The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
On the one year anniversary of the "Photo of the Day," Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer and Director of the White House Photography Office, selects his ten favorites.
Ed. Note: Sign up for the Daily Snapshot and we'll send you the Photo of the Day first thing every morning. Also, the full video of Pete Souza answering your questions in a video chat is now available.
A year ago, my photo editors suggested we start posting a "Photo of the Day" (POD) on the White House website. The idea was to show pictures that viewers do not see anywhere else: behind-the-scenes images of the President and other aspects of life at the White House. (Visit WhiteHouse.gov/Photos for the latest Photo of the Day galleries.)
In the past year, we have selected a new POD at least five days a week (weekend postings depend on the President’s activities). The most popular pictures are ones involving fun moments with the President, or pictures of the family dog, Bo. But, given my extraordinary access, we also try to show the President doing what he spends most of his time doing: running the country.
I chose the following ten pictures to represent the past year of POD’s. They are not necessarily the “best” ten, but are ones that show the variety of situations we have to choose from.
President Barack Obama leaves a presidential coin at the gravesite of 19-year-old Medal of Honor recipient, Specialist Ross McGinnis, who is one of two Medal of Honor recipients memorialized at Arlington Cemetery from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The President was at Arlington Cemetery to give Veterans Day remarks, November 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama meets with members of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House, January 29, 2010. The President’s chair is marked with a plaque engraved with the date of his inauguration. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama greets a young visitor in the Oval Office, February 5, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Snow blankets the White House grounds during a blizzard, February 6, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff, react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama greets workers during a shift change at V&M Star, a manufacturer of steel products, in Youngstown, Ohio, May 18, 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., August 15, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama throws a ball for Bo, the family dog, in the Rose Garden of the White House, September 9, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama curtsies with Lynne Silosky, a niece of posthumous Medal of Honor awardee, Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, October 6, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama boards Air Force One at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, October 11, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
