A CHAT WITH PETE SOUZA, WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER TO TWO U.S. PRESIDENTS
gave me incredible access to make very intimate photographs, so people have gravitated towards those. Reagan was in his 70s and very formal. Obama was 30 years younger, with a young family, always on the move.
Did you always know when an image would be a hit? I didn’t really concern myself with this. I tried to make good photographs every day.
What was the most surprising thing you experienced or learnt from your years as an official White House photographer?
Probably that there are a lot of good people in our government that are trying to do the right thing for the American people. That’s what is so disturbing to me about the current president; everything he does is about himself and his dwindling base. And it is so disturbing that he continually lies to the American people.
What do you think of the current obsession with image and with capturing the moment? Photography and images are the universal language. That’s a good thing.
How do you think the world will look back on the age of Instagram and Snapchat? Instagram is a powerful tool for imagemakers. It connects photographers from all walks of life… I’ve never used Snapchat and don’t know anything about it.
What kind of projects keeps you busy these days?
I’m doing a lot of speaking and producing and promoting my two books [Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents] have kept me quite busy. I’ve also managed to do a few new photography assignments. And I have some exciting projects underway, but I can’t share any details yet.