--- description: Matthew Pillsbury created a long-exposure shot of the room around the debate in Brooklyn on April 15 title: Capturing the Frenetic Intensity of a Debate's Spin Room image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9698165bbe65bd70/69888f50cd1bba31a070046c/matthew-pillsbury-democratic-debate-spin-room.jpeg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Capturing the Frenetic Intensity of a Presidential Debate's Spin Room by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2016 6:26 PM CUT  The "spin room" at the Democratic presidential debate in Brooklyn, N.Y. April 14, 2016. The "spin room" at the Democratic presidential debate in Brooklyn, N.Y. April 14, 2016.Matthew Pillsbury by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2016 6:26 PM CUT A photograph can freeze one instant in time for eternity, but for Matthew Pillsbury, that’s not all it can do. The passage of time is an essential part of his images. Over the years, the France-born, New York-based photographer has made his reputation capturing large-format, long exposure cityscapes in the U.S. and around the world. On April 15, as Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton took the stage at Brooklyn’s Navy Yard for their ninth debate, Pillsbury waited in the “spin room” with a medium-format camera, which he mounted on a tripod. “There’s obviously a lot of quiet waiting,” the photographer says. “Then as the candidates were giving their closing remarks, the room became a hive of activity. The various campaign surrogates came out carrying tall banners announcing themselves and packs of reporters gathered around them. Suddenly the room had the energy of an athletic event when at the end of the game the fans rush the field.” Pillsbury’s photo is a long exposure taken over several minutes. It shows the frenetic workings of today’s political landscape as dozens of journalists and political pundits chase each other in an elaborate, yet chaotic dance. But, says Pillsbury, this intense ritual is surprisingly quiet. “I guess people have to keep the volume down so that they all can do their shots and file their reporting.” [**_Matthew Pillsbury_**](http://matthewpillsbury.com/ "undefined")_is an American photographer based in New York._ **_Olivier Laurent_** _is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://twitter.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _@olivierclaurent_ _Follow_ **_TIME LightBox_** _on_ [_Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/timemagazinephoto "undefined")_,_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/timepictures "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](https://instagram.com/timelightbox/ "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4296220/long-exposure-debate-spin-room/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4296220/long-exposure-debate-spin-room/"},"headline":"Capturing the Frenetic Intensity of a Presidential Debate's Spin Room","datePublished":"2016-04-15T18:26:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:00:52.892Z","description":"Matthew Pillsbury created a long-exposure shot of the room","url":"https://time.com/4296220/long-exposure-debate-spin-room/","keywords":["LightBox","politics","photography","debate","2016 presidential elections","Behind the Photos","presidential debate","one-pic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9698165bbe65bd70/69888f50cd1bba31a070046c/matthew-pillsbury-democratic-debate-spin-room.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivier Laurent","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/olivier-laurent/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9698165bbe65bd70/69888f50cd1bba31a070046c/matthew-pillsbury-democratic-debate-spin-room.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"matthew-pillsbury-democratic-debate-spin-room","caption":"The \"spin room\" at the Democratic presidential debate in Brooklyn, N.Y. 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