Vincent Orange, fighting Kwame Brown for Gray’s seat, went with a smaller Cadillac SUV than his competitor. What, he couldn’t afford an orange paint job?

The photographer who snapped the picture of President Barack Obama posing for a “selfie” with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt thinks everyone needs to chill out about the nontroversy.

The photo, taken after Obama delivered his eulogy at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela, provoked harsh criticism. The look (or should we say non-look) on First Lady Michelle Obama’s face also grabbed attention and spawned this stupid New York Post cover.

Roberto Schmidt, the AFP photojournalist behind the photo, says in a blog post he took the photos “spontaneously, without thinking about what impact they might have. At the time, I thought the world leaders were simply acting like human beings, like me and you.” How dare he assume we think rationally! Here’s the story behind the photos:

Anyway, suddenly this woman pulled out her mobile phone and took a photo of herself smiling with Cameron and the US president. I captured the scene reflexively. All around me in the stadium, South Africans were dancing, singing and laughing to honour their departed leader. It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid. The ceremony had already gone on for two hours and would last another two. The atmosphere was totally relaxed – I didn’t see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the US or not. We are in Africa.

Oh, and about the First Lady?

I later read on social media that Michelle Obama seemed to be rather peeved on seeing the Danish prime minister take the picture. But photos can lie. In reality, just a few seconds earlier the first lady was herself joking with those around her, Cameron and Schmidt included. Her stern look was captured by chance.

Boy context is great, isn’t it?

Filed Under: nontroversies, president obama, selfies,