Chief White House photographer Pete Souza has made an annual tradition of picking his favorite shots taken by him and his team of the First Family. And in his final Medium post, he says he was “looking for behind-the-scenes moments that give people a more personal look at the President and First Lady.”
Many of this year’s photos involve the president interacting with kids, whether they be Prince George in his bathrobe; Caprina Harris, whose video crying about not being ready for Obama to leave office went viral; or the offspring of staffers. Indeed, the photo of young Clark Reynolds looking up at Obama prompted the popular hashtag #ObamaAndKids.
Like most parents, Obama seems to prefer photos that feature his children Sasha and Malia, Souza says.
Virginia McLaurin, the now-107-year old D.C. resident who famously danced with the Obamas at the White House, also made the cut. She has since been honored by the D.C. Council.
The collection also shows the president meeting with world leaders and soon-to-be world leaders, like President-elect Donald Trump. You can see all of them here.
Souza’s unfettered access has led to tensions with news organizations. While he has had top security clearance, members of the press corps have argued that the White House excludes news photographers and then releases Souza’s snaps instead. In a letter sent to the press secretary in late 2013, the White House Correspondents’ Association and news organizations called it “replacing independent journalism with visual press releases.”
Rachel Kurzius