Bloomberg photographer Andrew Harrer has worked in Washington, D.C., since August 2009, covering a variety of subjects, many of them involving the Federal Reserve. After four-and-a-half years on the beat, he’s become very familiar with outgoing Fed chairman Ben Bernanke. Andrew also covers the White House, Capitol Hill and everything in between. Most recently, he’s been covering the government shutdown, the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling.
In Depth recently spoke with Andrew to discuss his experiences covering Bernanke, the Fed and life as a photographer in Washington.
How did you end up covering Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve?
The first time I photographed him was probably the best assignment. We were out at the Jackson Lake Lodge, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at the Federal Reserve Symposium. That was the first time I photographed him – it was him and Timothy Geithner, and it was probably one of the best photos I ever got of the two of them. The Teton Mountains were in the background. That was a great start to my almost six years covering Bernanke.
What approach did you take when you were photographing Bernanke?
I’m always on the lookout for something different. A lot of times, you see him in hearing rooms, and that can get boring pretty quick. So for a lot of my subjects, but especially him, you’re looking for unique facial expressions and different angles from him, and to use the lighting to your advantage. He has a signature look — with his hair, you can pretty much always recognize that it’s him. So you want to find interesting features and use those features to make your photos different. Another signature part of his look is his beard; my team leader encouraged me to concentrate my camera on this feature when I was covering his hearings – very useful advice.
Was it difficult to get a “behind-the-scenes” view of Bernanke and the Fed?
You didn’t have much access to him. He was a pretty closed-off character. You didn’t see much besides hearings, or if he spoke at the Brookings Institute. I wished there was more access.
The Fed is more closed off, it seems, than even the White House. Going through security, there’s a lot more to it. I have no trouble getting into [the White House], but for the Federal Reserve, you’ve got to be on the list well in advance. They screen everyone and everything.
But I think by working at Bloomberg, I’ve created a good rapport with their press people. For example, over the weekend, I got an email from one of them because he didn’t see my name on the list to cover Janet Yellen’s introductory press conference. For the events that I can cover, they want to make sure I’m there.
One of your memorable recent photos was a shot of Bernanke walking away after his final press conference as Fed chairman. Could you tell us a bit about how you captured that moment?
I had covered probably six or eight of those press conferences before, so I was trying to come up with something different this time – like with low angles, or maybe using TV monitors. I knew I wanted to get him walking off, since it was his last press conference, so I positioned myself in the middle there, just to get him and the desk and the two flags in focus. I knew in my mind that was the kind of photo I wanted – to capture him walking away. I positioned myself in the middle, and as he left, I hit motordrive at 11 frames a second and hoped he was in focus. I was able to get him walking away.
What will the job be like now, with Janet Yellen taking over?
It was fun for me to photograph her taking the oath. After photographing Bernanke on Friday and then photographing Yellen on Monday, it seemed like a new beginning. It’s something I can work with and try to do something different.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
© 2014 Bloomberg Finance LP