Official White House photographer uses iPhone to capture intimate presidential moments

Pete Souza, President Barack Obama's Chief Official White House Photographer, posted his annual "Year on Instagram" collection of photos to the Web on Monday, this year selecting only images shot on iPhone.

The 58 square format shots curated from Souza's Instagram account appear in a Medium post along with some background on the photographer's process and equipment.

"My approach to my Instagram feed continues to be all square photos are taken with an iPhone, and full-frame horizontals and verticals are taken with a DSLR (usually a Canon 5DMark3, but I've also posted some from Sony, Nikon and Leica cameras)," Souza said.

For this year's selection of Instagram photos Souza said he decided to feature only square images taken on iPhone, as the format is believed by some to be the social photo-sharing site's defining feature. Aside from Hipstamatic, Souza doesn't mention the use of image editing or filter apps.

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted out a link to Souza's post, calling the photography "stunning."

The photo presentation includes shots from around the White House grounds, Air Force One, various seasonal events and more, captured using a variety of techniques. President Obama is seen in only a handful of images.

Souza plans to release a Year in Photos collection in the near future, focusing on DSLR images instead of those captured on iPhone. More candid behind-the-scenes shots of President Obama's last year in office will be available on Souza's Instagram feed next week.

18 Comments

plovell 826 comments · 15 Years

About 8 years ago

Great photos !

fallenjt 4056 comments · 13 Years

Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago. I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.

foggyhill 4767 comments · 10 Years

fallenjt said:

Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago. I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.

Not it's not. But, the worse shot is a shot not taken. And, in the hand of a good photographer, any camera can take pretty good shots; how good a shot is goes beyond purely technical issues of course.

rob53 3307 comments · 13 Years

fallenjt said:

Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago. I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.

It depends on how you determine quality. The iPhone 6s' camera has a resolution of 4032 x 3024, or 12Mpixels. My Canon 60D has a resolution of 5184 x 3456, or 18Mpixels. The 60D APC sensor is a lot larger than the iPhone 6s sensor, giving it more light gathering power and a better image. However, for many shots, like the ones Pete Souza is posting, an extremely high resolution isn't needed. These shots are being posted on-line, which doesn't require a high-resolution image. That being said, all DSLRs have the ability to use a wide variety of lenses from wide angle to super telephoto. That's what really sets them apart. I gave my adult daughter my 60D so she could learn photography, making use of different lenses and exposure settings. I use my iPhone because I carry it all the time and use it as much for documenting things as I do for taking photos of people and scenery. I just wish Apple would come up with a zoom lens, I'd buy that camera/phone in an instant.

jfc1138 3090 comments · 12 Years

fallenjt said:

Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago. I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.

At the size of an Instagram image on a phone or tablet? Sure. But that 40 MB dSLR file comes into its own as you zoom in or enlarge REALLY big such as on an HDTV connected to your computer. The dSLR sensor is huge compared to the phones so the physics is always going to favor the dSLR: but only when the final image size can display all that extra information. And sometimes there's advantages to the phone: HDR shots of complicatedlylit street scenes are far easier with my iPhone 6s Plus than my Nikon d800.

This page really doesn't like editing from an iPhone does it? Ironic in its way.