If you’ve never heard the term, I’m here to educate you.

If you’re new to it, I welcome you.

If you’re a photobomb fan, this has been a great week.

Heck, let’s be honest, Monday was the bomb!

Let me explain:

According to urbandictionary.com, a “photobomb” is when someone who’s not supposed to be in a photo suddenly appears on the scene and is included in the photo.

It can happen accidentally or on purpose. Either way, in some instances the results are hilarious.

In the past, I’ve seen some from weddings, where silly groomsmen or bridesmaids were making faces in the background of serious bridal couple shots, or others with pets who suddenly pop in front of the camera to make an appearance.

The average photobomb is pretty funny.

Other times, when the bomber is making a good face, they’re downright hysterical. This week we got two absolute classics from President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.

Poor Kelly Clarkson was the victim of the first one I saw.

At some point during her performance of “America (My Country Tis of Thee),” a former president leaned over, probably to get a better look, and got caught taking a peek at the former “American Idol” winner.

The look on Bill Clinton's face is what makes it a classic. It’s almost a guarantee that he didn’t know he was going to be photographed, but he certainly looks as though he was caught red-handed performing some level of mischief.

As I’m writing this, I found a story asking whether Clinton is getting a bad rap for his photobomb.

The image has become one of the most popular of the day, simply for its comedic value.

The story, from Examiner.com, ponders whether people think Clinton was ogling Clarkson.

I think it’s more likely he leaned out to get a better look at someone who was performing such a fantastic rendition of a patriotic song.

Hillary was sitting right next to Bill, so it’s likely he wasn’t trying to be more romantic than that.

The second photobomb was more of the classic kind — the intentional photobomb.

If you didn’t see it, I hope you’ll seek to find it.

It’s a rare look at Obama’s daughters acting out in public.

And, it’s fabulous!

At one point during the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington after the ceremony, the first family is sitting in the reviewing booth watching the parade. Younger daughter Sasha sees her mom and dad about to kiss, and decides to take a picture with her cell phone.

Before she has a chance to snap the picture, Sasha’s older sister Malia shoves her face in front of the camera, with her mouth agape, so her picture actually turns out to be the inside of Malia’s mouth.

But, the best part is it was all captured live on CNN.

Some alert media sort saw the moment, found it in CNN’s coverage and sent it out on Twitter and online, and it went viral.

It’s hysterical.

These two angels, who rarely speak or even look up in public, finally putting on a display of kid-dom for the world to see.

You knew it was in there someplace. One’s a teen and the other’s a pre-teen. Finally, we get to see that they have cell phones like every other young kid you see, and they play with them just like they do, too.

The day before the inauguration we had another hint of this lifestyle when Sasha, after her father took his official oath in the White House on Sunday, leaned in to Obama’s kiss and whispered, “You didn’t mess up.”

Of course, it was caught on his microphone for the whole world to hear.

All he could do was laugh as he walked back to his position in the family lineup to face the cameras.

In a day otherwise so full of pomp, circumstance and staid marching, it was a pleasure to see these moments of genuine levity take place on a national scale.

After a grueling, often bitter, presidential campaign, then the sadness that December brought, it was a delight to have something to just sit back and chuckle about.

I know it’s too much to hope that these moments will help us turn a corner to a time when politics is more fun.

But here’s hoping we might have turned a corner to a time when it’s not quite as painful as it’s been in the past few years.

LKessel@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Lauranh