Pete Souza

Pete Souza (born 1954 ) is an American photojournalist Portuguese descent and chief photographer of the White House and the U.S. president Barack Obama.

Life

Souza comes from a Portuguese family from the Azores and grew up in Dartmouth (Bristol County, Massachusetts). Souza studied communications at Boston University and earned a master with a focus on journalism and mass media at Kansas State University. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, he accompanied him from June 1983 to 1989 as chief photographer.

He worked for the Chicago Tribune and as a freelance photojournalist for the National Geographic and Life Magazine. At the beginning of the Afghan war, he was among the first journalists to cover the fall of Kabul on site. During the funeral of Ronald Reagan in June 2004, he was the official photographer.

Pete Souza accompanied Barack Obama photo documentary since 2005, when it was in January, U.S. Senator for the state of Illinois. Among others, he followed him on his travels through several countries and sketched him in his political rise. With the election of Obama to the presidency, he was appointed chief photographer of the White House.

Works (selection)

• The Rise of Barack Obama, Triumph Books, 2008 ISBN 978-1-60078-163-6.

Movies

• Obama up close - Move with the President. Documentation, 44 mins, USA, 2010. ( Online video, Eng. Version, 55 minutes)