Imagine capturing a moment with your kids amidst the blooming cherry blossoms in Washington DC. Now, imagine one of the world’s most recognizable figures accidentally joining in your family photo. For one family, this became a surprising reality.
Portia Moore, a businesswoman, along with her husband Damien, recently found themselves in the spotlight after sharing photos of their children in front of Washington DC’s iconic cherry blossoms.
These trees, lining the Tidal Basin, were a gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City in 1912 and attract thousands of visitors each spring with their breathtaking beauty.
During an early morning session at 7:30 am with photographer Briana Inell, Portia and Damien opted to capture a moment featuring their children, Belle, four, and Preston, one, amongst the blossoms.
As the children posed hand-in-hand, an unexpected guest made an appearance in the background, leaving the couple astonished.
Portia shared with her 2,208 Instagram followers, “Story time! It’s the kid’s turn to take a photo together and Damien is saying something to me,” she explained. She was focused on keeping Preston from heading towards the water. It wasn’t until after the shoot that she realized what her husband had been trying to tell her.
Portia learned that her husband had spotted a former President of the United States casually walking behind their kids.
“He goes ‘That was President Obama who just walked by’ and looks his direction. I was like whaaaaat?! I ran to the photographer and asked her if she got the picture. She scrolls through and BOOM there is it! The perfect shot!”
Indeed, Barack Obama can be seen in the photo, donning a cap, sunglasses, black pants, and a white shirt.
Obama later responded to the viral image, apologizing for inadvertently photobombing the moment.
“Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot,” he commented, tagging Portia’s Instagram account.
Photographer Briana Inell shared her perspective, noting that she often encounters photobombers during shoots.
“I just tell my clients not to worry about them because I can always just photoshop them out! I wasn’t paying attention since we all know how hard it is to photograph little ones sometimes!,” she posted on Instagram.
She recalled when the clients’ grandparents noticed the secret service nearby and questioned if Obama had just passed by. Upon confirming, they were surprised to find the former President had indeed been captured in their photo.
“How do we even continue our shoot now?!?” she humorously recalled their reaction.