While conducting a photo shoot on the shores of Washington DC’s tidal basin this week, photographer Briana Inell captured an unlikely photobomber in her frame: former president Barack Obama.
Inell, a maternity and family photographer based in DC, was shooting portraits of preschooler Belle Thomas and her one-year-old brother, Preston, in the tidal basin, which blooms with cherry blossom each year.
“I’m used to a bunch of tourists walking in on my photos,” Inell explains on Instagram. “Usually I just tell my clients not to worry about them because I can always just Photoshop them out.”
Inell was focused on her young subjects but the grandparents of the children noticed the secret service agent walking behind the 6-foot-1 recognizable figure who strolled through the back of the shot. The photographer caught wind of what was happening and asked: “Um, was that Obama who walked by?”
Inell went to check back through the photos and sure enough, she had captured Obama walking past in a few of the frames as the two children stood on a low wall.
The photo shoot was taking place early in the morning, 7:30 AM, which Inell says is a “magical time” when the sunlight breaks over the Tidal Basin. Obama agrees, sharing photos of the DC cherry blossom in an Instagram post.
Despite being just four years old, Belle understands the significance of being photobombed by the former president. “What! Barack Obama is in my picture?” she said after hearing about it.
Belle and Preston’s mom, Portia Moore, also shared the story on Instagram which prompted a response from the 44th president. “Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot,” Obama jokes.
More of Inell’s work can be found on her Instagram and website.
Image credits: Photographs by Briana Inell
