Photographing the prez
Palm Beacher Anna Wilding recalls her time in the White House press corps.
Marine One had just landed on the South Lawn and Anna Wilding was standing 20 feet away among the press with her camera in hand, ready to capture the 44th president head back into the White House when Barack Obama did something out of character.
“Obama never does this,” a correspondent with the press corps told Wilding on that late summer afternoon in 2015. “It looks like he’s coming our way.”
And, sure enough, Obama walked toward the group, where Wilding was nervously trying to calculate how to use the last four shots in her camera before it ran out of memory.
“Obama was literally standing in front of my face. I was talking and meeting the president of the United States,” said Wilding, who moved to Palm Beach in November. “I took my shots. And, three of the four shots turned out to be beautiful. That was my first day at the White House.”
Wilding had joined the White House press corps after a series of background checks. She spent three to five days a week serving as a photographer and occasional reporter for the Herald de Paris, Huffington Post and an Israeli televsion network. Her photos were shared worldwide through Splash News and some of her images of Michelle Obama appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Wilding was there to capture some of the Obamas’ most intimate and public moments. Behind closed doors of the Oval Office, she even found herself connecting with the former president.
“Obama looked up at me and said, ‘I am just an island boy. Who knew I’d ever be sitting here?’ He was still overwhelmed six or seven years later to be sitting in the Oval Office,” Wilding said. “I understood what he was saying, coming from a small island myself. I understood when he said, ‘I really can’t believe I’m here’ because I, too, really couldn’t believe I was there.”
Wilding grew up in New Zealand but came to America at 16 to pursue acting. After spending time in front of the camera, she produced several films. Her most famous work was the documentary “Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut,” which looked at racism toward Asians in New Zealand.
“My first impression of Anna is more of a visualization of her. She is artistic and very interested in life,” said Karen Allison, a longtime friend and artist from New York. “Anna is always working and always has been very creative. I am interested to see what she does next since she’s not fixed in a pattern.”
After two years in busy D.C., Wilding moved to Palm Beach in September with her husband, James Sved. Sved, who lived in Palm Beach years ago, called this homecoming special because he gets to see his beloved town through the fresh eyes of his wife.
In terms of Wilding’s White House days, Sved said, “I was
thrilled that she got to work under such a gentle administration.” He explained that being a correspondent gave Wilding the “opportunity to be a different kind of storyteller.”
Before Wilding stepped foot in the White House, she was working with a team to produce films and documentaries “for the greater good.” But D.C. was a “different environment,” where Wilding had to control her emotions during difficult moments and find ways to show and describe the impact of American politics to domestic and international markets.
“You are filing the first reports that America hears, that the world hears,” Wilding said. “And there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that.”
Wilding’s artistic character that her friends and family talked about was evident as she reminisced about the times in the White House like they were scenes from an upcoming film.
She talked about a “bromance unfolding in front of my eyes” between Obama and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Obama laughing with former Vice President Joe Biden, and the tears that Obama shed as he addressed the nation about unnecessary gun violence.
“I love photographing Obama because his emotions are so close to the surface in a more subtle way, where [Donald] Trump might be more out-front with his expressions,” said Wilding.
Wilding also recalled Michelle Obama’s twangy South Chicago accent and described her as “a goddess” and “powerhouse” while pointing out colorful moments where Michelle Obama went above and beyond her role as first lady, setting a precedent for the next generation of White House women.
“I think we all think that Melania isn’t doing enough, but she isn’t expected or required to do more,” said Wilding. “It’s just that Michelle Obama made the most of it. Melania will learn her way.”
The transition from Obama to Trump was “imbued with this sense of chaos,” according to Wilding. She observed that the staff Trump brought in at “first seemed less experienced in politics and D.C. in general,” but added that Trump did try to open up the press room to all media outlets instead of the few that were favored during the Obama administration.
Wilding didn’t want to talk about her political views, but she did discuss golf.
“People berate presidents for playing golf too much, but that’s the only freedom they have, where they can stand a mile away from Secret Service officers,” she said. “So, I never begrudged any presidency by how much golf they played. It’s important for their well-being that they play golf, even for Trump.”
So would she be a White House photographer and reporter again? No.
Wilding enjoyed her time reporting but feels she can affectmore people by getting directly involved in politics, specifically focusing on sexual harassment and women’s equality.
“I personally learned so much, but I think I have more to offer inside (politics) than I do as a media person,” said Wilding. “I’ve always felt that I’ve wanted to make a difference in the world.”
For now, she’s figuring out what to do next in Palm Beach — and she isn’t ruling out local politics. She also plans to work on her skincare line, Kalon Skincare, and to find work that lets her be creative behind the camera again.
“I’m always looking for interesting projects.”