Ohio University Professor Pete Souza Named Obama’s Official White House Photographer

Announced last night by NPPA:

Photojournalist and NPPA member Pete Souza has accepted the position of official White House photographer for President-elect Barack Obama, he told News Photographer magazine tonight.”

Souza met then senator Barack Obama back in 2005 while covering his first day in the U.S. Senate for The Chicago Tribune. Souza documented the freshman senator’s first year in the Senate for the Chicago Tribune, following Obama to seven countries including Kenya, South Africa, and Russia. Souza later went onto publish a New York Times Bestselling book, The Rise of Barack Obama, which documents Barack Obama’s rise to power. It’s a well done book!

Souza began teaching photojournalism last year at Ohio University. He’s returning to Washington today, where he left his family after accepting the job at OU, to prepare for his new job.

Congrats Pete!