5 Questions for Tipper Gore

You got your start as a photojournalist for the Nashville Tennessean before your husband was elected to Congress in 1976. Has photography affected your work in politics and your life as a public figure?

I feel comfortable behind a camera, as an observer of events as well as a participant. Our life in public service has given me unique opportunities to photograph people and places I would not otherwise have seen. Where the issue of homeless people and programs are concerned, I was able to replace statistics with a human face, with the hope of inspiring individual and community action.

What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

I like trying to capture the humanity and spirit of people on the streets, around the world.  I love photographing landscapes, trees and water in particular.

Your photos in the Spring issue provide a visual argument for climate change. Are there any other places you’ve traveled that revealed this to you, or was this experience unique?

I visited and photographed New Orleans a year after Hurricane Katrina and The Tennessean ran the photos that showed the devastation and inaction.

What cameras do you use?

I use the Canon EOS 40D, and Canon 5DMark II. I also like the Leica D-Lux 3 and the Canon G10 as pocket cameras.

Considering your access to significant events in US history, was there any one moment when you wished you had had a camera with you?

I’m rarely without one, anywhere.