Eric Draper is an American news photographer who also worked as the White House photo director and personal photographer for U.S. President George W. Bush.[1]

Eric Draper
Chief Official White House Photographer
In office
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded bySharon Farmer
Succeeded byPete Souza
Personal details
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationPhotojournalist

Biography and career

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Born and raised in Los Angeles,[2] Draper worked for the Associated Press as a news photographer prior to joining the White House. His assignments included the 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns, the 2000 Summer Olympics[3] in Sydney, Australia, the Kosovo conflict[4] in 1999 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup[5] in France.

Over the years, Draper has also worked as a staff photographer for The Seattle Times, the Pasadena Star-News and the Albuquerque Tribune.[6]

Draper is a graduate of Cerritos College[7] and California State University, Long Beach.[8]

Awards

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Draper won the Associated Press Managing Editors' Award for three consecutive years, the 1999 National Headliner Award and was named 1992 Photographer of the Year by Scripps-Howard Newspapers for "Seeing Through the Flames", which was his coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[9]

Books

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In April 2013, Draper released his collection of White House photos in Front Row Seat: A Photographic Portrait of the Presidency of George W. Bush. The book presents a behind-the-scenes view of the Bush presidency through Draper's photographs, from Bush's everyday moments to historically significant scenes of crisis, most especially September 11, 2001. Time's LightBox said, "Draper's portrait of Bush is authentic."[10] The Washington Post noted, "Draper's book provides a unique and intimate look into his relationship with former President George W. Bush over eight dramatic years that changed America."[11]

Personal

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Draper lives in New Mexico where is now an independent political, corporate and editorial photographer. He lives with his wife and two dogs, and is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "White House Photo Director Eric Draper". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. ^ "An Interview with Eric Draper, George W. Bush's Presidential Photographer". PetaPixel. June 24, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "SLAM! Sports: 2000 Summer Games Photo Gallery". www.canoe.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2001. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "Kosovo refugees wait for vaccinations at a Macedonian camp". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  5. ^ "SLAM! Photo gallery". www.canoe.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "White House Photo Director Eric Draper". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. ^ "Cerritos College - Cerritos College News Release March 2014". cms.cerritos.edu. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  8. ^ "College of Liberal Arts, CSULB » Blog Archive » Alumni Event: An Evening with Eric Draper, White House photographer and CSULB Journalism alum". www.cla.csulb.edu. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  9. ^ "Photo Editors Who Made a Difference". Lens Blog. The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Calabresi, Massimo. "Front Row Seat: Eric Draper on George W. Bush". Time. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Grann, Nathaniel (April 25, 2013). ""Front Row Seat: A photographic Portrait of the Presidency of George W. Bush" by Eric Draper". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
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