The collection — curated by official White House photographer Pete Souza and featuring his work alongside Amanda Lucidon, David Lienemann, Chuck Kennedy, and Lawrence Jackson — shows that even amid another turbulent political year, the White House can still be a pretty fun place.
The comprehensive collection of course features many pictures of Barack Obama, but also making appearances are Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and even Bill Murray. The collection shows more than anything that the White House’s official photographers get the kind of access that has annoyed other members of the media, The Verge points out.
Some of the photos see Obama taking part in official events, like the Hour of Code, while others feature photos that went viral, like a kid doing a faceplant on a couch while his parents shake hands with the president.
See below for a small sampling of what the collection has to offer and see the rest of the photos here.
“This is one of those photographs that needs some explanation. The President had been meeting with Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri, left, and Senior Communications Advisor Tara McGuinness, to prep for a radio interview. At one point, the President made a comment so humorous that Jenn and Tara bent over in laughter.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza
“You gotta love Bill Murray. The actor had been invited to the White House along with other cast members of ‘The Monuments Men’ for a movie screening in the Family Theater of the White House. Prior to the screening, the President was to greet some of cast members in the Diplomatic Reception Room. A White House staff person had told Murray where to stand, meaning before the greet. But when the President walked into the room, Murray stayed put, saying ‘they told me to stand here.'”
(Official White
Pete Souza
“A great moment captured by Amanda Lucidon of the First Lady and daughters Sasha and Malia during their visit to the Great Wall of China.”
(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Amanda Lucidon
“Despite the haphazard framing, I love the expressions on the President and one-year-old Lincoln Rose Smith as she learns to walk in the Oval Office. This moment happened when former Deputy Press Secretary Jamie Smith and her family stopped by for a departure greet and photograph with the President.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza
“David Lienemann captured the filming of a scene for the White House Correspondents Dinner with the real Vice President and the TV Vice President, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, near the gate at the Naval Observatory Residence in Washington, D.C.”
(Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
David Lienemann
“‘Help me up!’, the President beckoned after posing for a photograph with children at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, the Philippines.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza
“The President sits for a 3D portrait being produced by the Smithsonian Institution. There were so many cameras and strobe lights flashing but the end result was kind of cool.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza
“This was a photograph that went viral when we posted it on Flickr. Lawrence Jackson captured a young boy face-planting himself onto the sofa in the Oval Office as the President greeting his parents — a departing United States Secret Service agent and his wife.”
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Lawrence Jackson
“We were at the NATO Summit in Wales when someone mentioned to the President that Stonehenge wasn’t that far away. ‘Let’s go,’ he said. So when the Summit ended, we took a slight detour on the way back to Air Force One.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza
