White House Shooting   

L.A.Times photographer joins White House staff.

L.A. Times photographer Paul Morse leaves the paper for the prez, joining the White House photography staff amid an ethical flap. Morse says he obtained permission from his supervisor Calvin Hom before accepting a freelance assignment to shoot official White House photos of President Bush and Vice President Cheney during the inaugural celebration. After photographing the president, on the eve of the Cheney shoot, Morse says he got a call from Times Director of Photography Larry Armstrong, telling him he'd be fired if he accepted a job from a news source. Says Armstrong: "I told him, 'If you photograph Cheney tomorrow, you're working for the White House. If you don't, you'll be working for us.' " Morse declined the Cheney assignment, flew back to L.A., resigned, and is now working as a White House staff photographer. "I didn't want to be fired from a job I loved, so I came back and resigned officially," he says. Meanwhile, Armstrong was asked to step down as director of photography, part of a top-level management reorganization, and will be reassigned.