President Barack Obama attends a dress rehearsal of the Moscow Ballet and CityDance Center at Strathmore’s performance of the Moscow Ballet's “Great Russian Nutcracker,” at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland, Dec. 16, 2012. Sasha Obama dances as a mouse in the production. The President works on his remarks in advance of a Sunday vigil for shooting victims in Newtown, Conn.
From the euphoria of election night to the agony of the recent shootings in Connecticut, photographer Pete Souza has been capturing the ups and downs of Barack Obama’s time in office. As the president is officially named TIME’s 2012 Person of the Year, Souza shares an array of new, never-before-published photos from the Obama White House, including the above image, showing the President preparing his remarks for last Sunday’s prayer vigil in Newtown. To see the new photos – as well as notable highlights from Souza’s first four years following the President – visit Lightbox.
MORE: Barack Obama, 2012 Person of the Year
Obama Photo Diary: 48 Hours with the President
Interview with Obama: Setting the Stage for a Second Term