The photographer behind one of the most talked-about images from President Biden’s inauguration—of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in his big knit mittens and winter coat—has shared the story behind the photo. The images has already become one of the biggest memes of 2021, and the Sanders team even participated by printing the photograph on sweatshirts, which they sold for charity. So how did the Bernie Sanders mittens meme madness begin, and what does the photographer who took it think of the photograph? In an interview with Rolling Stone, photographer Brendan Smialowski said that on Inauguration Day, he just happened to spot Sanders sitting alone and took two quick shots while his mind was actually focused on other politicians at the event. What happened next, as they say, is history.

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“The picture itself is not that nice,” freelance photojournalist Smialowski told Rolling Stone last week. “It’s not a great composition. I’m not going to be putting this in a portfolio. This exact moment, I took two photos. It’s funny because the second one—for me—I thought was better. But I sent the first one because the moment—his posture, his pose—is a little better. But the composition was garbage. It was messy, but it was a better moment. I always say that in photojournalism, composition comes second to content. And content is the moment. Make it look pretty after.”

The number of versions of the meme generated from Smialowski’s image seem far too numerous to count as they were, as Rolling Stone reported, “inserted by pros and amateurs alike into classic paintings, movie stills, album covers, historical photos and other memes.” But beyond the jokes and clever memes came a quickly produced $45 “Chairman Sanders Crewneck” sweatshirt from the Sanders’ campaign, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the charity Meals on Wheels Vermont. The item has since sold out.

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When asked by Rolling Stone writer Reed Dunlea if Sanders, who appeared to look a little grumpy or bored in the image, was really giving out that vibe, Smialowski answered: “I wasn’t going to linger on it too much because there was a lot to do that day. It’s not all about Bernie. He wasn’t just sitting alone all the time… He was certainly talking to people. You can say that Senator Sanders is politically independent and I think he’s probably personally independent, too. I think he’s probably perfectly comfortable coming out there, sitting alone, holding his papers and then going back in to do the rest of his day.”

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That said, never in his wildest dreams did Smialowski imagine a meme gone viral of his Sanders photo would take the internet by storm. Nor did he particularly want it to. He told Rolling Stone that while it was “nice moment” and a “good slice of life,” he never would have created a meme-worthy photo if he had the choice. “If I could know, I would never take a meme,” he said. “I would be more than happy to never have a meme.”

(We ourselves could not help but take a scroll through some of the best of the best of the Sanders mitten memes out there. You can view some of our favorites in the gallery above.)