Dogs" -- as Presidents GHW and GWBush called you, respecting what you did -- are not the "enemy of the people" as Trump calls you. Our 45th president, has divided our country as it was cruelly split in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Thank you for your brilliant photos before and during the Trump presidency. You illustrate our uneasy feelings about this president with your camera..
28
Thank you for taking such brilliant, insightful photos, Mr. Mills.
18
"We are in historic times. Trump’s presidency drives every photographer in town that I work with, and compete against, because there has been so much drama. You never know what’s coming next."
For me, this sums up the superficiality of these times and the reason for Trump's success as a headline. The press largely hates what he stands for - which is literally nothing but himself - but adores the fact that his name and image sells papers.
We're being hoisted by the petard of commercialism, of capitalism in the press, and it's destroying us. But as long as the drama continues, America's slavish appetite for entertainment will prevent any reasonable reassessment of this disaster in fast-motion.
31
Anyone who can make Donald Trump look even vaguely presidential is clearly a genius. Kudos, Mr. Mills, you're very gifted.
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@sarah: Because there is nothing positive about the "president."
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@sarah
It's not the "left" - it's anyone who aspires to something better than this obvious improviser ignoramus and liar. Even the "right" should want a better president than this.
29
@Sarah - I worked for Bob Dole - and I have absolutely nothing positive to say about this president.
8
You have made me want to look more closely at the photographs and dig for context that they reveal.
9
Kind of naive article. Framing, angles, lighting, etc all have important power in creating an impression. There is no objective truth, even in a photo (video has more opportunities for unfiltered truth). There is only a subjective communication of the photographer's contrived design or dumb-luck to accurately interpret the experience. The White House photog treads a tenuous trail by subjecting himself to an interview that could threaten the trust of an aware and sensitive central subject. So you see photos of the females in the Pres' life to appeal to his singular generosity. No matter. Thanks for your excellent reportage in a singularly historic period. With luck we'll be able to exploit the current chaos to create the better world that we all want and know we can achieve given the right leadership.
7
@sarah: Can you elaborate on the great things trump has done for this country?
43
Tough job covering Trump ... one can only imagine how to best capture his image.
5
And you won’t hear a complaint from him. He’s been doing his job a long time, he’s very good at it. He’s not there to judge, he’s there to document. WE, on the other hand, are free to judge that documentation and draw our own conclusions. If you’re tempted to buy into Trump’s Snake Oil sales pitch that the press is “the enemy of the people,” Sarah, then “photo dog” Mills is a perfect example of why you would be a fool to do so.
15
Mussolini took a good photo also, most despots do.
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@sarah The military does not hold him in high esteem. He promised them a 10% raise. They knew he was lying. It wasn't fake news and was well documented.
2
Between myself, and all the other readers, There are no photos of trump that are flattering.
And the embroidered "45"? Gauche? Tacky? ... l can't quite come up with the appropriate word.
54
I’m sure you were unfailingly positive about President Obama too.
14
@sarah His wife was pregnant at the time.
2
@sarah If you're bored, you can always find another way to spend your time. My impression of the commentariat here is that readers don't want to destroy *the president*; they just don't want to see institutions at the heart of our democracy destroyed BY him and his supporters in Congress. They don't want the environment destroyed. They don't want effective trade relationships destroyed. They don't want long-standing international cooperation destroyed. They don't want families destroyed. They don't want the economy destroyed.
Myself, I'd like to see this administration voted out and its policies overturned in the next election. I want to avoid destruction, not help create it.
12
Thanks for this interview. As a photographer, I admire how Doug Mills’ photos express a point of view. You always know when he made the photo. There’s a wit and subtle commentary to his work that transcend mere reportage.
9
@ASD32
Yes.There's really nonsuch thing as not having an agenda. A photographer without an agenda can' take meaningful photos. I think he meant no political agenda.
1
The fact that Trump allows more photo time than any other president that Mills has covered speaks to Trump's pathological narcissism. As to whether or not the photos, when published in the NY Times, are "horrible" (as one commenter wrote) depends upon a comparison of pictures published of Trump over the years.
I've been following Trump since the 70's, and I can't think of a single published photo of him that I would say flatters the man - each and every one reveal an arrogant man who believes himself to be the king of all he surveys. He is never pictured showing compassion for anyone else in the picture, never shown to be humble, and his expression rarely changes. It's Trump himself who is "unflattering", and most pictures capture that quality very well.
107
Great to get the perspective of Mr. Mills....and thanks to all who make the paper my main source of news. Despite Trumps mafia, I still believe the Times to be a reliable source of trusted news...and that includes the pictures.
145
@sarah, I don’t think Bob was using the word literally, but if you believe Trump has literally nothing to do with the Mafia, then you know nothing about the construction business in NYC, particularly in the years Trump was operating.
21
Great and interesting piece. Made great sense, the comparisons of the earlier Presidents. Good Job.
43
Fantastic. Thanks so much for the photos and the insight.
30
Very much enjoyed reading Mr. Estrin's interview. Mr. Mills' comments and comparison of Presidents over the years were illustrative and insightful. Clearly the vicissitudes of politics has affected access to media photographers over the years.
Perhaps most of all, my takeaway from this conversation is how the current POTUS is so self-involved that he takes the time to review, and criticize or commend Mr. Mills on his work, yet Mr. Mills never mentions anything like that concerning the others he has photographed.
Surely that aspect is not "news" for the majority of us, but the seemingly unlimited access the photographic press has in relation to former Presidents underscores how this presidency is being treated as a TV show aiming for audience ratings, rather than as reportage on governing for the public interest.
61
@wysiwyg no. He compares to Reagan.
4
We owe a lot to these photographers, like Doug Mills. They provide the visual record of our history. They are writing history books, in a sense, with images. They provide an indispensable context. Thanks to all of you.
76
Nice article with an interesting insight from inside the White House. Thanks!
15
Mr. Mills, your 'pictures paint a thousand words,' and they are exceptional. Thank you for sharing them along with your conversation with Mr. Estrin
I do not like nor respect this man for a multitude of reasons. The first time I scrolled through these photographs I saw arrogance in each. The one that jump-started this feeling was the 45 on his cuff. I scrolled through again and again and found myself left with an emotion that surprised me, empathy. Donald John Trump is a troubled soul.
The photos your share of Mrs. Trump and his daughter Ivanka; I saw two character actresses who are very familiar with being photographed.
Mr. Mills, I thank you again for sharing these exceptional photographs. I will add this article to the time capsule box I started for my three daughters the day he was elected president. My gut told me our young Democracy was about to embark on a historical and unprecedented journey.
50