Obama’s photographer has become an Instagram celebrity with these rare photos

And they’re amazing.

Former chief White House photographer, Pete Souza, has joined Instagram, releasing previously unseen photographs of President Obama. Naturally, his account has gone viral – and for all the right reasons.

Creating the public account on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, he has since uploaded hundreds of photos from when he was the official photographer for former President Obama, raking up 1.2 million followers.

‘President Obama leaves the Oval Office this morning for the last time,’ Pete captioned his first post back in January. ‘What a great experience I've had the past eight years.’

Since January, the photographer has uploaded over 200 photographs of the former President, giving us a rare insight into life behind the White House walls, from Obama's funniest moments to sweet interactions between Barack and Michelle.

From candid snaps of Obama playing with his children, racing his dog Bo, laughing with Hillary Clinton and watching the Super Bowl in the White House family theatre, to photos of him fist-bumping troops in Iraq, going through security checks and having meetings with world leaders, Pete gives us a complete picture of Obama’s life.

The photographer has also used the Instagram account to defend the former President from unfair criticism. ‘One criticism of potus was that he never met with or socialized with members of Congress,’ Pete captioned one post. ‘Here, during his first week on the job, he talks with House Minority Leader John Boehner during an evening reception.’

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Following the success of his Instagram account, Pete Souza has actually created a book about his experiences as a White House photographer, OBAMA: An Intimate Portrait.

OBAMA: An Intimate Portrait is now available for pre-order at Amazon, but in the meantime people are making do with scrolling through Pete’s Instagram feed - if only for this sweet moment between Barack and Michelle Obama in a lift on his inauguration night back in 2009.