Amanda Lucidon is an award-winning documentarian, filmmaker, and former freelance New York Times photographer who served as one of the White House photographers responsible for photographing President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. She is one of a few female White House photographers in history and is the author of Chasing Light: Michelle Obama Through the Lens of a White House Photographer. Amanda attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she studied communications media and journalism; she also studied photography at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Amanda’s work has been honored by Pictures of the Year International, National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism, and the White House News Photographers Association, among others. She is currently a photographer, filmmaker, and public speaker based in Washington, D.C.

As a Turnaround Artist, Lucidon works with Turner Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

“Photography and the arts expanded my world and inspired me to dream a bigger dream for myself. It helped me engage with my peers, my community and build confidence in my abilities. Photography is not only a means of communication, it can also create connection and understanding. I believe all students have the right to express themselves through the arts. It is our duty to help them see the light that already lives inside of themselves.”