Pete Souza took all the photos of then Senator Barack Obama, so it’s no surprise he was asked to become the Chief Official White House Photographer. For eight years, he had full access to take pictures of the President. If you pick up Obama: An Intimate Portrait, you’ll recognize some of the iconic pictures. Others will seem fresh. For those of us who admired the 44th President of the United States, it’s not only an intimate glimpse inside eight years, it’s a collection that brings regret.

There are over 300 pictures in the collection with captions and sometimes short comments that tell the story behind the photos. Barack Obama wrote the foreword, and Souza wrote the introduction.  President Obama was correct when he commented about Souza’s work. “It’s his capacity to capture the mood, the atmosphere, and the meaning of that moment.”

Souza does a magnificent job capturing those moments. Most of us remember the photo of the little boy touching the President’s hair to see if he had the same hair. Study those pictures of Obama with children. There’s so much joy and pleasure on his face. It’s almost the same joy as you’ll see when he’s with his daughters. You can also see the broken expression when he hears and then speaks about the children shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the day he referred to as the worst day of his Presidency.

With any President, there’s an awareness of history in the making. But President Obama and Michelle Obama were aware of their positions, the first African-American President and First Lady. Many of those photos represent those historic moments. But, there are also fun photos, such as Paul McCartney singing “Michelle Ma Belle” to the First Lady. Or, that recognizable picture of the President quieting a baby that cried for Michelle.

Admittedly, Souza staged some shots. He wanted the last helicopter shot of the former President as he flew away from Washington. His comment as he looked at the White House? “We used to live there.” But, for all of us who admired the last President and his eight years of service to the country, it’s bittersweet to notice a detail in one of the pictures. There’s a photo of Barack Obama leaving the Oval Office for the last time as President. Each President selects his rug for that room. One of the quotes on President Obama’s rug is from Teddy Roosevelt. “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us.”

Pete Souza’s Obama: An Intimate Portrait is a gorgeous collection of historic photos. It’s the perfect gift for the person who admired President Barack Obama. (Give them a box of tissues with it.)

Pete Souza’s website is www.petesouza.com

Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza. Little, Brown & Company. 2017. ISBN 9780316512589 (hardcover), 352p.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I bought my copy of the book.