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Shealah Craighead

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Shealah Craighead
Craighead in 2020
Chief Official White House Photographer
In office
January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPete Souza
Succeeded byAdam Schultz
Personal details
Born (1976-09-25) September 25, 1976 (age 49)[1]
Connecticut, U.S.
EducationLesley University (BFA)

Shealah Craighead (born September 25, 1976) is an American government photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer for Donald Trump's first presidency. She was the second female chief photographer in White House history, after Sharon Farmer in 1998.[2] Craighead was official photographer to former First Lady Laura Bush in the administration of George W. Bush.[3]

Early life and family

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Craighead was born on September 25, 1976, in Connecticut 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."[4] She wanted to work in Washington, D.C.[4]

Career

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Craighead photographing Marine One in 2017

Craighead attended Belmont University and earned a BFA from Lesley University in 2002.[5][6] 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.[4]

Craighead became the official photographer to First Lady Laura Bush during the George W. Bush administration and photographed Jenna Bush Hager's wedding in 2008.[4][7][8] That same year, Craighead became the campaign photographer for Sarah Palin.[9][10] She also worked for senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Marco Rubio during his presidential campaign and Senate career.[4]

In 2017, Craighead was named the official White House photographer for Donald Trump.[11][12] The Trump administration employed a total of four photographers with different specialties including fashion, military, and administration.[4]

During the 2019 Koreas–United States DMZ Summit, when Trump became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea, Craighead made "a split-second decision" to cross the border line to photograph Trump with North Korean chairman Kim Jong Un.[13]

The confrontation between Pelosi and Trump in 2019

Craighead photographed Nancy Pelosi standing to address a seated Trump in an October 2019 meeting at the White House, which attracted media attention.[14][15] She later remarked that Trump liked to "control the lighting, the production, and the show basically", and that he preferred posed over candid photographs.[16]

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.[17][18]

In addition to photographing politicians, she has also worked for corporations in the private sector.[4]

Craighead uses a stool while taking photos as she is 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) tall.[4]

References

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  1. ↑ Craighead, Shealah (September 25, 2017). "I never get tired of birthdays. They open up a new year of possibilities. Each month in the year ahead is like opening a cleverly and beautifully wrapped surprise". Instagram.
  2. ↑ Epstein, Rachel (January 18, 2018). "The Woman Behind the Lens: Meet White House Photographer Shealah Craighead". Marie Claire. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. ↑ Jacobs, Sarah (August 8, 2017). "Trump's Official White House Photographer reveals how she gained his trust". AOL. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Flock, Elizabeth (August 7, 2017). "What it's like to be President Trump's White House photographer". PBS (Newshour Productions). Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ Belmont University, Alumni News (June 19, 2020). "Shealah Craighead ('99) Works as Second Female Chief White House Photographer". Belmont University Alumni News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ Craighead, Shealah (December 22, 2022). "Shealah Craighead Linkedin". Linkedin. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ Stelter, Brian (January 21, 2017). "Trump team closing in on White House photographer who worked with Bushes". CNN.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  8. ↑ Epstein, Rachel (January 18, 2018). "The Woman Behind the Lens: Meet White House Photographer Shealah Craighead". Marie Claire. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ Newsweek. Newsweek, Incorporated. 2008.
  10. ↑ Scott Conroy; Shushannah Walshe (November 2010). Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. PublicAffairs. pp. 218–. ISBN 978-1-58648-904-5.[permanent dead link]
  11. ↑ Laurent, Olivia. "Meet President Trump's Official White House Photographer". Time. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  12. ↑ Sekkai, Kahina (January 27, 2017). "Shealah Craighead, la photographe officielle de Donald Trump". Paris Match. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Kevin (April 4, 2025). "Behind the Scenes at the White House: Photographers Tell Stories Words Can't Capture". National Press Foundation. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Whose meltdown? The story behind the photo". BBC News. October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  15. ↑ Flynn, Meagan (October 17, 2019). "Trump tried to insult 'unhinged' Pelosi with an image. She made it her Twitter cover photo". Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  16. ↑ Sullivan, Kate (March 13, 2021). "How one photographer shapes the way the world sees Joe Biden". CNN. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ Lipton, Eric (March 31, 2022). "She Took the White House Photos. Trump Moved to Take the Profit". The New York Times.
  18. ↑ "Trump swooped in to profit from White House photographer's book deal – report". The Guardian. March 31, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
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