Chief Official White House Photographer, Pete Souza, shares specifics of his career-defining role documenting the Obama presidency. Through our candid conversation and his generous response to questions, we receive insights and behind-the-scenes stories of his iconic images. Pete explains how he, with skill and intent, used the visual archive he created to expose the truth of the Trump years in his book, Shade.

In this book group, Pete Souza, discusses, among other things:

The primary message is to document for history aka not for social media platforms

Being in the room when shit is going down

90% of documenting is the in-between-moments

Inspirational documentary photographers

Gender parity in the White House Photo Office

Editing as the act of selection 

The value of collaborating with a photo editor

Creating a searchable photo archive 

Secret rose garden weddings and famous pets

Referenced in the episode

The Way I See It

CharlottetheTortoise

GroundTruth Project

Report for America

Mary Anne Fackelman-Minor

David Guttenfelder, John Moore, Drew Angerer, Mark Ostow

Seacoast African American Center Exhibit

Bridge Gallery

Pete Souza Website | Instagram

Engage with J. Sybylla Smith  https://www.jsybyllasmith.com Instagram @jsybylla and Facebook @j.sybylla.smith