A year in the White House – in pictures

1 January: Pete Souza: 'The president celebrated the new year by jumping into the ocean in his native state of Hawaii. He was on his annual Christmas vacation with family and friends, and went swimming at Pyramid Rock beach in Kaneohe Bay' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

7 February: 'Kids will be kids. After the president had welcomed Lauren Fleming, the March of Dimes national ambassador, and her family in the Oval Office, her brother, Corbin Fleming, started to play with the president's telephone. Fortunately, he wasn't able to get through to a head of state' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

21 February: 'Egged on by BB King, Obama joins in singing Sweet Home Chicago during a concert in the White House's east room. Participants included, from left: Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, BB King, and Gary Clark Jr' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

30 March: 'We had just arrived aboard the Marine One helicopter on the south lawn and the president was walking into the White House. I had seen this scene several times but had never been able to quite capture it the way I wanted. Here, finally, arriving at night, I was able to frame him walking into the light of the diplomatic reception room, with the added bonus of his shadow being cast from the television lights off to the left' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

24 April: 'We were backstage at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill for the president's appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The president let out a big laugh as he was being briefed by the producers and Mr Fallon on the slow jam the news segment' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

11 May: 'After some early morning basketball in Los Angeles, the president talks with the players, including actors Don Cheadle, Tobey Maguire, and George Clooney, along with two of Clooney's long-time friends' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

20 May: '"How cool is this," the president said after he threw a football at Soldier Field following the Nato working dinner in Chicago. I think he was especially excited to be on the home turf of his beloved Chicago Bears' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

25 May: 'The president welcomed service members and their families to a screening of Men in Black 3 in the White House family theatre. The film was being presented in 3D, so the president jokingly asked the audience to try on their 3D glasses while he was speaking to them' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

June 14: 'We made an OTR [off-the-record, surprise stop] at the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland after a campaign event, and the president sat and talked to a young woman before shooting hoops with another group of kids' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

18 June: 'The First Lady reacts as she watches Laura Jarrett and Tony Balkissoon take their vows during their wedding at Valerie Jarrett's home in Chicago' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

29 June: 'The president views fire damage with firefighters and elected officials in Colorado Springs after devastating wildfires swept through the region the week before' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

5 July: '"Anyone want to try a piece of my strawberry pie?" the president asked those at adjacent tables during a stop for lunch at Kozy Corners restaurant in Oak Harbor, Ohio. A young boy said yes and came over for a big bite of pie' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

14 July: 'The president delivers remarks in the pouring rain at a campaign event in Glen Allen, Virginia. He was supposed to do a series of press interviews inside before his speech, but since people had been waiting for hours in the rain he did his remarks as soon as he arrived so people could go home to dry off ' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

8 August: 'Overcome with emotion, eight-year old Make-A-Wish child Janiya Penny reacts just after meeting the president as he welcomes her family to the Oval Office' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

6 September: 'While the president was waiting anxiously backstage before his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, daughters Malia and Sasha came in to wish him well' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

7 September: 'The president and vice-president share a laugh before a campaign rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

2 October: 'The president talks with Ron Klain during debate preparations in Henderson, Nevada. John Kerry played the role of Mitt Romney during the prep sessions' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

18 October: 'The president ties his white tie before the Alfred E Smith dinner in New York. Although the dinner is an annual event, every four years the two presidential nominees attend, just a few weeks before the election' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

October 26: 'The president pretends to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets Nicholas Tamarin, three, just outside the Oval Office. Nicholas had been trick-or-treating with his father, White House aide Nate Tamarin, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. I can never commit to calling any picture my favorite, but the president told me that this was his favorite picture of the year when he saw it hanging in the West Wing a couple of weeks later' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

6 November: 'While he waited for the concession call from Governor Mitt Romney, the president worked on his acceptance speech with Jon Favreau, director of speechwriting, and campaign adviser David Axelrod at a Chicago hotel' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

15 November: 'The president had just met the US Olympic gymnastics team, who because of a previous commitment had missed the ceremony earlier in the year with the entire US Olympic team. The president suggested to McKayla Maroney that they recreate her "not impressed" photograph before they departed' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

19 November: 'To some, this is just a snapshot and doesn't belong in this gallery of candid photographs from the year. But to me, it evokes what the trip to Burma was all about. Here is the president, shoes and socks off in respect, posing like an American tourist in front of the oldest pagoda in the world in a country that no US president had ever been able to visit' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

16 December: 'The president works on his Newtown speech at an auditorium in suburban Washington. Two days earlier, I had photographed him when John Brennan first briefed him on the shootings. Throughout that day, he reacted as we all did, which people witnessed when he delivered his statement a few hours later. Before we headed to Newtown for the Sunday night vigil, he went to watch his daughter Sasha, 11, at her rehearsal for the Nutcracker; he would be unable to attend her performance because of the trip to Newtown. During breaks in the rehearsal, he worked on his speech. His expression in this photograph may be subtle to the viewer, but not to me. There is emotion and resolve etched on his face, and he knew the importance of this speech for the nation' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

16 December: 'Two days after the shootings at Newtown, the president traveled to Connecticut to meet with the victims' families. The president spent hours greeting family members. Difficult as that was for everyone, the one moment that helped sooth the pain was when he posed for a photo with the siblings and cousins of Emilie Parker, one of the 20 children who died that day in Newtown. I see both sadness and hope in this photograph, and I know after a lot of tears that day, it meant so much to the president that everyone was able to smile for a moment in this family photo. Thanks to the Parker family for allowing us to show this photograph publicly' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House

28 December: 'After returning early from his Christmas vacation, the president and the vice-president meet in the Oval Office with the leadership of Congress to discuss the fiscal cliff' Photograph: Pete Souza/White House