Pete Souza

Pete Souza (USA) is an American photojournalist, author and former White House photographer whose career has placed him behind the scenes of two U.S. presidential administrations. He served as an Official White House Photographer during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and later as Chief Official White House Photographer and Director of the White House Photo Office throughout Barack Obama’s eight years in office. His work is shaped by a quiet observational approach and a commitment to documenting both public events and the unguarded moments that become part of the historical record.

Pete began his career at newspapers in Kansas before joining the Reagan White House in the 1980s. Between his two periods in Washington, he worked as a staff photographer for the Chicago Tribune, covering stories across the United States and around the world. His assignments included the aftermath of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, where he documented the fall of Kabul and later returned on assignment for National Geographic. While working for the Chicago Tribune, he also began photographing then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, following his rise from Illinois politics to the presidency.

From 2009 to 2017, Pete documented the Obama administration with extraordinary access, photographing everything from major decisions and moments of international consequence to family life, humour and quiet exchanges behind closed doors. His guiding principle was not to create publicity, but to build an honest visual record for the American people and future generations.

Today, Pete is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents. Through books, exhibitions, talks and documentary projects, he continues to explore how photographs shape public memory, preserve history and provide context for understanding the people and events behind political life.