Newswise — President-elect Barack Obama has been a top news story for more than a year. But who is Obama? What kind of man is he when the cameras aren't rolling? What traits propelled him in such a short time to the presidency?
Pete Souza, assistant professor of photojournalism in Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism and former White House photographer, knows first hand—having spent the better part of the last three years documenting the senator's life through the lens of his Canon. The resulting book, "The Rise of Barack Obama," which debuted at No. 16 on The New York Times Best Sellers list print edition on November 23, chronicles the president-elect's extraordinary climb to the top: from his first day in the U.S. Senate to the Pennsylvania primary in April of 2008.
"It was apparent to me in 2005 that this guy could be the [Democratic] nominee or the president," Souza explains. "I wanted to show that " how he would rise and get there. The images in the book, if you look back at them now, [you'll see that] access would be so different"¦you could not get those shots now."
Souza gained exclusive access to the Senator's daily life, starting on his first day of work in Washington, D.C. and followed him on trips throughout the U.S. and to seven countries. "He is one in a generation," Souza says. "He presents himself in such a genteel manner. He's so calm, nothing seems to faze him, and to see the way people respond to him is something to watch. Remarkable."
Even before Barack Obama made his historic run for the White House, photographer Pete Souza knew he had found a rare subject. Souza, who served as a White House photographer during the Reagan administration, says Obama is unlike any other political figure he has met.
Terry Eiler, director of Ohio University's School of Visual Communication, calls Souza's book a testament to the quality of his work. "Photojournalism is a game of inches and luck," Eiler explains. "It is so seldom that a photojournalist like Pete gets to start a story and take you places that no one else has gone: behind the scenes with a family of a presidential hopeful long before that person moves into the public eye."
What started as a simple assignment " documenting the senator's freshman year in office for the Chicago Tribune " gave Souza the kind of access that led him to realize he was documenting much more than a senator. He was capturing history in the making. "It became apparent to me in 2005 that Obama was a one-in-a-generation politician," Souza says. "I could foresee then that someday he might be president. When I realized he could actually become the nominee or the president, I started looking for moments and situations that would never be repeated."
"To see the way people respond to him is something to watch," Souza explains, noting that he had not seen such a powerful response to a candidate since covering President Ronald Reagan. "You can see it in their faces. The response to him is overwhelming. Remarkable."
Souza said he was particularly intrigued by the response Obama received abroad. In Kenya, his father's homeland, thousands crowded the streets and climbed trees for a glimpse of him. In Nairobi, those who turned out to hear him overfilled the auditorium, and hundreds gathered in the street around loudspeakers to listen. On a different day, admirers clamored over one another and extended their hands through an iron fence just for the chance to touch him.
Crowds grew in the United States during the time Souza continued documenting and photographing Obama, as citizens turned out in droves to hear the young Senator speak. "He is so intelligent and articulate and presents himself in such a genteel manner," Souza says. "He reminds me of Reagan. Nothing seems to faze him"¦his feathers don't get ruffled. Reagan was like that," he observes. "It's so surprising to see how truly emotional Obama gets on the campaign trail on stage and how calm and relaxed (he is) backstage after. He is very comfortable in his own skin and as inspirational a speaker as anyone I've ever been around. He's a true natural."
At the same time, Souza noted that when meeting various world leaders " whether Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in South Africa or Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko " Obama was respectful and deferential. "As president, I would imagine it would be the same " very respectful," he says.
With decades of experience inside the beltway, Souza has seen his fair share of politicians who can be one kind of person on camera and another off. Obama, he says, is the real deal: What you see is what you get. "I really don't think he's changed a lot during the last three years," Souza observed after meeting up with Obama on the campaign trail during the Ohio primary election. "I don't see a big change in him as a person. What's changed is everything around him. And he has taken that in great stride."
Book cover photo: http://www.ohio.edu/news/pix/Souza_obamacvr.jpg
Video is available by contacting the source.
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