Shealah Craighead (born September 25, 1976) is an American government photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer for President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. She was the second female chief photographer in White House history, after Sharon Farmer in 1998. Craighead was official photographer to former First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

in the

administration of George W. Bush George W. Bush's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 43rd president of the United States began with First inauguration of George W. Bush, his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Repu ...

Early life and family

Craighead was born on September 25, 1976, in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

where her parents owned a photo lab. As she grew up, Craighead said she "had always wanted to do something that involved traveling the world and living in hotels. And that involved photography." She wanted to work in Washington, D.C.

Career

Craighead attended Belmont University and earned a BFA from Lesley University in 2002. After college, she worked as a freelance photographer for the ''Boston Globe'', Associated Press, and Getty Images. In 2005, she worked for David Bohrer, the official photographer for Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

. Craighead became the official photographer to First Lady

during the

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

administration and photographed Jenna Bush Hager's wedding in 2008. That same year, Craighead became the campaign photographer for

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. She also worked for senators

Kay Bailey Hutchison Kay Bailey Hutchison (born Kathryn Ann Bailey; July 22, 1943) is an American attorney, television correspondent, politician, diplomat, and was the 22nd United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 2017 until 2021. A member of the Republi ...

and

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...

during his and presidential campaign and Senate career. In 2017, Craighead was named the official

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

photographer for

. The Trump administration employed a total of four photographers with different specialties including fashion, military, and administration. Craighead photographed

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

standing to address a seated Trump in an October 2019 meeting at the White House, which attracted media attention. She later remarked that Trump liked to "control the lighting, the production, and the show basically", and that he preferred posed over

candid Candid may refer to: * Candid (app), a mobile app for anonymous discussions * Candid (organization), providing information on US nonprofit companies * Candid Records, a record label * Ilyushin Il-76, NATO reporting name ''Candid'', a Soviet aircraf ...

photographs. After he left office, Trump used many photographs taken by Craighead to produce a book, but did not credit her work or that of other photographers. In addition to photographing politicians, she has also worked for corporations in the private sector. Craighead uses a stool while taking photos as she is tall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craighead, Shealah Living people Trump administration personnel White House photographers 21st-century American photographers Photographers from Connecticut 1976 births 21st-century American women photographers