Jimmy Carter’s photographer hopes to share 30 years of memories through documentary

LEESBURG, Ga. (WALB) - Former President Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care for four months and now, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia. This has caused many people to remember their time with the Carters, including one man who photographed the presidential family for several years.

“I guess if the old saying, one picture is worth a thousand words, I guess with all my photographs, it’s worth a million,” said Charles Plant, Jimmy Carter’s former photographer.

Plant has held on to thousands of polaroids, old film and digital copies of photos from his... — Plant has held on to thousands of polaroids, old film and digital copies of photos from his time with the Carters.(walb)

Plant has been a photographer for close to 50 years and over 30 of those years were spent with the 39th president of the United States.

“He was a very easy person to work with, he was very nice. What’s the word? Very friendly and, to me, almost too nice to be the president,” Plant said.

After returning to Americus in 1973 and attending Georgia Southwestern to get his degree in photography and video production, Plant got his chance to photograph the Carters in their hometown of Plains. He was the first person to sell postcards in Plains — one of them showing a famous picture of the Carters on their bikes. Soon after, he became the go-to photographer for the Carters when they were in Georgia.

”When I got ready to take the picture, I would say, ‘okay, give me a smile on the count of three 1,2,3′ and I’d shoot the picture. Well after I did that a dozen times, the president looked at me and said ‘Charles, don’t count, just take the picture’,” Plant recalled.

Oftentimes, Plant would visit the Carters and gifted them framed photos of them from old... — Oftentimes, Plant would visit the Carters and gifted them framed photos of them from old photoshoots. (walb)

He also got to sketch photos of the Carters and was requested by the former first lady to sketch their hometown of Plains.

“To me, it was an honor to photograph the president of the United States and nothing can replace that,” Plant said.

But as he gets older, Plant says he’s lost some of these precious memories. That’s why he’s decided to combine decades of photos with the Carters in a documentary. He’s hoping to relive these moments through that documentary and wants people to experience that with him.

Plant has put together a documentary full of thousands of photos and memorabilia of the Carters. — Plant has put together a documentary full of thousands of photos and memorabilia of the Carters.(walb)

“All my photographs, you might say, are historical. And like I said, my family and friends have always told me over the years I should put it down before I lose my memory of everything,” Plant said.

Plant is sending his documentary to networks nationwide and hopes it shows his appreciation for the man everyone knows Carter to be.

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