Chief Official White House Photographer

The Chief Official White House Photographer is a senior position appointed by the President of the United States to cover the President's official day-to-day duties. There have been ten official White House photographers, with Pete Souza the only photographer to have served two different Presidents.

The first official White House photographer was Cecil W. Stoughton, appointed by John F. Kennedy. Previously, official photographs had been taken by random military photographers. In the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination, it was Stoughton who was behind the lens for the iconic picture of Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration on Air Force One, alongside Kennedy's widow Jacqueline. Although Stoughton stayed on as a White House photographer for the next two years, it was Johnson's personal photographer, Yoichi Okamoto, who succeeded him in the role. For the first time ever, Okamoto was allowed access to the Oval Office.

Oliver F. Atkins was the official photographer for Richard Nixon, but was often restricted from taking photographs. However, Atkins' photograph of President Nixon and Elvis Presley is the most requested from the Library of Congress. The relationship between David Hume Kennerly and Gerald Ford was far more positive, as the official White House photographer returned to full-time activity. Kennerly's photograph of President Ford petting his Golden Retriever Liberty is arguably his most well known photograph from this era.

Jimmy Carter refused to have a personal photographer, and it was not until 1981, that the official White House photographer came back. During Ronald Reagan's presidency, the main photographers were Michael Evans and Pete Souza, who was a staffer at the time. For George H. W. Bush's sole term as President, he appointed David Valdez. His most well known photograph was for Life, where Bush and his wife Barbara were in bed together, surrounded by their grandchildren.

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