Micah Walter

I spent the day covering a hearing on the cost of gas in the US. I think the best moment was when one of the chairmen asked the panel to explain what controls the cost of a galon of gas and the CEO of Exxon Mobil replied with (in a nutshell) Saudi Arabia.

Lee R. Raymond, 66, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation testifies before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee November 9, 2005 on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. for a joint hearing on energy pricing and profits.

A last minute call from my editor brought me to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to wait for the parents of a soldier who had gone missing two Aprils ago in Iraq. The parents of Matt Maupin finally showed up as the sun was setting and made their statements to the press. They are shown here hugging and shaking hands with a couple from Cincinnati who just happened to be in the area and seemed to feel very strongly about their situation.

The parents of Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin met Friday with Department of Defense officials over the status of the government’s search for their son. Maupin was declared captured and missing after an April 9, 2004 attack on his convoy near Baghdad. “We asked for it because of the frustration that we weren’t hearing anything.” Keith Maupin said November 4, 2005 in Washington, DC.

Just a quick hearing on the possibilities of a “Bird Flu” outbreak.

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt swears in prior to giving testimony before the House Government Reform Committee November 4, 2005 in Washington, DC. The committee met to hear testimony on the topic of “The National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan” and to discuss how the U.S. may or may not be ready for Avian Flu.

After covering Fitzgerald for a couple of days it finally came time to watch the man he was after head into court. After arriving I realized I would need some help so I called into the office and got another photographer on the scene to help me cover another entrance. It still wasn’t enough, as Libby was able to sneak out the back door.

He pleaded not guilty, the Post photographer got a great shot of him holding his wife’s hand, and I got this.

Former chief of staff and national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby arrives at the Federal Court in Washington, D.C., November 3, 2005.

Sometimes five minutes can seem like all the time in the world when compared to the typical five seconds you can be given for a handshake photo. This assignment at first glance seemed like it might have been a nice interview shoot. Interview shoots are great because you get animated people in mid conversation. So, I waited around for the reporter to show up.

He finally arrived and informed me that he would need absolute silence during the interview because he would be recording it on his iPod for use online. This of course meant that I would have to shoot for a few minutes before the interview.

We went in, I asked them to chat for a few minutes and I conducted my shoot. They talked about Vietnam and I made this portrait of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson.