Watch The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office

The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office is a docuseries from National Geographic that brings an inside look at the presidency of the United States. Focused on the perspective of the official White House photographer, this show covers the administrations of nine different presidents, providing a unique understanding of the inner workings of the Oval Office.

The series showcases the creative and professional life of White House photographers, who are tasked with capturing historic moments and creating a visual record of the presidency. The show explores the history and evolution of White House photographers, from their early days shooting black and white film to the modern digital era. Each episode intimately portrays the challenges and rewards of the job, in which an incredibly intimate relationship develops between photographer and president.

The series is directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker John Hoffman and Executive Produced by multiple Emmy award-winning producer and director, Peter Kunhardt. The cinematography, sound recording and editing of the show are also of the highest quality, making for a compelling visual and auditory experience.

Throughout the series, viewers are treated to an exclusive view of unique moments in American history. From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and from the Watergate scandal to the September 11 attacks, The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office features interviews with surviving photographers, presidents, and their staff, as well as a vast array of archival footage and images.

The series also explores the changing role of the presidency and the way in which it has been portrayed through photography over the years. For example, viewers see how the Nixon administration used photographers as propaganda tools to present a particular image of the president, while the Kennedy administration used photographers to humanize the president and portray him as a family man.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the show is how it sheds light on the personal relationships between photographers and presidents. The photographers often become confidants and friends of the presidents, and the show features candid interviews with photographers who recount memorable moments spent with presidents. They also reveal their experience witnessing embarrassing moments, funny situations, and even private personal moments never seen before.

Despite the enormous responsibility photographers have, this series shows that they're just humans doing a challenging job, with long hours and constant pressure, often struggling to balance their obligations to the presidency and their desire to produce the most beautiful, lasting images.

One central thread that stands out in the show is the role of photographers as caretakers of history. They are responsible for capturing fleeting moments in time that will be viewed by future generations. The show depicts some of these moments, including the funeral of JFK, the first day in office of Ronald Reagan, and the wedding of President Obama's daughter, Malia.

Overall, The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office is an excellent series that provides an enlightening, insightful, and compelling inside look at the presidency. It is fascinating to see how the work of photographers has influenced the American public's perception of the president and how that narrative has evolved over time. The show tells a fascinating story of the evolution of both the presidency and the photographer, an indispensable eyewitness to history.

The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (1 episodes). The series first aired on November 24, 2010.