Erik M. Lunsford and I had the opportunity to photograph the arrival of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden at Lambert St. Louis International Airport today. Any time you cover politics, especially related to the presidential campaigns, there is a lot of down time. You get there early, and security officials search you and your gear thoroughly. Then you wait.

A freshman student from Washington University, Matt Mitgang, took the opportunity during this downtime to approach Erik and ask him for tips. He humbly admitted this was the first “political event” he has covered. Good job, Matt. The photo world is generally very friendly. I like to help a photographer in need, and several professionals helped me as student to get me to where I am today.

After a little photo talk and listening to Erik’s advice, I checked out his attire. Nice shoes, I thought. “I always pull those out when politics are involved,” Erik said. I bet Matt approached him for help because he looked so spiffy. Never hurts to try to outdress the candidates