Photographer Scott Brauer has turned his camera and blinding flash, a kind of exaggerated paparazzi-esque style he’s honed over the past year, toward the 2016 Republican and Democratic national conventions.
Brauer photographed the Republican National Convention in Cleveland for the Mother Jones Instagram account (@motherjonesmag). Below is a gallery of some of our favorite images. Follow along to see what Brauer captures at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week.
This body of work is part of Bauer’s project, “This Is the Worst Party I’ve Ever Been To” which gives a wry, insider’s look at campaigning for president. The Boston-based photographer offers viewers revealing glimpses of staff, supporters, media, and other machinations of the campaign process we don’t often see. He takes a step back to include the periphery of what’s going on as other photographers shoot pictures of politicians and protesters, offering fascinating insight into the banality of what’s really going.
Updated with images from the final night of the convention.
Selfie with Chris Christie.
Code Pink protests on the final night of the convention.
Trump water at the podium after Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
Below are photos from the days leading up to Trump’s acceptance speech on the fourth night of the Republican National Convention.
Crews set up the day before the start of the 2016 Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
Balloons hang from the ceiling a day before the start of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Anti-Muslim demonstrators address a crowd of media in downtown Cleveland.
Sirius XM radio reporter Jared Rizzi works from the delegate floor on the first day of the Republican National Convention in the Quicken Loans Arena.
Republican-themed jeweled wooden handbags made by Timmy Woods of Los Angeles are seen for sale in the Freedom Market in the secure area outside the arena on the first day of the convention.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appears in a video by the Republican Governors Association shown to the delegates on the first day of the event.
Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole wore an “I STILL Like Ike” pin while sitting in a VIP section at the RNC.
Actor Scott Baio after speaking at the RNC
A worker kneels outside the Society Lounge on East 4th Street near the entrance to the RNC.
Stevedore Crawford of Columbus, Ohio, one of the demonstrators in Cleveland’s Public Square, is surrounded by some family members, friends, and a lot of media. He said that in 1984, he was shot by a police officer and he shot the police officer back. He says he spent 12 years in prison. He spoke about racism, Tamir Rice, and police conduct.
A member of the Indiana State Police stands guard in front of anti-Muslim protesters in Cleveland’s Public Square.
Sen. Orrin Hatch shakes hands at the convention.
Members of the Alabama delegation react as Sen. Jeff Sessions speaks at the RNC.
Martin Parr (left) and Christopher Morris (down low) photograph a member of the Florida delegation holding a Trump figurine. Morris was in the news earlier this year after he was “choke-slammed” by a Secret Service agent while covering a Trump rally.
During the formal nomination, roving camera crews moved between different states’ delegations to show the votes. It was the main video feed used by television networks. Here, on the back of a piece of cardboard, you can see the list of states and territories that this team will cover: California, Alabama, Maine, Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, and Guam. Ohio is crossed out.
Each night the Republican convention begins with the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, and a prayer, at minimum. Here, people toward the back of the delegate floor stand during the national anthem.
People danced and sang along during country singer Chris Janson’s performance at the convention.
A man talks on his phone on Wednesday night near the nosebleed section of Quicken Loans Arena during the RNC.
Food is hard to come by inside the Quicken Loans Arena. Here, photographer Nate Gowdy eats a pretzel during some downtime Wednesday night.
