White House: Behind the Scenes Photos

By Pete Souza

The President makes a lot of phone calls from the Oval Office, including this one to Jalal Talabani of Iraq. Because the Vice President and others were also in the office, I wanted to include them in my frame. The Vice President kept moving about the Oval Office throughout the phone call and thus I was constantly changing my angle to keep him in the background. There were many photographs to choose from, but this seemed to be the best one because of the framing: the Vice President looking out the window in the background and his national security advisor, Tony Blinken, looking towards the President as he spoke on the phone.

President Barack Obama watches as First Lady Michelle Obama dances with students during a Diwali candle lighting and performance at Holy Name High School in Mumbai, India, Nov. 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan finish up a bi-lateral meeting at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Nov. 20, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)