Photographer: Scott McClurg

When I found out — only the day before — that I’d be photographing President George W. Bush’s Sept. 4 visit to Kansas City, I had the same reaction I usually have when the commander in chief is in town: a tiny bit of excitement and a lot of frustration.

President George W. Bush shows his many faces during a speech on the economy Sept. 4 at the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City, Mo.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s always an important event when a president comes to town, and it’s our duty to cover the events, if for no other purpose than to record its historical importance.

It’s understandable that security is always tight when presidents are involved, but when you are told to have your gear in place for a 6 a.m. security sweep in preparation for an event that isn’t scheduled to begin until five hours later, you get a little sleepy.

So after my 4 a.m. wake-up call, I placed my gear and waited. I waited to get back into the building. Then I waited to get through security again. Then, once I got inside, I waited another couple of hours.

It doesn’t matter where you shoot pictures of the president, they almost all look the same. The media is placed on a stage far, far away. There’s always a podium and a generic-looking background. About an hour before the speech, someone puts the presidential seal on the podium. Usually the crowd goes nuts at this point. I’m not sure, but I think it means the president has landed.

Once the president actually hits the stage, you shoot like the Jayhawks are in the Final Four. Every time the president moves his hands, you hear a whir of cameras clicking. You shoot every lens in your bag, but since you can’t move, your pictures tend to all look the same.

Despite all the negatives from a photographer’s perspective, it’s still important to cover presidential events. For better or worse, unexpected things can and do happen, and for this reason alone, it’s imperative not only to be there, but also to be ready for the unexpected.