A Virginia family visiting Washington, D.C., captured a memorable moment when former President Barack Obama inadvertently stepped into the background of their photo featuring their two children amidst the iconic cherry blossom trees.
As Obama walked by during a professional photo shoot at the Tidal Basin, he appeared in the background of a picture of Belle, 4, and Preston, 1. After realizing his unintentional cameo, Obama took to social media to apologize, saying, “Preston and Belle, hope you enjoyed peak bloom. My bad for stepping into the shot.”
Every spring, visitors from around the world flock to the nation’s capital to witness the stunning cherry blossoms in full bloom. The photo shows the two delighted children smiling under a branch adorned with delicate pink petals, with the Washington Monument visible in the background. Obama can be seen strolling behind them, hands in pockets, wearing a cap and sunglasses.
As the family wrapped up their photo session, Portia Moore and Damien Thomas, the children’s parents, shared the unexpected encounter on Instagram. Moore wrote, “Look who strolled by in our picture for our family Cherry Blossom photo shoot!”
She recounted the moment, saying, “It’s the kids’ turn to take a photo together, and Damien is saying something to me. I’m just focused on Preston not running towards the water (peak mom moment). After the shoot, I picked Preston up and asked Damien, ‘What were you saying?’ He replied, ‘That was President Obama who just walked by,’ and looked in his direction. I was like whaaaaat?! I ran to the photographer and asked her if she got the picture. She scrolled through and BOOM, there it is! The perfect shot!”
Briana Inell, the photographer who captured the moment, told the Washington Post that she has been photographing families and children for over a decade. She noted that it’s not uncommon for tourists to walk through her shots at the Tidal Basin. “I go to the Tidal Basin every single year,” Inell said. “I’m very used to people walking in on my pictures. I tell my clients, ‘Don’t worry, they will be Photoshopped out.’”
In addition to his apology, Obama shared his own post on Instagram about the day, stating, “It’s fun to be able to play tourist once in a while. The cherry blossoms were beautiful this morning!”
