Assignment: Michelle Rhee, DC Education Chancellor

Photo Editor: Dietmar Liz-Lepiorz

Assistants: Gerard Gaskin and Aurelie Graillot

Last November I was assigned by Dietmar Liz Lepiorz at Time Magazine to photograph DC education chancellor Michelle Rhee. 

A secondary image ran inside. The shot of her hands crossed was originally in the magazine. A few hours before press, they decided to go with a “softer” look, so used the head shot. (They left the desk shot on the website).

But it was the cover image that seemingly incited a controversial response, that even got a little time on the Newshour May 5. Here’s a nice bootleg clip.

Can you blame it on the image?

Did the photograph really have the effect of demoralizing the teachers? 

Or did the image reinforce already negative feelings the community had and give them ammunition to interpret it with bias? 

And just for the record, here is another shot that didn’t make the magazine. And I don’t think seeing this image would have won the teachers over to Michelle Rhee.

What would they be saying if Time ran this one?