Michelle Obama visits Eglin

As a photojournalist, I love taking on new, challenging assignments that push me to think outside the box and produce something more creative. I also love when those assignments involve another exciting element to them...like first lady Michelle Obama. Thursday afternoon she arrived to Eglin Air Force Base to speak to military families and show them her support. I was bused onto the base where I waited for over two hours for her appearance. The hangar was hot, but the crowd was patient. The wait was worth it.

The top picture was taken after her speech as she greeted several military families and exchanged comforting words and hugs. This image was published in the paper and submitted to the AP wire where I discovered it on yahoo news later that evening. The next photo was also published in the paper on the inside cover. She was walking the stairs where she would wait for Maj. Gen. Charles R. Davis to introduce her to the crowd (even though she really didn't need an introduction):



Here is a wide shot of the amount of people waiting for her to speak in the hangar. There was another press section directly behind the crowd on the left. There were about 1,100 people there:



The first lady waved to several of the crowd members as she finished her speech. I found the flag in the background as a great backdrop and took advantage it:



Before she gave her speech, I noticed she smiled a few times from the introduction the Major General was giving. After I snapped this photo, I noticed the woman in the background holding a baby was looking at her admiringly:



The crowd smiles, claps, and listens intently as the first lady gives her speech:



Michelle Obama sympathizes with the military and their families as she tells them how much she is in awe by them:



After the exit of the first lady, I saw these two women gushing over the pictures one of them took. So many people were emotional over the few minutes they got to listen to her or look directly into her eyes as she keenly looked back into theirs.



I knew the experience was humbling to me as I walked out of the hangar with a CF card full of pictures of the first lady. I hardly saw that assignment coming and barely had a chance to absorb the atmosphere before I was back to the office editing away. Assignments and opportunities like this remind me of how great it is to be a photographer.