THE photographer who took the picture of US President Barack Obama posing for a 'selfie' at Nelson Mandela's memorial has told the real story behind the shot.
Roberto Schmidt explained on his blog that the photo of Mr Obama, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt and UK Prime Minister David Cameron was taken about two hours into the memorial service and after Mr Obama's rousing speech about Mandela.
He said the mood in soccer stadium in Soweto was like a carnival and people were "dancing and singing and laughing"
"The atmosphere was totally relaxed – I didn’t see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the US or not," he said. "At the time, I thought the world leaders were simply acting like human beings, like me and you.
"I doubt anyone could have remained totally stony faced for the duration of the ceremony, while tens of thousands of people were celebrating in the stadium. For me, the behaviour of these leaders in snapping a selfie seems perfectly natural."
