White House photographer Pete Souza shares 2015 Year in Photos
"I look forward to doing this one last time next year," wrote Pete Souza, whose 2015 collage shows President Obama on the job and in repose.
/ Source: TODAY
By Chris Serico
While curating his annual collection of images documenting Barack Obama's presidency, official White House photographer Pete Souza was already looking ahead to 2016.
"I look forward to doing this one last time next year," wrote Souza in the introduction to his collection, posted Wednesday on the website Medium. Obama wraps his last full year as president in 2016.
Souza added, "Editing photographs, especially for a project like this, is both subjective and personal. I not only found key historic moments from the year, but also chose moments that give people a more personal look at the lives of the President and First Lady. I've also included many photographs that rely more on their graphic qualities, including light and composition."
Presented in chronological order and photographed by Souza and his colleagues, the first of more than 100 images is of Alan Gross, seen celebrating his release from Cuba while attending the Jan. 22 State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.
Throughout 2015, photographers captured Obama in other professional and leisurely contexts, both celebratory and solemn. Here's a look at a selection from the album:
'Lawrence Jackson made this iconic image from the camera truck as the First Family joined others in beginning the walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge,' wrote Jackson's fellow White House photographer, Pete Souza.Lawrence Jackson / The White House
In March, Barack and Michelle Obama joined legions of supporters in marking the 50th anniversary of the civil-rights march in Selma, Alabama.
‘The First Lady snuggled against the President during a video taping for the 2015 World Expo in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House,’ wrote Pete Souza, an official White House photographer.Amanda Lucidon / The White House
One of the First Family's sweetest moments was captured later that month.
Official White House photographer Pete Souza documented the June 6 funeral of Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden. In a caption, Souza noted that this hug from President Barack Obama happened after a eulogy that was delivered at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware.Pete Souza / The White House
Barack Obama and Joe Biden mourned the loss of Biden's son, Beau, during a funeral mass held in June.
‘We were at the G7 Summit in Krün, Germany,’ wrote White House photographer Pete Souza, who took this photo June 8. ‘Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the leaders and outreach guests to make their way to a bench for a group photograph. The President happened to sit down first, followed closely by the Chancellor. I only had time to make a couple of frames before the background was cluttered with other people.’Pete Souza / The White House
Heads of state shared a moment — with a view — at the G7 Summit in Germany.
‘It was a festive atmosphere as the White House was lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage,’ wrote White House photographer Pete Souza, who took this photo June 26. ‘I chose this angle from several options because I like that much of the White House staff had stayed late on a Friday night to take part in the celebration.’Pete Souza / The White House
‘The Obama family and Biden family greet Pope Francis as he arrives in the United States for the first time at Joint Base Andrews,’ wrote Pete Souza, a White House photographer who captured this moment Sept. 22.Pete Souza / The White House
The president and his family greeted Pope Francis in historic fashion, one day before the autumnal equinox.
White House photographer Pete Souza noted that in this Oct. 27 photo taken by colleague Lawrence Jackson, Barack Obama ‘participates in a group selfie in the East Room with the United States Women’s National Soccer Team celebrating their victory in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.’Lawrence Jackson / The White House
A presidential selfie was in order during the American women's soccer team's World Cup victory tour.
The day before Halloween, President Barack Obama played with an elephant-costumed Ella Rhodes, daughter of Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes. White House photographer Pete Souza took this photo and included it in his annual curated gallery, noting, ‘This is the first time the same child has made two appearances in the Year in Photos.’Pete Souza / The White House
Halloween week made for a particularly adorable photo op.
‘After arriving in France to attend the Climate Change Summit, the President, with French President François Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, made an unannounced stop just after midnight at the memorial in front of le Batacian, the site of a Paris terrorist attack,’ wrote White House photographer Pete Souza, who took this photo.Pete Souza / The White House
Sadly, not every moment was joyful. In late November, Obama paid his respects at a makeshift French memorial in honor of people who lost their lives in terrorist attacks.
The last curated photo, which Souza snapped exactly 11 months after the first picture from the 2015 collection was taken, shows the president atop Koko Head Crater Trail in Honolulu, Hawaii. "I'll admit that I was huffing and puffing up the trail," Souza wrote in the caption of that final picture, "but to my friends, this photograph is proof that I indeed made it to the top with my boss."
