The work of CandidatePhotos co-founder Chris Fitzgerald is now available via The Image Works. Covering 20 presidential candidates and 30 states, the collection depicts the two-year period preceding the recent U.S. election.
Fitzgerald spent the first year in New Hampshire, following candidates before most media outlets became interested in the race. The next 10 months were a road trip, during which Fitzgerald visited key election states to photograph candidates and grassroots volunteer activities. When Barack Obama emerged as a major candidate, Fitzgerald focused on the effects of this candidacy on the African-American community.
According to Fitzgerald, the unique quality of CandidatePhotos comes from the photographer staying outside the media pack. “I would be outside the buffer shooting what the traveling press couldn’t get, different viewpoints. This approach allowed me to cover the candidates from a different perspective. I also captured a lot of the raw emotions of the people because I could move throughout the audience,” explains the photographer.