Obama's Official Portrait Unveiled On Today Show

 

WASHINGTON, DC (January 14, 2008) – On January 20 in post offices around the United States, on Navy ships and military bases in remote locations, and in American government buildings around the world, postmasters and soldiers and diplomats will be taking down the eight-year-old portrait of George W. Bush and hanging up the official portrait of the new president, Barack Obama.

The "official" portrait of America's 44th president was released today, shot by Obama's new personal photographer Pete Souza and unveiled this morning live on NBC's Today Show.

Souza told Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira that he took about four hours with his assistant to set up lights and test to be ready for the shot, and that the President-elect then gave him about five minutes for the traditional formal sitting on Tuesday.

Souza said that he and his assistant, freelance photographer Andy Cutraro, showed the shots to Obama "on the back of my digital camera."

They narrowed the selection down to a couple of shots that they liked, Souza said, and the photographer made the final choice. Souza said he showed his selection to Obama's new White House press secretary Robert Gibbs before releasing it.

The portrait shows Obama wearing an American flag lapel pin. During the campaign the candidate was criticized by some opponents for not wearing a flag lapel pin.

Souza's new portrait of Obama will now be reproduced and distributed to locations all around the world to offices and facilities where the American president's photograph is displayed and in time to be put up on walls by next week's Inauguration Day.

Asked about what he's most worried about regarding next week's inauguration ceremony, Souza said that he's most concerned about getting a good shot during the actual swearing-in.

"Something with his hand up in the air ... when he's being sworn in," Souza told Lauer. "I'll actually be behind him so I'm going to have an unusual angle that all the other photographers won't have, but still I want to try to make a good picture from that angle."

Asked if he's ever missed a shot, Souza said, "Of course. But I'll never tell you which one!"

 

Souza's interview on NPR's Morning Edition is now available as streaming audio online here.

 

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