I am a high school teacher by day but have had a life long interest in photography and have managed to have a respectful part-time income from my passion. When someone posts a photo diary here at dKos I usually check it out, specially when it is one of blackwaterdog's great diaries that have photo's taken from the White House staff.
Since so many great photographs are taken by the White Photo Staff I thought it might be of interest for some of you to learn about the man behind most of those great shots, Pete Souza.
First a brief history on how one goes about getting the job of White House Photographer. President Kennedy was the first President to select his own photographer, prior to that point the job was preformed by a photographer from the Navy or Parks Department. Each President since Kennedy has chosen a photographer to be the person who documents events for that Presidency in pictures. The White House Photographer, once chosen, then is responsible for putting together an entire staff of photographers. The staff is usually made up of civil servants. It is the staff photographers who are responsible for the meet and greet photos and do not have the level of access to the President that the chief White House Photographer does.
Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., June 15, 2010.
This is not Souza's first round as White House Photographer, he was also chosen by President Reagan during his second term. My understanding is that Reagan did not allow the type of behind the scenes access that Souza now enjoys under President Obama.
A graduate of Boston University Souza earned his BS in Public Communications then went on to Kansas State to earn an MA in Journalism and Mass Communication. After college he worked as a photographer for the Chicago Sun Times then later at the Chicago Tribune. He has also done work for National Geographic and Life Magazine. Up until being chosen to be the current White House Photographer he was an assistant professor of photojournalism at Ohio University's School of Visual Communication.
Meeting with former national security advisors, in the Situation Room of the White House
Working for President Obama Souza has what amounts to an all access pass. He is permitted to go anywhere and shoot anything.
"I try to photograph everything. Every meeting that the president does. I look at my job as a visual historian. The most important thing is to create a good visual archive for history, so 50 or a hundred years from now, people can go back and look at all these pictures."
I decided to write this diary because I want to draw attention to the fact that Pete Souza is one of the best photographers around right now. He doesn't just specialize in "candid" photo-journalistic images but is also a very good landscape photographer and when he combines both styles the results can be stunning.
President Obama walks along the South Lawn Drive of the White House with Sen. John Kerry
Ansel Adams used to say that if a photographer got 12 good images in a year he was doing well. Pete Souza gets 12 good shots a month! There is a term used by photographers called "the decisive moment," it refers to that exact moment when you should push the shutter release button and get the shot. Honestly, it is a gift to know and be able to anticipate that moment. Most people get caught up in what is happening and forget to actually take the picture. Souza nails the decisive moment, over and over again.
I would encourage you to take a few minutes and browse through the Flickr stream of images that are release on a regular basis by the White House. You can download full sized copies to use for personal use. I plan to print several to hang on my office wall at school. Here is the White House photo release:
These official White House photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
Here is an interview Souza did on CNN:
Official White House photographer gets inside view
- CNN interview with Pete Souza
His person site:
http://www.petesouza.com
I'll end this diary with one of my favorite shots, I plan to hang this in my office this winter along with some other great shots Souza took last winter.
The White House blanketed in snow after a snowstorm.
Sources:
What is a White House Photographer
NPPA
CNNPolitics.com