This work began simply enough with the realization that every four years I think I should photograph the lead up to the Iowa Caucuses. That there was not an incumbent or an obvious heir to the office and that both political parties had a large number of contenders made it much easier to pursue. The intention is to describe the hand shaking, the look ‘em in the eye nature of retail politics in Iowa.

There were pleasant surprises as I pursued the project. The first is recognizing how seriously Iowa voters take the caucus process. They attend event after event, come prepared to ask thoughtful questions and, yes, they do want to look each candidate in the eye and to get a sense of them. As a comparatively small and rural state Iowa affords a perfect venue for first hand appraisal of these people who would be President. These photographs comprise a pictorial civics lesson.
Another surprise has been being welcomed as part of the “press corps” although I worked with an 8” x 10” format camera. I laughed as I watched the 35mm digital photographers dance around as they worked. It was also humorous to be crowded into a press van with my equipment or to join a scrum of photographers gathered around a candidate.

The camera often functioned like a magnet drawing candidates to cooperate with being photographed. It provided an opportunity to remind Senator Obama that another Senator from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, credited his election to photography.