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b'John Quincy Adams was the first president of whom we have surviving photos. His picture was taken in 1843, two decades after his presidency ended. The picture was made with daguerreotype, the first photographic technique to be made available to the public.

The picture was the beginning of a stormy two-century relationship between the president and the camera. It includes Lincoln\\u2019s somber portraits, Lyndon Johnson\\u2019s swearing in, and George W. Bush\\u2019s reaction to learning about the 9/11 attacks. Photography plays an indelible role in how we remember and define American presidents.

Today\\u2019s guest is Cara Finnegan, author of the book \\u201cPhotographic Presidents: Making History from Daguerreotype to Digital.\\u201dShe argues that throughout history, presidents have actively participated in all aspects of photography, not only by sitting for photos but by taking and consuming them. Technological developments not only changed photography, but introduced new visual values that influence how we judge an image. At the same time, presidential photographs\\u2014as representations of leaders who symbolized the nation\\u2014sparked public debate on these values and their implications.'