By now many of you have probably seen the Daily Cal photos and slideshows, as well as the election issue front cover. Election night was an all streetlamp-lit night photography affair, which is pretty much the pinnacle of low-light difficulty (unless you were to cover news by moonlight, I suppose). Combined with all of the fast-paced action, it made for one of the more challenging shoots in my favorite specialty area.
Members of the public watch a broadcast of Senator Barack Obama's victory speech at the IGS Library in Moses Hall
Part 1: Results Viewing at Moses Hall
I had classes throughout the day on Tuesday, so the first event I caught was the viewing party for members of the public (mostly Cal Dems) at the Institute of Government Studies (IGS) at Moses Hall. There was a large screen set up inside the IGS library, where a crowd of mostly tepid adults were watching. I stayed here for a few minutes, but it quickly became apparent that this was probably the least energetic group of election results viewers in the entire city – the entire crowd sat throughout the broadcast in absolutely silence, without a single cheer or handclap as each of the states in the presidential race were called. Meanwhile, the group of students watching under an outdoor tent set up in the courtyard between Moses and Stephens Hall were letting out whoops and hollers that could be heard through the windows, so I decided to head out there in hopes of catching a little more enthusiasm.
