Photographer says Palin much softer than professed image of "rugged action, steely independence"

Washington, Oct.13 (ANI): A Seattle-based photographer, John Keatley, who was tapped by publishers HarperCollins to capture a picture of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for the jacket of her autobiography titled "Going Rogue", has revealed on his website that the image he shot implied that Palin was much softer than her professed image of "rugged action and steely independence"

The cover image of Palin in a zippered jacket made of a red micro-fiber fabric and studded with an American flag pin implies something much softer. Like "Going For a Hike", Politico quoted Keatley, as saying.

Keatley said he did not know the title when he shot the former governor, and now adds that he wouldn't have changed his approach.

Keatley said the jacket was a Palin choice, adding that the former governor wanted the picture to present herself as how she would dress on "a typical day."

Palin is smiling and looking off camera with a cloudy sky dominating the backdrop.

Keatley and an assistant spent six days in Alaska with Palin. Most of the locations Keatley scouted were around Palin's hometown of Wasilla, and the shot that was ultimately selected for the cover was taken overlooking Hatcher Pass, a scenic notch in the Talkeetna Mountains - about 13 miles from the Palin home.

"More than anything," Keatley said, "it was a place that provided some great views and, hopefully, it would be somewhat representative of Alaska."

In researching his work, Keatley found that most of the portrait work done of Palin up until now - in magazines and newspapers - had an awkward feel to it.

"A lot of them feel very uncomfortable," he says. "She looks uncomfortable, the lighting looks uncomfortable."

In his photograph, Keatley was hoping to capture something natural. "I think she did really seem to come alive when we were in Hatcher pass," he said. "There was something noticeable about it. She seemed to be very content."

The photographer brushed off questions about what Palin was like during the shoot, saying he is generally uncomfortable describing behind-the-scenes conversations with clients.

"She was great to work with," is about all Keatley would say of Palin.

Palin's book is set for release on November 17 and is expected, in part, to take on her critics inside and outside the Republican campaign. (ANI)