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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Obama pics: The College Years

A 1980 photo shoot reveals a playful side of the President-elect 

Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack



 























Chance Encounter
In 1980, when Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he was approached by an aspiring photographer named Lisa Jack, who asked him if he would be willing to pose for some black and white photographs that she could use in her portfolio.

Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack

Handsome
Of her first meeting (in a campus eatery) with Obama, Jack remembers only that "He was really cute. But what else does a 20-year-old girl remember?

Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Styled
In the photos, Jack says, "You can see he is just posing, initially, but as the shoot goes on, he starts to come out. He was very charismatic even then."



Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Prop
Jack never realized her dream of becoming a photographer and is now a psychologist.


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Pose
Jack and Obama would see each other only a few more times while students. But in 2005, while on a tour, she spotted Obama on Capitol Hill and yelled hello. "He knew exactly who I was after all this time," Jack says. "I was amazed."


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Doubt
On a dare from a skeptical friend, Jack decided to track down her negatives from the shoot.


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Searcher 
Initially, before she dug the film out from her basement, Jack never thought her pictures would have much life beyond her own darkroom.


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Smile
When she found them, the images of Obama "blew me away," she says. "I had no idea I'd taken a whole roll of film."


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Charm
For a while, Jack put the negatives in a safety-deposit box, so that they could not be used until after the election, when there would be no chance they could be used for a political purpose.


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
Thoughtful
Today, Jack says, she hopes the photos reveal a "spirit of fun and thoughtfulness."


Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles photographer named Lisa Jack
The Man Who Would Be President
"I'm not political," Jack says, "(But) these are historic photos and they should be shared."


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