May 25, 2012 – “The President was welcoming service members and their families to a screening of ‘Men in Black 3′ in the White House Family Theater. The movie was being presented in 3D, so the President jokingly asked them to try on their 3D glasses while he was speaking to them.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza, the official White House photographer, released his “Year in Photographs, 2012″ on Wednesday afternoon.
The images include some that have been shared before–including April’s “no use crying over split yogurt“– and some that haven’t, with President Obama shooting hoops with actor George Clooney and friends.
Souza’s efforts aren’t going unnoticed. Washington insiders are noticing the key role the photographer plays in controlling the image Obama presents to the public. From the prolific leader to the loving father, the comedian to the average Joe, President Obama can be every man, every day–depending on the angle of Souza’s lens.
Below, a look at a few of our favorites from 2012:
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and President Obama share a moment before the State of the Union address:
Jan. 24, 2012 – “One of the most memorable moments of the year was when the President hugged Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as he walked onto the floor of the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol to deliver his annual State of the Union address.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The first lady goes down to the wire with Jimmy Fallon:
Jan. 25, 2012 – “Chuck Kennedy made this amusing photograph of First Lady Michelle Obama participating in a potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon in the East Room of the White House during a ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ taping for the second anniversary of the ‘Let’s Move!’ initiative.” (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
“How cool is this?!” – President Obama
May 20, 2012 – “‘How cool is this,’ the President said after he threw a football at Soldier Field following the NATO working dinner in Chicago. I think he was especially excited to be on the home turf of his beloved Chicago Bears.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The first couple’s Kiss Cam debut:
July 16, 2012 – “The President and First Lady were attending the game between the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team and Brazil in Washington, D.C. During the first half, the jumbotron flashed couples on their ‘Kiss Cam’, where they are then induced by the crowd to kiss each other. But neither the President or First Lady saw themselves when they were flashed on the ‘Kiss Cam’, and some in the audience booed when they didn’t kiss. At halftime, as we walked to the locker room to visit the U.S. team, daughters Malia and Sasha were asking their parents why they hadn’t kissed during their ‘Kiss Cam’ moment. Both the President and First Lady said they hadn’t even realized what had happened and didn’t know why people were booing. So in the second half, when they appeared again on the ‘Kiss Cam’, the President leaned over to kiss the First Lady amidst audience cheers as Malia and the Vice President watched overhead on the jumbotron.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The photo that become the most-retweeted Tweet in Twitter’s history:
Aug. 15, 2012 – “The President hugs the First Lady after she had introduced him at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa. The campaign tweeted a similar photo from the campaign photographer on election night and a lot of people thought it was taken on election day.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama’s favorite picture of the year–caught in Spider-Man’s web:
Oct. 26, 2012 – “The President pretends to be caught in Spider-Man’s web as he greets the Nicholas Tamarin, 3, just outside the Oval Office. Spider-Man had been trick-or-treating for an early Halloween with his father, White House aide Nate Tamarin in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. I can never commit to calling any picture my favorite, but the President told me that this was HIS favorite picture of the year when he saw it hanging in the West Wing a couple of weeks later.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The president is not impressed:
Nov. 15, 2012 – “The President had just met with the U.S. Olympics gymnastics team, who because of a previous commitment had missed the ceremony earlier in the year with the entire U.S. Olympic team. The President suggested to McKayla Maroney that they recreate her ‘not impressed’ photograph before they departed.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“Our hearts are broken today.” – President Obama
Dec. 14, 2012 – “The President reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The President later said during a TV interview that this was the worst day of his Presidency.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
