Alex Brandon Named AP Chief White House Photographer

Peta Pixel | Aug. 21, 2026, 8:30 a.m. | Original

Logo featuring a white square with the letters "AP" in bold black font. The square has a thin red underline. The background is dark blue.

Photographer Alex Brandon has been named the Associated Press chief White House photographer after Evan Vucci stepped away from the role earlier this year.

Just like Vucci, Brandon is a Pulitzer Prize winner, receiving two in 2006 for his contributions to The Times-Picayune’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and one in 2021 for helping the AP’s coverage of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri and began his career at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette .

Washington Bureau Chief Anna Johnson and Assistant Bureau Chief for Photos Pablo Monsivais announced Brandon’s role in a memo to staff this week.

“We are thrilled to announce that Alex Brandon will be the AP’s chief White House photographer,” the memo reads.

“Alex has been a staple of our stellar coverage of the White House and presidency since he joined the Washington bureau in 2009, covering every president since Barack Obama. Alex has impeccable news judgment and an incredible ability to spot the image of the moment during countless big news events.”

A smiling man with light hair and sunglasses wears a button-down shirt, a patterned tie, and a camera strap around his neck while holding a camera in front of a large aircraft engine.
The new AP chief White House photographer Alex Brandon. | Photo by Andrew Harnik

Brandon has already had a busy year covering tense cabinet meetings not long after the outbreak of the Iran war.

He was also present at the aborted White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April. Brandon wasn’t meant to be working that night, but when a gunman burst into the room, Brandon grabbed the only camera he had on him, his phone, and began capturing photos of President Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents. He called it “muscle memory.”

Brandon is vastly experienced, having been on assignment to Mount Everest, been embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and covered major sporting events, including several Super Bowls and Final Four basketball tournaments.

“In this role, Alex will serve as the main point of contact with AP Photos and the White House and will help lead our exceptional team as they plan for daily and big event coverage of the presidency,” Johnson and Monsivais add.

Earlier this year, the incumbent Vucci left the post and joined the Reuters news agency, remaining in D.C.

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