The official companion to the November 2010 National Geographic special, The President's Photographer is the intimate story of the men and women who are both visual historians and key links between the public and the Presidents. Like the film, this behind-the-scenes invitation features the images and recollections of the nine professionals who have served as official White House photographers. (President John F. Kennedy appointed the first, Cecil Stoughton, in 1960; all predecessors were with the U.S. Navy or Park Service).

Five of the nine are alive today, and in rare personal interviews, they recount the stories behind the remarkable photographs. Expressive close-ups of presidents reveal moments of joy, reflection, and turmoil over public issues and private challenges. Unexpected angles cast new light on historic events. Through both iconic and little-known images, this book offers a fresh perspective on life and work behind the famous facade of the White House.

John Bredar is Executive Producer of National Geographic Television and a multiple Emmy Award winner. Since joining NGT in 1989, he has produced more than 20 films exploring topics from cockroaches and black widow spiders to sumo wrestlers and combat cameramen. He is producer/director/writer of National Geographic's Inside the White House, the highest-rated PBS program for the 1996-97 season. In 2005 he received the Emmy award for Best Director for the National Geographic special Field of Honor, an unprecedented and poignant look at Arlington National Cemetery. He holds a master's degree in U.S. diplomatic history from Johns Hopkins University.

Photojournalist Pete Souza was named President Barack Obama's White House photographer in January 2009. Souza has been a photojournalism professor at Ohio University and a photojournalist for the Chicago Tribune. His book, The Rise of Barack Obama, published in July 2008, hit the New York Times bestseller list.

• Hardcover
• 256 pages;
• 8" x 10"
• © 2010