Frú forseti, Halla Tómasdóttir, mætti ​​einnig óvænt og hélt óvænta ræðu fyrir íslensku ljósmyndurunum og þjóðunum sem voru þar saman komnar.

President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, made a surprise appearance, dressed in her great-grandmother’s traditional clothing for a portrait made in front of the entire congregation. Following her portrait experience, she gave a beautiful speech to the room.

“…what you do is you capture moments and you tell stories. So the fact that I have the honor of being part of that today makes me incredibly proud and honored. I decided to show up in my great-grandmother’s outfit…"

The portrait made of President Halla was made with the same camera that was once owned by Iceland’s first female photographer.

“I didn’t prepare for remarks…I just wanted to speak from my heart, because I’m quite touched by the idea that’s just been put on stage here…I will never forget this story.

“…You are telling stories to us, every single day. And while most women, like myself, absolutely hate being in front of the camera and always think that every picture of us is not good enough…some of my best friends in my job are photographers, because they put you at ease, they are there with you as human beings in moments that are sometimes very nerve-wracking. So, to the Icelandic photographers in the room and all of you that have come and traveled from far, never forget that when you are capturing a photo, whether it’s Mother Nature or a little bit afraid female, young or old, you are there as a human being and the best photographs are taken when you make us feel good.”