Favorite photos of Barack Obama

As President Barack Obama’s time in office comes to an end, we take a trip through the past eight years, through images captured by White House photographer Pete Souza.

Souza compiles his favorite photos every year, and these are some of the best of those featuring the 44th president. 

Here, Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama share a semi-private moment after he gave her his coat on the way to an inaugural ball in 2009.

Adoring fans

Mr. Obama sits in the driver’s seat of a car to greet employees after giving a speech at the Ford Kansas City Stamping Plant in Missouri in 2013. 

A glorious spring day

Mr. Obama basks in the sunshine after moving a meeting with his senior advisors out to the Rose Garden in the spring of 2009. 

Face!

Mr. Obama mimics the face of a little boy while visiting troops and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe in 2013. 

Winter wonderland

Mr. Obama plays in the snow-covered Rose Garden with his daughters, Sasha and Malia, in 2010.

Shake Shack shuffle

Mr. Obama slides across a counter at Shake Shack in Washington, D.C., for a group photo with the staff after having lunch with Vice President Joe Biden in 2014.

Little prince

Mr. Obama meets Prince George in 2016. 

Relaxing

Mr. Obama sips from a coconut while visiting Luang Prabang, Laos, in 2016. 

Intro to "slow jamming"

Mr. Obama laughs as he’s briefed on the “Slow Jam the News” segment he will be doing during a 2012 appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

Spider-Man's web

Mr. Obama plays make-believe with White House aide Nate Tamarin’s son, Nicholas, during a Halloween event at the White House in 2012.

The president told Souza that this was his favorite photo of the year. 

Superman

Mr. Obama runs into Walker Earnest, son of Press Secretary Josh Earnest, during a Halloween event at the White House in 2016.

Pie face

A boy takes a bite of Mr. Obama’s pie after the president offered it to those sitting near him at a restaurant in Ohio in 2012. 

A somber moment

Mr. Obama hugs the vice president after giving a eulogy at the funeral for Biden’s son, Beau Biden, in 2015. 

Stealing a kiss

Mr. Obama and the first lady kiss at a game between the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team and Brazil in 2012, while Malia and Biden watch on the Jumbotron.

Hello there

Mr. Obama greets children at a daycare center next to his daughter’s school after attending her fourth-grade closing ceremony in 2011. 

A devastating view

Mr. Obama and White House staffers peer out the window of Air Force One to see devastating tornado damage in Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013. 

Singin' the blues

B.B. King, on right, talks Mr. Obama into singing “Sweet Home Chicago” during the “In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” concert in 2012. 

Cracking up

Mr. Obama and Biden laugh together before a campaign rally in New Hampshire in 2012. 

The Tonight Show

Jay Leno cracks a joke as Mr. Obama laughs while the two wait to tape “The Tonight Show” in California in 2011. 

Downpour

Mr. Obama tells the Chicago audience of his 2010 Memorial Day speech that he is sorry he won’t be able to deliver remarks because of a dangerous lightning storm. 

Bruce!

Mr. Obama reaches out to shake hands with Bruce Springsteen before the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in 2016. 

Goal!

Mr. Obama and European leaders take a break during the 2012 G8 Summit at Camp David to watch the overtime shootout of the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Champions League final.

Shenanigans

Mr. Obama plays a joke on White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson as he stopped to weigh himself in a locker room at the University of Texas in 2010. 

Slippery fish

Mr. Obama and his guide react after they thought he had caught a fish in Montana in 2009. He hadn’t. 

A momentous day

Former Deputy Press Secretary Jamie Smith’s daughter, Lincoln Rose, learns to walk in the Oval Office in 2014.

Not a perfect shot

Mr. Obama reacts as his putt falls short while playing golf with staffers in 2016.

Four presidents

Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Obama and George W. Bush laugh as they wait backstage before the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in 2013. 

Meeting Bo

Mr. Obama runs alongside Bo in an East Wing hallway of the White House on the day the Obama family was introduced to the pup in 2009.

"Not impressed"

Mr. Obama and U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney recreate her “not impressed” face that went viral during the 2012 Olympics. 

Make a wish

The President plays with his niece, Sevita, while on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard in 2009. 

The water's fine

Mr. Obama jumps in the ocean while on vacation in Hawaii in 2012. 

Late-night calls

Mr. Obama makes calls to congressmen to urge them to vote for the health care reform bill in 2010.

Lego man

Mr. Obama takes a picture with Lego men constructed for the White House’s South by South Lawn event in 2016. 

Remembering Rosa Parks

Mr. Obama looks out the window as he sits in the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan in 2012. 

What's he saying?

The first lady reacts to something Mr. Obama whispers in her ear while attending United Nations General Assembly events in New York City.

This kid ...

Mr. Obama poses with a little boy who had fallen asleep during the 2013 Father’s Day ice cream social at the White House. 

Snowball fight!

Mr. Obama chases Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the White House colonnade in 2009. 

Dance lessons

Mr. Obama dances with aide Ferial Govashiri in 2016 to help her practice for her upcoming wedding. 

Playtime

Mr. Obama lifts Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes’ daughter, Ella, in the Oval Office during a Halloween event at the White house in 2015.

Yoga session

Mr. Obama practices yoga with Master Chief Petty Officer David Hall and his family while visiting he National Intrepid Center of Excellence in 2016. 

Bedtime

Mr. Obama escorts daughter Sasha up to the private residence before returning to the Oval Office in 2009. 

Ears

When Mr. Obama saw this 2014 photo of him and the Easter Bunny listening to the national anthem, he said: “The two most famous sets of ears in Washington,” Souza recalls.

Yum

Mr. Obama eats a green tea ice pop with his hosts while visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, in Japan in 2010. 

Happy hug

The president hugs the first lady after she introduces him at a campaign event in Iowa in 2012. 

Hilarity

Mr. Obama laughs as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs shows him pictures of past leaders wearing shirts chosen by the host country of the Summit of the Americas. The team was on their way to the summit in Singapore in 2009. 

Virtual reality

Mr. Obama watches a virtual reality film taken during his trip to Yosemite National Park in 2016. 

Koko Head Crater Trail

Mr. Obama admires the view after hiking the Koko Head Crater Trail in Hawaii in 2015. 

In prayer

Mr. Obama prays with members of the Circle of Protection Campaign during a meeting in 2011.

All smiles

The first lady snuggles the president during a video taping for the 2015 World Expo in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.

A thoughtful pause

Mr. Obama during a trip to Midway Atoll in 2016.