Diana Walker, Award-Winning Photojournalist

Willy welcomes Diana Walker, his mother. She is well-known for her work as a Time magazine White House photographer from 1984 to 2004. Before getting her big break, she freelanced for weddings and bar mitzvahs. She has covered historical moments and figures of the United States, such as Walter Mondale's presidential campaign, Steve Jobs' life, and the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Diana begins by talking about her early love for photography. She used to take many pictures as a child and had a darkroom in the basement to process her film. A friend offered to do a photography business with her, and she started earning as a freelance photographer. A friend referred her to a job at The Washington Monthly, getting credentials to photograph in the White House. As she built her portfolio, more opportunities came. Eventually, she was hired by Time Magazine to take photos side-by-side with Rosalynn Carter, the first lady to former president Jimmy Carter, during her trips, most notably in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over. One of her iconic photos was of the late Queen Elizabeth giving a speech and then-president Ronald Reagan laughing behind her. She obtained it by taking note of the event schedule given to the press and borrowing a monopod from a San Francisco Chronicle journalist after fumbling to assemble hers. The challenge of camera technology in the '80s was getting the right shot without having the chance to check if you really got it and exposing it correctly. Her image of Walter Mondale speaking to the press gained attention for showing "why he wasn't leading the polls."
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