Behind the Lens: My Year on Instagram 2015

By Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer

Throughout the year, I post photographs of my White House work on a regular basis to my Instagram, @PeteSouza.

Many followers have inquired about whether a certain photograph is taken with an iPhone or DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera). In choosing the photographs for my year on Instagram, I decided to select only iPhone photographs that were captured in the square format on an iPhone. For many purists, the square format was the original inspiration for Instagram. And I certainly admire those that continue to post only square photos taken with a smart phone.

My approach to my Instagram feed continues to be all square photos are taken with an iPhone, and full-frame horizontals and verticals are taken with a DSLR (usually a Canon 5DMark3, but I’ve also posted some from Sony, Nikon and Leica cameras).

Many followers have also asked if I post the photographs and captions myself. Yes, I do — and I try to read as many of your comments as I can and answer your questions. (Speaking of comments, thank you to all those who’ve caught typos.)

I hope you enjoy a look at my year on Instagram and stay tuned for our annual Year in Photos — all of which were taken with a DSLR and many of which I also posted to Instagram in their full-frame format. I look forward to sharing more behind-the-scenes photos from 2015 next week and in the meantime, please check out my Instagram and engage in the comments.