Obama's photographer presents his last year in review

I knew who was long before this thread, or any other posts on POTN about him or his photography.

OhLook wrote in post #18245549
TooManyShots, you've made your point very clearly: the collection should consist entirely of politically significant shots. But that's not the only kind of shot a White House photographer is expected to take. Some people also want to see the more personal and social scenes. The subject himself, Mr. Obama, is one of those people. I don't know a reason that your preferences should guide the selection of shots to take or shots to place on Flickr. Do you?

TooManyShots wrote in post #18245566
Is not my preference...hehehehe. This is what you do being the official White House photographer documenting history. The White House...the political center of the world....yeah, baby pictures and playing with kids..... yeah....

I look through the White House Flickr page. He got some political theme shots but something is lacking in those.....Frankly, not overall impressed. Maybe because Obama wasn't a big hit in foreign policy and diplomacy or maybe the opportunities were not there.

There are, in fact, many photos that have been taken and published of historical and political significance. I've seen some collections, but I think the number could be overwhelming. For example, let's start with the scene at the Democratic National Convention in '08 when Hillary Clinton stood and announced her support for Obama as the Democrat candidate for President, and the overwhelming greeting of the convention for Obama! Or, let's go to Election Night '08, when the newly elected Obama stood before a crowd and accepted the results of our democracy, or flashing to the Reverend Jessie Jackson in the midst of the crowd, standing and wiping tears from his face!

And then, gosh, and then you can keep on going, maybe even some very significant photos of the First Family as they happily bathed in the "light" of the honors!

Oh, and sure, many, many photos would also cover world affairs and US affairs, more than you would want to count or even view! But they are there, so if the ones shown in this presentation don't "work" for you, hey, move on! Of course if you have a negative "viewpoint" of Obama, well, move along! Maybe you want to gawk at the picture of President Bush on a Navy ship standing under the banner that declared our "Victory" in Iraq!

OhLook wrote in post #18245660
"Whatever" is a nonanswer. As you haven't offered any support for your position, I trust I'll be excused for not being convinced that it's right.

I can't be the only one who knew who Pete Souza was. Show of hands?

<cough> https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1474027 <cough> Like I said, whatever....

TooManyShots wrote in post #18245719
<cough> https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1474027 <cough> Like I said, whatever....

That cough sounds bad. You ought to have it looked at.

Seriously, though, what does the linked thread have to say that might help? Most people in it had seen Souza's work before. That's a far cry from "no one knows who is Pete Souza much."

Souza captures moments brilliantly. He's one of the few photographers whose work makes me smile. Obama & Biden are charismatic subjects. They're refreshingly engaging and down to Earth in front of the camera.

What's telling for me is I don't see the photographer, camera or off camera lighting rig. Pete's transparent. I don't see a signature processing style nor can I tell what lens the guy uses. My attention goes straight to the subject and what's going on at that moment. To me that makes a great photographer.

Compare Souza to Adam Scotti, Justin Trudeau's photog. Scotti is absolutely present in the photos. His monochrome work feels sombre and lacking joy. Some of his colour stuff has that retro processing thing going on. Weird angles and odd framing distract from the subject. I like Scotti's pictures but I'm not certain I like how they represent our PM. JT's a young enthusiastic guy who would be better recorded in a Souza-esque fashion imo.

https://www.flickr.com​/photos/adamscotti
https://www.instagram.​com/adamscotti

Lee

But that fact you state you cant possible know in the moment. You figure out what tells the story at the end. It was still an unnecessary crique.

Here is a direct quote from the article,

"The editing for this project is both subjective and personal," he said.
"Yes, there are some historic moments included but mostly I was looking for behind-the-scenes moments that give people a more personal look at the president and first lady."

The selection of photos are what Mr. Souza has deemed important to him. Are they award-winning photographs? Maybe, maybe not, but I am not the one to judge them on their merit, I am not good enough to assume that role. But for me a photograph must convey a story, which Mr. Souza has done brilliantly. These are stories that no other media outlet would have ever had the opportunity to cover. They showed a human side to a man who for the last few years had to don on the mantle of maybe the most important person in the world. They presented him as someone approachable, someone friendly and neighborly. These photos transcend all political convictions.

And, of course, it really does not matter (especially to Mr. Souza) whether or not someone is impressed by his selection. It wasn't meant to impress anyone.

FROM THE ARTICLE:
"Mr Souza's original post contains many more photos and the background on them. He has also posted a "year in photos" round-up from the White House in previous years.
Related"


In any situation, in any room where the President of the United States is attendance (regardless of who he is), I'm pretty sure he is the least important person in the room. He has to catch everything for history's sake ... on the fly. Maybe he uses a zoom at wide angle to catch everything because thats what's called for at the moment. He has seconds to get that "moment." You're thinking like a studio photographer where you have control. He has NONE. He can't pose them, say lets do this over, hold on while I change lens. He must catch REAL candid situations quickly and not be a distraction.

Of the thousands photos taken, this is the batch that he likes. Another photographer may select another batch. It doesn't make either of them wrong, just different.

You must be hard to work for.

whiteflyer wrote in post #18245506
Pete Souza has taken the photos TooManyShots wants, just that they are not shown in that BBC gallery

Nice.


In other news, whatever you do, do not google "BBC gallery" at work.

waterrockets wrote in post #18246161
In other news, whatever you do, do not google "BBC gallery" at work.

Why ever not; unless of course you work for ITV.

I believe waterrockets is being tongue-in-cheek. The gallery is a black hole for time

smallick wrote in post #18246257
I believe waterrockets is being tongue-in-cheek. The gallery is a black hole for time

Clever... :P