Barack Obama: 35 intimate moments

Some of the most intimate, candid and comical moments captured during Obama’s presidency
Multimedia Desk | January 19, 2017

President Barack Obama eats a nectarine following a town hall meeting at Kroger's Supermarket in Bristol, Virginia. on July 29, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA

Barack Obama can easily be said to be one of the most photographed individuals of the past decade. Over two million photographs have been captured of the 44th president of the United States, many of which depict the openness and sense of fun he brought to the White House; which has rarely been seen or imagined previously.

As Obama's time in the White House draws to an end, we compiled our favourite shots from his eight years as president.

Obama takes one last look in the mirror, before going out to take oath, Jan. 20, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Obama jokes with staff before the Summit of the Americas in Singapore. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The president shows his fun side, playing the villain to a three-year-old Spider-Man. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


A temporary White House staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carlton’s son softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the President’s head to see if it felt the same as his. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama share a private moment in a freight elevator at an Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Ella Rhodes, daughter of Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, is lifted by the President in her elephant costume that she was wearing for a Halloween event at the White House on October 30, 2015. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The President runs along with his pet dog 'Bo' in East Wing hallway of The White House. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama, along with Cabinet Secretaries and Members of Congress, watch a shot during a basketball game on the White House court on October 8, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama puts his toe on the scale as Trip Director Marvin Nicholson tries to weigh himself during a hold in the volleyball locker room at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, on August 9, 2010. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama plays with a football in the Oval Office on August 23, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


At the President's insistence, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes brought his daughter Ella by for a visit. As she was crawling around the Oval Office, the President got down on his hands and knees to look her in the eye, June 4, 2015. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Obama and Jimmy Fallon are briefed on the Slow Jam the News segment backstage before taping at the University of North Carolina Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, April 24, 2012. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The President and members of the White House staff look out the window of Air Force One to view tornado damage over Moore, Oklahoma. After landing at Tinker Air Base, the President did a walking tour of the damage and met with those affected, May 26, 2013. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama watches first lady Michelle Obama dance with 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin prior to a reception celebrating African American history. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth on December 3, 2009. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The President checks out a thunderstorm brewing outside, June 23, 2015. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA



The President’s daughter Malia stopped by the Oval Office one afternoon to see her dad and, while they were talking, she wiped something from his face. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


A beautifully composed, graphic shot of Obama and the secret service walking to Air Force One in Los Angeles. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The President reacts before leaving after delivering remarks on the economy at the Ford Kansas City Stamping Plant in Liberty, Missouri, on September 20, 2013. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama jokingly mimics US Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney’s “not impressed” expression while greeting members of the 2012 US Olympic gymnastics teams in the Oval Office November 15, 2012. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Obama with Lincoln Rose Pierce Smith, the daughter of former Deputy Press Secretary Jamie Smith. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton hugs US President Barack Obama as she arrives onstage at the end of his speech on the third night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, July 27, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS


During a Super Bowl watching party in the White House theatre, the President and First Lady join their guests in watching one of the TV commercials in 3D. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President and Vice President and the national security team monitor in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, sit for a family portrait in the Oval Office. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


The President was visiting a classroom at Powell Elementary School in Washington, DC. 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. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama shares a pizza dinner with individuals who wrote letters to him, at The Wazee Supper Club In Denver, Colorado. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


As president, Obama was constantly surprising – yes, he really did dance the tango on a visit to Argentina. PHOTO: REUTERS


The fascination with the Obamas was global, and this picture of them hugging after a campaign event in Iowa became the most re-tweeted picture in history. PHOTO: AFP


Obama talks with his daughter Malia on the swing set outside the Oval Office. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


Obama speaks in the rain at a campaign rally in Glen Allen, Virginia. PHOTO: BROOKS KRAFT/CORBIS


The President works at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President walks into the White House on March 30, 2012. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA


President Barack Obama acknowledges the crowd as he arrives to deliver his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois. PHOTO: REUTERS


Close-up detail of President Obama's signature on a bill, and a pen used for the signing, aboard Air Force One on a flight from Buckley Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado. PHOTO: PETE SOUZA
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