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President Obama’s official photographer shares the highlights from the White House in 2015

Pete Souza has compiled his annual 'Year in Photographs' gallery, consisting of 100 images

Saturday 02 January 2016 15:01 GMT

2015 in pictures from the White House

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1/252015 in pictures from the White House

2015 in pictures from the White House

Dec. 4, 2015 “The President acquiesced to a selfie with 11-year-old Jacob Haynes and four-year-old James Haynes after taking a family photograph with departing White House staffer Heather Foster.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Dec. 22, 2015 “When some of my friends heard that the President had hiked the grueling Koko Head Crater Trail, they sent me messages on whether I had made it to the top. The trail is 1,048 wooden steps, which climb more than 1,200 feet up the crater’s ridge. Some call it the ‘Stairmaster from Hell.’ I’ll admit that I was huffing and puffing up the trail, but to my friends, this photograph is proof that I indeed made it to the top with my boss.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Nov. 25, 2015 “The President and his daughters Sasha and Malia participate in the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey pardon ceremony in the Rose Garden with National Turkey Federation Chairman Jihad Douglas.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Nov. 24, 2015 “With the U.S. Marine Band playing the score from the movie, ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,’ the President feigns riding a bicycle in the sky as happened in the 1982 movie directed by Steven Spielberg, who had just been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Nov. 21, 2015 “The President talks with a young refugee at a Dignity for Children Foundation classroom in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was working on a painting.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Oct. 30, 2015 “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)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Oct. 23, 2015 “Afternoon autumn light bathes the President as he works at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Sept. 25, 2015 “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)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Sept. 23, 2015 “Though there were many poignant moments of the President and Pope Francis to choose from, but this frame, as they walked along the Colonnade, was one of my favorites because of the light and the way the President was interacting with His Holiness.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Sept. 18, 2015 “This has to be the suit of the year. Matthew Lesko met the President before having a family photo taken with his son, Max Lesko, who was departing the White House after working in the Counsel Office.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

July 17, 2015 “While visiting the Whitney Museum in New York City, the President hugged his daughter Malia as they looked at the art work.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

July 17, 2015 “The President greets nine-month-old Josephine Gronniger, whose father, Tim Gronniger, brought his family by the Oval Office for a family photo.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

June 9, 2015 “After a group photograph with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Space Shuttle Columbia alumni, the President helped some of the participants move a sofa back in place in the Oval Office.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

June 8, 2015 “We were at the G7 Summit in Krün, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the 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. I only had time to make a couple of frames before the background was cluttered with other people.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

June 4, 2015 “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.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

May 18, 2015 “’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)

2015 in pictures from the White House

May 14, 2015 “The President had hosted a summit meeting at Camp David with the Gulf Cooperation Council. At the conclusion of the summit, each of the leaders was introduced before a final group photo in front of Laurel Cabin. Rather than shoot a tight shot of each leader, I used a wide angle lens to show more of the atmosphere of Camp David. Here, the President greets Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers’ Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

May 12, 2015 “The First Lady demonstrates her boxing skills during a #GimmeFive video taping.”

(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

2015 in pictures from the White House

April 17, 2015 “Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes needed some assistance with his wardrobe so the President joined Brian Mosteller, Director of Oval Office Operations, and Personal Aide Ferial Govashiri in helping to spruce him up.”

(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

2015 in pictures from the White House

April 11, 2015 “The culmination of years of talks resulted in this handshake between the President and Cuban President Raúl Castro during the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

March 31, 2015 “Throughout the first half of the year, the President met often with our team during the P5+1 negotiations with Iran. Several times he conducted secure video conferences from the Situation Room while the negotiators were on the ground in Switzerland.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

March 27, 2015 “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)

2015 in pictures from the White House

March 7, 2015 “I was moving around trying to capture different scenes away from the stage during the event to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches. When I glanced back towards the stage, I noticed the President and First Lady holding hands as they listened to the remarks of Rep. John Lewis. I managed to squeeze off a couple of frames before they began to applaud, and the moment was gone.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Feb. 27, 2015 “It’s definitely true that former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal is a big guy. But I’ll admit that I used a wide angle lens and this angle to accentuate his size when he stopped by the Oval Office for a quick visit.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2015 in pictures from the White House

Feb. 23, 2015 “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.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama’s official photographer has released his gallery of "best photos" of 2015.

Pete Souza, who has been photographing Mr Obama throughout his presidency, has compiled his annual "Year in Photographs" gallery, consisting of 100 images.

"Editing photographs, especially for a project like this, is both subjective and personal," he writes in a Medium post.

“I not only found key historic moments from the year, but also chose moments that give people a more personal look at the lives of the President and First Lady."

The gallery paints a picture of the events that have shaped the world in the past year while also giving an insight into Mr Obama’s penultimate year as president, showing him in both private settings as well as formal state visits.

The gallery includes a picture of Mr Obama shaking Cuban President Raul Castro’s hand as well as doing the "Jeremy dance" as Mr Obama says farewell to his Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard.

Click through the gallery above to see our pick of the best images.

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