As the end of Obama’s eight-year presidency comes to an end, official White House Photographer Pete Souza has unveiled a series of intimate photographs documenting the 44th President’s time in office. Allowed complete access to official activities, Souza claims to have taken over two million photos while occupying the position.

Souza, whose website lists him as Director of the White House photo office, became acquainted with Obama while working as a photojournalist at the Chicago Tribune during the then-Illinois senator’s first year in office. The freshly released series show Obama in a multitude of scenarios, from interacting with children to awaiting news of the 2011 attempt on Osama Bin Laden's life.

In a recent interview with NPR, Souza commented: "There's a certain daily grind to my job, but I'd say, once, twice, three, four, ten times a week, you realize that you are an eyewitness to history. And I always try to keep that forefront in my mind... I think this administration will go down in history — he'll go down in history as a great president. And just to have been there, to watch this from up close with a camera, has just been a remarkable opportunity."

You can view the gallery of 55 images below (click to enlarge).

Images courtesy of The White House. All photos by Pete Souza.

[Via 9Gag]