Episode 25: Pete Souza
The numbers alone are staggering: two million images captured, 1,442,242 miles flown on Air Force One, and over 25,000 hours on the job over eight years as President Obama’s Chief Official White House Photographer. Pete Souza’s iconic images of the Obama administration came at a perfect time as a dynamic and historic president willing to be followed around every working hour met the exploding social media movement. Obama’s remarkable popularity is due in part to Souza’s intimate and candid images. Images that have filled three best-selling books providing inspirational reminders of a different time not that long ago.
In this episode, Pete joins us to talk about his latest book, The West Wing and Beyond, in which he turns his camera toward the people within the “Presidential Bubble”. There’s barely a fleeting glimpse of Obama in the book’s 255 pages. Instead Souza brings his storytelling prowess to the numerous people behind the scenes in the White House. It’s a wonderful book, and we’re thrilled to have the time to chat with Pete about it.
We know you will love this one.
You can order Pete’s new book by clicking the Amazon link to the left. We do earn a small commission on the sale, so thank you for supporting us!
Some of Mason’s Favorite Images from Pete’s Time in the White House:
Pete’s work with Barack Obama goes far beyond typical photojournalistic coverage. Below are a small selection of Pete’s images which I believe embody his photographic style. - Mason Marsh
Perhaps one of Pete’s most famous images is this shot of Obama tucked into the corner of a small improvised situation room at the White House the night Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden. Every pixel of this image conveys part of the story… the chaos and tension of the moment. papers, cups and laptops are packed onto the table as tightly as the people jammed into the room to watch a screen we can’t see. When you understand the context, this image carries enormous weight and solemnity. Pete’s ability to compose this despite his locked-down location in the room is incredibly commendable.
Another of Pete’s better-known images. Despite Obama’s tireless work ethic, and the incredible burden of leading a nation , he seemed to live in the moment and Pete’s images of the president interacting with kids and other guests to the White House capture truly wonderful instances of joy. Shots like this one endeared Obama to me and made this historic president human.
I’ve photographed quite a few campaign events, and I never in a million years would have hoped for an image this raw and emotional at an event curated for the cameras. The splash of water off Obama’s hand, his sodden shirt, and the water running from his face make this a compelling image with deep emotional impact for me. Keep in mind that Pete would have shot campaign speeches day after day for months and he still had the drive to seek out this composition with a clean dark background that shows the rain, and a shutter speed perfectly suited for streaking the rain.
In our interview with Pete, he talks about the daily meetings in the Oval Office, and how each one had the potential to be historic. I have no idea what is being discussed in this shot, but I don’t care. The body language is telling the real story. Obama’s leadership style was to bring in people of passion and commitment, tempered with competence. Here he is, enjoying the show. Check out the Lincoln bust in the background lending another expression to the gallery in the room.
Pete has this image in his office and I noticed it in the background during our chat with him. To me, this shot embodies Obama’s ethos. He’s got his blazer off and has stopped to chat up a few kids. The facial expressions on each kid tell a different story and the clean composition of the shot brings us right to them. This image is magic to me.
A few of Jeff’s Favorite Images from Pete’s New Book
You often see politicians having meals with “regular folk” in diners and restaurants. This image captures the behind-the-scenes of one such outing, as a wall of photographers captures the president at the other side of the room, and a pair of customers who clearly do not seem like fans of Obama, grimace at the spectacle.
The West Wing and Beyond is a dream for people like me who love to peek behind the scenes. Here, 11 Secret Service agents have crammed into the Spare, the backup armored limousine in the motorcade, sitting on each other’s laps to get to the next stop in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
This is the long hallway on Air Force One that Pete mentions in the episode. Most of us will never see this in person, and yet we can easily picture ourselves there.
Some Things Are Better Left Unseen
But if you would like to see a video version of this podcast episode, we upload lightly-edited versions to our YouTube channel. You can watch the video by clicking the thumbnail below.
