2014 in Photos

“For the sixth consecutive year, I'm thrilled to share my annual Year in Photographs. Each photograph, taken either by me or a photographer on my staff, is accompanied by my personal observations about the image. In some instances, there is an interesting backstory to the photograph, which I've included. Most of the moments captured can best be described as behind-the-scenes — that is, photographs taken away from the spotlight of public events. Some of the photographs are historic because of what is taking place, but others hopefully give people a more personal sense of who the President and First Lady are. Editing is a highly subjective — and for me — personal endeavor. I've included a mix of 'moments,' but also some photographs that rely more on graphics, lighting and composition. Some are serious and some are humorous. And of course, some are with babies (since the President loves babies). I hope you enjoy this year's album of photographs.”

Pete Souza, Director and Chief Official White House Photographer

January 17, 2014 "Sometimes a unique angle makes all the difference. Lawrence Jackson scouted out a balcony position in the New Executive Office Building to photograph the President as he signed H.R. 3547, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which at the time provided fiscal year 2014 appropriations." (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

January 21, 2014 "A blanket of snow in the Rose Garden made for an interesting foreground as the President walked along the White House colonnade to the residence at the end of his day accompanied by Chief of Staff Denis McDonough." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

January 28, 2014 "At the annual State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, Chuck Kennedy captured this poignant moment between the First Lady and U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg. Cory first met the President in 2009 at a D-Day ceremony in Normandy. Four months later, Cory was badly injured in Afghanistan and in a coma for three months. In early 2010, shortly after Cory came out of his coma, the President happened to be visiting patients at Walter Reed Hospital. As he walked into one of the patient's rooms, hanging on the wall was a photo I had taken of the President and Cory in Normandy. The President then realized that he had met this badly injured Army Ranger at Normandy. Two years later, we were visiting Arizona, where Cory had gone home to further recuperate. The President asked if Cory would be able to greet him backstage. Amazingly, Cory was able to salute the President and walk across the room aided by a walker to shake hands with the President." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

February 4, 2014"Members of Congress vie for the President's attention following a meeting with the House Democratic Caucus in the East Room of the White House." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

February 7, 2014 "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)

February 11, 2014" Ever the gentleman, the President helps the First Lady off the stage after she thanked the White House chefs during the State Dinner for President François Hollande of France on the South Lawn of the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

February 18, 2014 "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 House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 1, 2014"The President talks with some of his national security advisors before a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Ukraine. I'm sure there will be people quick to comment about his wearing casual clothes and having his feet on his coffee table. Let's keep perspective in mind: it was a Saturday, and a President is the President whether he's wearing a suit on a weekday or casual clothes on a weekend. And a President, any President, isn't disrespecting the office if he puts his feet on a table or a desk; he's just being relaxed." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 4, 2014"The President was visiting a classroom at Powell Elementary School in Washington, D.C. A young boy was using a stethoscope during the class, and as the President was about to leave the room, the President asked him to check his heartbeat."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 5, 2014"I love all the reflections in the mirrors of the First Lady and her staff in this photograph by Amanda Lucidon backstage at the Leading Women Defined Summit hosted by BET Networks in Miami, Florida."  (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

March 7, 2014"I'm always looking for different angles to frame the President as he boards Air Force One. I hadn't thought about including this one of the President and First Lady until Netflix released a video promotion of 'House of Cards' Season 3 with a video clip eerily similar to this photograph." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 17, 2014 "Returning from a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, I asked the pilots of the Marine One helicopter if I could photograph from the cockpit as we approached the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 18, 2014 "The President applauds Medal of Honor honorees, from left, Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris, Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela, and Specialist Four Santiago J. Erevia, during the Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The President awarded these three Army veterans plus 21 others posthumously the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. These veterans received the Medal of Honor in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Each of these soldiers' bravery was previously recognized with the award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest military award; that award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in recognition of their gallantry, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of duty. In 2002, Congress, through the Defense Authorization Act, called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, to ensure those deserving the Medal of Honor were not denied because of prejudice. During the review, records of several Soldiers of neither Jewish nor Hispanic descent were also found to display criteria worthy of the Medal of Honor. The 2002 Act was amended to allow these Soldiers to be honored with the upgrade - in addition to the Jewish and Hispanic American Soldiers." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 23, 2014 "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)

March 24, 2014 "POTUS meets Rembrandt. The President looks at Rembrandt's 'Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul' during a tour of the Gallery of Honor at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 27, 2014 "The President talks with Pope Francis following a private audience at the Vatican."  (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 4, 2014"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)

April 14, 2014 "Amanda Lucidon captured this spontaneous moment as the First Lady hugged family pets Sunny and Bo during a video taping in the Map Room of the White House." 
(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

April 21, 2014"When the President saw this photograph hanging on the walls of the West Wing, he laughed and said, 'The two most famous sets of ears in Washington.' He then asked me to make a print for him so he could show his daughters. The photograph shows the President and the Easter Bunny listening to the national anthem on the Blue Room Balcony at the annual Easter Egg Roll."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 23, 2014"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)

April 27, 2014 "Every photographer has probably experienced the challenge this situation presented: moving from an air-conditioned hotel to outside heat and humidity. It was all I could do to keep my camera lens from fogging up to be able to capture this scene just outside the motorcade as the President bid farewell to Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 28, 2014"'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)

April 28, 2014 "A U.S. Secret Service agent shines a flashlight for the President as he walked to the motorcade from Marine One upon arrival at the Florento landing zone in Manila, the Philippines. I'm still kind of amazed that the current digital DSLR cameras are able to capture a scene like this with very little ambient light." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 6, 2014 "Aides laugh as the President swats a fly that was invading his space in the Oval Office." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 16, 2014 "A pretty self-explanatory moment by Chuck Kennedy, as the First Lady toured the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, with Stephanie Kyriazis, Chief of Interpretation and Education." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

May 16, 2014 "Call it the Shake Shack slide. As he is wont to do, the President normally does a group photo with restaurant staff when he stops for lunch or dinner somewhere. After having lunch with Vice President Biden at a Shake Shack in Washington, D.C., the President asked me where he should stand for the photo. Before I could even reply, the President jumped on the counter and slid onto the other side. The Vice President soon followed." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 24, 2014 "This photograph was from the annual White House Science Fair. It shows the President posing with Girl Scout Troop 2612 from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I think the 8-year-old girls — Avery Dodson, Natalie Hurley, Miriam Schaffer, Claibyre Winton and Lucy Claire Sharp — are called 'Brownies.' They had just shown the President their exhibit: a Lego flood-proof bridge project. The fair celebrated the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions from across the country." 
(Official White House Photo Pete Souza)

May 25, 2014"A big shout-out to country singer Brad Paisley after he performed for U.S. troops before the President spoke at a rally at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Brad traveled with us on Air Force One to Afghanistan, which meant for security purposes he couldn't tell anyone where he was going. Brad was genuinely a great traveling companion and even played guitar and sang Happy Birthday to one of the Air Force One crew members on the return flight." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 28, 2014"Cadets toss their hats in the air as the Thunderbirds fly over Falcon Stadium at the United States Air Force Academy Commencement ceremony, in Colorado Springs, Colorado." (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

June 6, 2014 "The President talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a lunch with other foreign leaders to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. I'm sure they were talking about a subject matter other than D-Day." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 6, 2014 "This isn't so much a great photograph as it was just an honor to be in the presence of World War II veteran Kenneth (Rock) Merritt as he regaled President Obama with stories of D-Day aboard Marine One on the 70th French-American Commemoration D-Day Ceremony. The President invited 'Rock' to fly on the helicopter after leaving the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 9, 2014 "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. See the video at here."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 9, 2014 "Chief of Staff Denis McDonough came to the Oval Office one afternoon and said to the President, 'let's take a walk.' So they proceeded outside the White House gates to a Starbucks on Pennsylvania Avenue. On the way back, the President stopped to greet street vendor Saied Abedy, who was born in Afghanistan. I later selected this photograph to hang as a 'jumbo' print on the walls of the West Wing. Several months later, after the jumbo print had been replaced with a newer photograph, we were tipped off that a White House staff member was giving Mr. Abedy and his family a tour of the West WIng one night. So we retrieved the jumbo print of him and hung it back on the walls of the West Wing. I later heard how emotional his family became when they saw the photograph on their tour." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 13, 2014 "Every morning the President convenes the 'Presidential Daily Briefing.' When world events dictate, aides that normally do not attend this meeting are called in to participate in the briefing. Here, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, briefs the President and his team on the situation in Iraq." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 13, 2014 "The First Lady and the President hug Native American youth following a meeting with them at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The Obama's were so moved by this meeting that they arranged for these youth members to visit them at the White House later in the year. A photograph from that visit also appears in this gallery."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 23, 2014 "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)

June 23, 2014 "The President kisses a baby girl as he and the Vice President greeted wounded warriors and their families during their tour in the East Room of the White House."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 25, 2014"The Vice President talks to Alaska Senator Mark Begich during the President's reception with Senate Democrats in the Cross Hall of the White House." 
(Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

June 26, 2014 "The President shares a laugh while having lunch with Rebekah Erler at Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Erler, a 36-year-old working wife and mother of two pre-school aged boys, had written the President a letter about the economic challenges of raising a family. When a trip to Minneapolis was scheduled, the President invited Rebekah to have lunch with him. He later met her family and the following day, Rebekah introduced the President at his economic speech." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 29, 2014 "The President shares a quiet moment with his daughter Sasha during a father and daughter hike at Great Falls, Virginia." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 7, 2014"David Lienemann accompanied Dr. Jill Biden on her summer trip to Africa. Here, Dr. Biden and granddaughter Finnegan Biden wave to students assembled on the railings after a girls education event at the St. Joseph's Secondary School in Freetown, Sierra Leone." 
(Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

July 8, 2014 "A woman slips a note into the President's front shirt pocket as he greeted pedestrians during an impromptu walk in downtown Denver, Colorado."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 8, 2014 "The President whistles along to Van Morrison's 'Brown-Eyed Girl' while shooting pool with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in Denver, Colorado. The President took great pride in beating the Governor at the bar the Governor founded." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 9, 2014 "The President salutes an Air Force member as he disembarks Air Force One to greet Texas Gov. Rick Perry upon arrival at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The President and Gov. Perry later discussed immigration aboard Marine One en route to a meeting with other officials." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 10, 2014 "During remarks on the economy in Austin, Texas, the President was heckled about immigration by two young men in the audience. After being interrupted again, the President told the men that he wanted to finish his speech but would be happy to have a conversation with them later. As soon as he left the stage, the President told his staff to bring the two men backstage so he could indeed talk to them about immigration."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 17, 2014 "Secure communications are always available to the President wherever he travels. The President happened to be in New York when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in Ukraine, apparently shot down. In a holding room, the President held a conference call with CIA Director John Brennan and his national security team to discuss the U.S. response. Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer and Anita Decker Breckenridge, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, monitored updates on their Blackberrys." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 21, 2014 "The President shares a laugh backstage with Los Angeles Clippers basketball player Chris Paul, who was about to introduce the President at a 'My Brother's Keeper' initiative town hall in Washington, D.C. A few minutes before this photograph was taken, I was talking to Chris and he told me how nervous he was about doing the introduction. It surprised me that a basketball superstar, who plays under enormous pressure every night in front of tens of thousands of people, would be nervous. The President then came over and before long, had Chris cracking up in laughter to help put him at ease. I'll note that Chris did a great job in his introduction, and there were no visible signs of nervousness." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 23, 2014 "Surrounded by Secret Service agents, the President views the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Rather than immediately board the Marine One helicopter at Crissy Field, the President instead walked right past the helicopter to see a better view of the bridge on a clear summer day." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 23, 2014 "Occasionally, a graphic element becomes the key factor in an interesting photograph. Here, at Los Angeles International Airport, I ran out in front of Air Force One to preposition myself at a low angle to take advantage of the yellow stripe as the President walked off the plane." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 29, 2014"An unusual angle can often be the key factor to an interesting photograph. Here, Chuck Kennedy was on the roof of the West Wing to capture the President as he walked from the Oval Office to the South Lawn of the White House to deliver a statement on the situation in Ukraine." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

July 29, 2014"Sometimes you get lucky as a photographer. The President was greeting the crowd outside Arthur Bryant's Barbeque in Kansas City. As he began talking to a young boy, actually giving him some life advice, someone's smart phone briefly illuminated the President's face. Without this light, the photograph wouldn't have been nearly as successful." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 30, 2014 "I'm including this photograph because the President just loved looking around at Cool Vintage Watches in Parkville, Missouri. 'A lot of cool stuff,' was how he described it to me afterwards. He said he could have spent a lot more time looking around in the shop, which had much more than just watches."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 31, 2014 "It's true that the President has a calm demeanor. Not always though. Here the President expresses his dismay at comments from a Republican member of Congress discussing the administration's policy in Syria during a meeting with the chairs and ranking members of congressional national security committees. This frank exchange was later reported in the press." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

August 14, 2014 "'Presidents don't get vacations; they get a change of scenery,' then First Lady Nancy Reagan once said about her husband's trips to his California ranch. It doesn't really matter if a President is in the Oval Office or on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. He is still the President, capable of making decisions wherever he is. Here, while on vacation in Chilmark, Massachusetts, the President puts the finishing touches on his remarks after meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and others about the the situation in Ferguson, Missouri." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

August 29, 2014 "This view of the President reading briefing material was taken with a remote camera set up on the mantel above the fireplace in the Oval Office."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

August 29, 2014 "I was on the second helicopter and arrived moments before Marine One touched down at Brenton Point in Newport, R.I. I bet one of the advance staff that after landing, instead of walking to the motorcade the President would walk across the road to view the ocean at sunset. I won the bet." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 4, 2014 "Meetings happen everywhere including on the escalator. Here, the President continues a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel following their meeting with other leaders at the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 5, 2014 "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)

September 8, 2014 "The First Lady is definitely a hugger. Chuck Kennedy captured this moment of her hug with someone in the audience following her remarks in support of the Reach Higher initiative in Atlanta, Georgia." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

September 8, 2014 "'How Does Someone Get to Meet the President of the United States?' Parker McAllen, 13, wrote such a letter to the President, and before long, the President invited Parker and her family to the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 14, 2014 "The President, First Lady, and daughter Malia view a portrait of Abraham Lincoln while visiting the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 15, 2014 "The President checks out a baby's foot while greeting guests at a picnic on the South Lawn of the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 17, 2014 "'Don't make rabbit ears', the President said to a group of students before taking a photo with them. Which of course some of them couldn't resist doing. I especially love the girl with her arm wrapped around the President's arm. The students were from an elementary school at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 18, 2014 "Given how much of the President's time was occupied with Ukraine this year, I thought it was important to show the President meeting with President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine in the Oval Office." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 19, 2014 "Through a crack in the door, the President listens as Lilly Jay related her experience as a sexual assault survivor during the launch of the 'It's On Us' campaign, a new public awareness and action campaign designed to prevent sexual assault at colleges and universities." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 19, 2014 "At the end of the day, the President walks along the White House colonnade with Anita Decker Breckenridge, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 22, 2014 "As the President was greeting wounded warriors and their families, I focused on this young girl as the President shook hands with her father. I love how she's touching the President's arm as she looks up at him almost in disbelief." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 22, 2014 "It's called 'Wrap with Denis' on the schedule. The end of the day meeting between the President and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough often turns into a walk on the South Grounds of the White House. And Denis usually carries a red folder with him."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 27, 2014 "Lawrence Jackson captured the First Lady backstage watching the President deliver remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 44th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C."
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

September 30, 2014"I asked the President if I could ride in his vehicle as he traveled to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 2, 2014 "A view from the Nighthawk Two helicopter of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline as the President traveled aboard Marine One." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 6, 2014 "The President was taking a walk with former Chief of Staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel when they stopped to pet Sunny along the South Grounds of the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 7, 2014 "I love all the different things happening in this photograph by David Lienemann, with the main moment being the Vice President greeting a baby during a campaign rally in Bakersfield, California." (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

October 8, 2014 "A portrait of the President as he listened during a meeting with staff in the Rose Garden. The meeting was originally scheduled in the Oval Office but the President moved it outside because the weather was so pleasant." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 13, 2014 "During a meeting on Ebola, the President and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell listen via speaker phone to Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The President was dressed somewhat casually because it was Columbus Day, a federal holiday." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 14, 2014"The President lifts the daughter of a departing staff member in the Oval Office."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 14, 2014"The President was meeting with a group of mentees in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. As the meeting was coming to a close one of the participants challenged the President to a game of HORSE. 'Let's go,' the President responded, and the entire group walked down to the basketball court on the South Lawn. In addition to the shooting competition, the President also used the opportunity to further talk to the young men about life lessons, not basketball." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 15, 2014 "When the skies opened up one fall afternoon, I ventured outside the Outer Oval Office with my iPhone to try and capture a good Instagram of the rainstorm. The President saw me standing out on the White House colonnade and stepped outside himself. Fortunately, I also had my DSLR with me to capture this photograph as the President reached out to feel the raindrops." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 16, 2014 "The President talks on the phone to Texas Gov. Rick Perry to make sure Texas had the necessary resources if more health-care workers became ill with the Ebola virus. Because there were several other people in the Oval Office, I tried to incorporate them into the photograph." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 17, 2014 "There are countless government employees who are doing unsung work on behalf of the American people. One of those is Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. When I introduce Lisa to friends and family, I tell them that she is working nonstop to help keep the American people safe. I'm including this photograph taken outside on the President's patio of LIsa updating him on the Ebola virus because she spends almost all of her time in either her windowless office or in the Situation Room. It just so happened that an electric shortage had caused the Oval Office to be filled with a pungent smell, moving the meeting outside." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 20, 2014 "It was supposed to be just a simple early voting by the President at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Chicago, Illinois. When Aia Cooper, left, and her fiancé Mike Jones, far right, walked by to also cast their ballot, Jones quipped, 'Mr. President, don't touch my girlfriend.' The President replied, 'I really wasn't planning on it,' joking that Jones was 'an example of a brother just embarrassing you for no reason.' When the President finished voting, he reached over and gave Cooper a kiss on the cheek."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 24, 2014 "When Nina Pham walked into the Oval Office, the President gave her a big hug as her family and White House Dr. Ronny Jackson watched. Nina, a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola after caring for an infected patient in Texas, was being treated at the National Institutes of Health in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, and the President invited her to the White House when she was released after being declared Ebola-free." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

October 31, 2014 "The President greets a youngster while he and the First Lady handed out Halloween treats to local children and children of military families at the White House." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 5, 2014 "'It's the fourth quarter and a lot of interesting things happen in the fourth quarter,' was one of the President's comments as he met with the White House staff in the Roosevelt Room the day after the mid-term elections. Though the Democrats did not fare well, the President wanted the staff to know that they, and he, could still accomplish a lot of good for the American people in the final two years of his Presidency."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 7, 2014 "While walking with incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from the Oval Office to a lunch with other Congressional leaders, the President stopped on the White House colonnade to discuss the upcoming Congressional session."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 11, 2014 "Access for me at foreign summits is usually quite limited. Somehow, I managed to be backstage with the President as he and other world leaders were waiting for the start of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Plenary Session in Beijing, China." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 13, 2014 "I almost tripped coming down the stairs trying to make this photograph as the President turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs coming into this beautiful light casting shadows and and his silhouette at the Parliamentary Resource Center in Naypyitaw, Burma." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 13, 2014"The President was shopping for family gifts with local vendors at a hotel in Naypyitaw, Burma. When he found some earrings he thought would be good for his daughter Malia, he sought out a hotel employee to see how they might look." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 14, 2014 "The President walks to Air Force One at Naypuitaw International Airport in Burma for departure en route to Yangon." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 14, 2014 "The President walks with Aung San Suu Kyi back into her residence following their joint press conference in Yangon, Burma." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 15, 2014 "The President holds a koala backstage prior to the G20 Welcome to Country Ceremony at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Center in Brisbane, Australia." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 19, 2014 "Lawrence Jackson captured the President busting out in laughter as he and the First Lady recorded a holiday video message in the Map Room of the White House." 
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

November 19, 2014 "A lot of business is done during informal meetings and conversations, often away from the Oval Office. Here, the President ventured upstairs to the second floor of the West Wing to talk with Neil Eggleston, Counsel to the President, outside his office." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 20, 2014 "Fulfilling their promise, the President and First Lady have lunch with youth from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. Earlier in the day, the youth toured the White House and had meetings with the President and First Lady and other White House officials." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 25, 2014 "As a meeting in the Situation Room was about to break up, I focused on the Vice President's hand as he held up his briefing book and assorted folders." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 26, 2014 "The President and his daughters Malia and Sasha look at 'Mac' the turkey in the East Room prior to the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey pardon ceremony at the White House. The President pardoned 'Cheese' publicly, though both 'Mac' and 'Cheese' were spared to live out their life at a farm in Ohio." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 1, 2014"Following the outcry over the shooting of Michael Brown by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri, the President invited young civil rights leaders to a meeting in the Oval Office. Many of them had protested in Ferguson. A 30-minute scheduled meeting last more than an hour. As the meeting broke up, the President continued the conversation for a few minutes and I then managed to frame the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the foreground."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 3, 2014 "The First Lady and I both spotted the President standing under the mistletoe and she moved in to grab a kiss from him following a dinner for Combatant Commanders and military leadership at Blair House in Washington, D.C." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 7, 2014 "While waiting to be introduced before the Kennedy Center Honors reception at the White House, the President began whistling a Christmas song in the Blue Room." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 7, 2014 "The President and First Lady applaud Tom Hanks, one of the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 8, 2014 "The President mimics a middle-school student overcome with emotion at meeting him during an 'Hour of Code' event to honor Computer Science Education Week at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 11, 2014 "The President talks on the phone with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes as Ferial Govashiri displays a photograph on her computer of Ben's newborn daughter."  (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 12, 2014 "The President walks through the Ground Floor Corridor of the White House as he heads back to the Oval Office following a holiday reception." 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December 16, 2014 "The President talks on the phone with President Raúl Castro of Cuba in the Oval Office. The next day, the President announced the U.S. would restore full relations with Cuba after more than 50 years." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

12/24/2014 "On Christmas eve the President opens the gift box given by his aide." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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