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Where Shepard Fairey Got that Obama Pose for the Poster
Barack Obama was sitting next to George Clooney at a 2006 National Press Club event in Washington D.C. when freelance photographer Mannie Garcia snapped some shots of the now-president for the Associated Press. One o those images is now one of the most famous in the world. "It looks like the image that poster artist Shepard Fairey said looked presidential, telling the Washington Post: 'He is gazing off into the future, saying, 'I can guide you,' ' actually showed our new president listening to George Clooney. Or, probably more likely, fellow Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.)," said photographer and sleuth blogger Tom Gralish of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gralish was obsessed with finding the photo behind the Obama poster and he finally did.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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