Photographs by Shealah Craighead
At the beginning of September, Shealah Craighead—one of five White House photographers—was snapping pictures of First Lady Laura Bush. Days later, she was swept into the whirlwind of the most electrifying presidential campaign in recent history; hired on the spotby the Republican National Committee to serve as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's personal photographer. Craighead took thousands of photos of the Alaska governor, her family and her supporters, during two months on the campaign trail. She still maintains professional correspondence with Palin. "Who you see behind the scenes is who you get out front, which is one thing I admired about her," Craighead tells NEWSWEEK. "Seeing her with her family ... being a mom, going over flashcards with Piper—that doesn't change with her." Here, a selection of previously unreleased photos of some of Palin's intimate moments on the trail.
