Whether he is giving a speech to a crowd of thousands, golfing on the White House lawn or playing with the family dog, wherever Barack Obama goes, Pete Souza is not far behind.
“It’s always fun to watch a colleague work,” said Terry Eiler, director of the School of Visual Communication. “When everyone is looking at the president, we are looking for Pete sightings.”
Souza’s office on the third floor of Seigfred Hall has been vacant for four years and could stay vacant for four more depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s election. On leave from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication, where he is an assistant professor of photojournalism, Souza is the official White House photographer — the head photographer for the president of the United States.
“There is no one else that I would rather have documenting and recording history than Pete,” Eiler said. “He is an excellent photographer, and he really has an ability to observe and capture. He is gathering history as it happens.”
Students might have seen him on the steps of Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium three weeks ago, snapping pictures of President Obama campaigning at the West Portico. That day, Eiler and the VisCom staff were introduced to the president at Souza’s request.
“(Barack Obama) said to me, ‘I see you and I made the same mistake: I hired Pete, too,’ ” Eiler said. “Judging from what I saw, they have a good and personal relationship that started when Obama was running for Senate. At least it’s close enough to poke fun at him.”
That relationship began years ago. Souza was working in Washington, D.C., as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune. After being asked to document Obama’s first year as U.S. Senator, he covered the campaign, the victory and then followed the senator around the world. He met Obama in 2005, on his first day as a U.S. senator.
Three years later, Souza had a series of photos that documented not only Obama’s first year as senator, but also his rise to the U.S. presidency, which Souza published in his 2008 book, “The Rise of Barack Obama.”
Around that time, Eiler said, a teaching position opened in VisCom. Eiler, who had already known Souza for about 10 years, brought him to OU — if only for one year.
When Obama was elected president, Souza was made head of the White House Photo Office. He had been on the White House photo staff before, during Ronald Reagan’s second term.
The portrait he took of resident Obama in 2009 was the first official presidential portrait taken with a digital camera, according to Obama’s former campaign website.
“Of course it gives us bragging rights,” Eiler said. “There has never been another academic selected for this position. … It shows that the faculty of VisCom is connected to the profession.”
Souza has become an inspiration for many aspiring photographers at OU. The department often hosts webinars, Skype talks and “Pizza with Pete,” said Stan Alost, assistant director and associate professor of VisCom.
“Pete has been a front-row witness to history,” Alost said. “He is a resource for not only those in VisCom, but all students.”
Mylan Cannon, an OU senior studying specialized studies, said he thinks he would have applied for an internship at the White House Photo Office even without his knowledge of Souza but credits the professor for raising his awareness of the opportunity.
During Spring 2011, Cannon was accepted as a White House photo intern. As the videographer intern, Cannon cataloged photos in the White House archives, was assistant editor of Obama’s weekly video address and had the opportunity to photograph the president on several occasions.
“It was an experience that allowed me to be exposed to people I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to,” he said. “An image can be really powerful when it bears witness to a historical event.”
This Election Day will attest to whether Obama will serve another four-year term, which could also decide the fate of his photographer.
“It will be interesting to see whether Pete will stay on,” Alost said. “It’s a grueling job, and when it’s grueling for the president, it’s also grueling for Pete.”
oy311909@ohiou.edu
