First Lady Michelle Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia, welcome the arrival of the official White House Christmas tree at the North Portico of the White House, Nov. 26, 2010. Standing with them are Chris and Brandi Botek of the Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Leighton, Pa., where the 18 1/2-foot Douglas fir was cut. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Click to enlarge or download this official White House photo.
Pete Souza is the White House Chief Photographer. He has the highest security clearance in the country. Number One. He goes wherever the President goes -- aboard Air Force One, riding with POTUS inside or very near the Presidential limousine in each motocrade, walking with the President behind the scenes and occasionally even into the private Obama family residence inside the White House. The entire photo collection of the daily life of the President is kept and becomes part of the public archives. They will eventually end-up in the Obama Presidential Library when it is established.
I declared myself as a Barack Obama fan in this post from October 26, 2006:Barack Obama, our Best Hope since RFK. I am following this journey closely and it is proving to be a very impressive experience. Through the work of the White House Photographers we can become eyewitnesses to history.
Every day Pete Souza posts the best picture of the day on the White House website. I simply download and post Pete's picture pick of the day, or, Pete's Pic du Jour.
PBS obtained permission (very rare permission) to tail Pete Souza wherever he went. The documentary, called The President's Photographer: 50 years in the Oval Office, provides a very rare and unique inside view of what it's really like to be tailing the President of the United States. There are some great shots of previous White House Photographers going back to the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson who started the tradition of documenting (almost) every minute of the President's life in office. The first real "member of the family" Presidential Photographer was Yoichi "Okie" Okamoto who did .
In the documentary you almost feel your walking right along with Pete Souza, rushing right by the Secret Service and right up to the Boss. It is an impressive experience. Watch it at pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/
The White House also has some interesting videos available online from a series called "Inside the White House".
Enjoy!
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