Obama Administration: My Favourite Photos

Eight years of the Obama Administration come to an end today. Here are my favourite, lesser known photos from the President and Administration who changed everything.

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with Dr. Jill Biden in the Blue Room of the White House before delivering remarks to the 2013 USO Service Member Honorees, Oct. 25, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama talks with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Blue Room of the White House following the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, Nov. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

First Lady Michelle Obama signs autographs after delivering the keynote address at Disney's Veterans Institute Workshop at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 14, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama walks with Kaye Wilson, left, and daughters Malia, center, and Sasha as they return to the White House from St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Kennedy Center honoree Meryl Streep in the Blue Room of the White House, Dec. 4, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Prime Minister Julia Gillard proposes a toast to President Barack Obama during the Parliamentary Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Nov. 16, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, pause at the North Memorial Pool of the National September 11 Memorial in New York, N.Y., on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks against the United States, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. The North Memorial pool sits in the footprint of the north tower, formerly 1 World Trade Center. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden joke together while taping a Joining Forces public service announcement in the East Room of the White House, April 4, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a "Toys for Tots" service project at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama curtsies with Lynne Silosky, a niece of posthumous Medal of Honor awardee, Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, in the Oval Office, Oct. 6, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s hands rest on the railing of a boat during their tour of St. Andrews Bay in Panama City Beach, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama descend the Grand Staircase of White House to attend a holiday party, Dec. 13, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden walk around the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, July 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama Administration: Landmark Moments and Special Visitors

The President and First Lady bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, before they departed Winfield House in London following a dinner in honor of the Queen.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President signs the health insurance reform bill. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

"Much has been made of this photograph that shows the President and Vice President and the national security team monitoring in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. Some more background on the photograph: The White House Situation Room is actually comprised of several different conference rooms. The majority of the time, the President convenes meetings in the large conference room with assigned seats. But to monitor this mission, the group moved into the much smaller conference room. The President chose to sit next to Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command, who was point man for the communications taking place. WIth so few chairs, others just stood at the back of the room. I was jammed into a corner of the room with no room to move. During the mission itself, I made approximately 100 photographs, almost all from this cramped spot in the corner. There were several other meetings throughout the day, and we've put together a composite of several photographs (see next photo in this set) to give people a better sense of what the day was like. Seated in this picture from left to right: Vice President Biden, the President, Brig. Gen. Webb, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi pet Bo, the Obama family dog, at the conclusion of their meeting in the Oval Office, Sept. 19, 2012. Danny Russel, Senior Director for Asian Affairs, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton watch at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama pauses to look back at the scene before leaving the platform following the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. Standing behind the President are First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and Marian Robinson. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Four Presidents during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Filling in for David Lienemann, Lawrence Jackson made this photograph of the real Vice President, with Julia-Louis Dreyfus, star of the HBO show Veep', in his West Wing office of the White House.
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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)

The President signs the H.R. 3547, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which at the time provided fiscal year 2014 appropriations. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan walk from the Reflecting Pool toward the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama laughs with Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, in the Oval Office, April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden discuss the Resolute Desk with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, prior to a meeting in the Oval Office, March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep participate in a photo shoot for MORE magazine in the Blue Room of the White House, Feb. 24, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany participate in a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 9, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Two days after the visit of Pope Francis, the President and First Lady hosted President Xi Jinping of China and Madame Peng Liyuan for another State Visit. Before the formal State Dinner, the President showed President Xi and Madame Peng the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President and Pope Francis walk along the Colonnade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A festive atmosphere as the White House was lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The Best White House Photos from 2015

There were many standout moments captured by the official White House photographers in 2015. Pete Souza, David Lienemann, Chuck Kennedy and Amanda Lucidon produce awe-inspiring images of the President, First Lady and members of the Obama Administration, and it is their work which has reignited my love of photography and the camera.

There are simply too many amazing photographs to choose from- these are some of my favorites.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep participate in a photo shoot for MORE magazine in the Blue Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama's motorcade travels to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Mich. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a "Let's Move!" Funny or Die game show taping with Billy Eichner of Billy on the Street and Big Bird at Safeway in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama speaks with First Lady Michelle Obama following his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

An aerial view of the White House taken from the cockpit of Marine One upon arrival from Baltimore, Maryland. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Vicki Kennedy, widow of Senator Ted Kennedy, shows President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama a replica of Sen. Kennedy's Senate office following the dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Mass. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama laughs with Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama's place is set at the table prior to the State Dinner for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

David Lienemann, the Vice President’s photographer, made this image in Dachau, Germany, of the VP and his granddaughter Finnegan Biden touring the concentration camp with Max Mannheimer, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

The President’s daughter Malia stopped by the Oval Office one afternoon to see her dad. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Chuck Kennedy captured this scene at dusk as the President entered the Outer Oval Office with Shaun Donovan. (Official White House by Chuck Kennedy)

Pete Souza captured this image at the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery march commemorations. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The First Lady, along with senior monk Eigen Onishi, had tea with Amb. Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and her son, Jack Schlossberg, at the Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The First Lady snuggled against the President during a video taping for the 2015 World Expo in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The President walks to sign H.R. 2 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Pete Souza ran up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial ahead of the President and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to capture this scene of the two looking towards the Washington Monument. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

After returning on Marine One, the President walks from the helicopter to the Oval Office holding an umbrella for aides Valerie Jarrett and Anita Decker Breckenridge. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

'Show us the Jeremy dance,’ the President said to departing Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, during a farewell ceremony for Jeremy in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President hugs Vice President Joe Biden after delivering a eulogy during the funeral mass for Beau Biden at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the G7 leaders and outreach guests to make their way to a bench for a group photograph. The President happened to sit down first, followed closely by the Chancellor (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama had just stopped by the annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park and we were already driving away underneath the stadium. The President asked the Secret Service to stop the motorcade when he spotted The Racing Presidents. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The First Lady and First Lady Agnese Landini of Italy tour the Mirror Room in the Italian Pavilion at the World Expo in Milan, Italy. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus applaud the Vice President after the President acknowledged their partnership during a meeting and reception in the State Dining Room. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Underneath a picturesque sky, the President boards Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President and First Lady walk back towards the south entrance of the White House following a moment of silence with White House staff for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

David Lienemann scoped out a great vantage point from the Blue Room Balcony to capture this moment as the President and First Lady escorted Pope Francis back inside the White House following the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Two days after the visit of Pope Francis, the President and First Lady hosted President Xi Jinping of China and Madame Peng Liyuan for another State Visit. Before the formal State Dinner, the President showed President Xi and Madame Peng the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Pete Souza focused on the detail of the Resolute Desk as the President was talking with two aides in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

After their meeting with the President, Katie Beirne Fallon, Director of Legislative Affairs, and Shaun Donovan, Director Office of Management and Budget, knock on wood–the Resolute Desk–in hopes that the budget would pass through Congress. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President and First Lady react to a child in a pope costume and mini popemobile as they welcomed children during a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

After arriving in France to attend the Climate Change Summit, the President, with French President François Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, made an unannounced stop just after midnight at the memorial in front of le Bataclan, the site of a Paris terrorist attack. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)