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Obama goes for a swim and more of Pete Souza's top 2012 photos

By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com
Jan. 1, 2012 "A nice way to celebrate the New Year for the President was to jump in 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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
1 of 83 | Jan. 1, 2012 "A nice way to celebrate the New Year for the President was to jump in 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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

White House photographer Pete Souza published a collection of his 2012 year in photographs Thursday, and they're fabulous.

Included among them are a photo of the president taking a dip in Hawaii on New Year's Day, the photo of the president and first lady that became the most shared ever on Facebook and Twitter when it was sent out on election night, and the photo of the president with Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, doing the "not impressed" face in the Oval Office.

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Here are a few of the best, and click through the slideshow to see them all.

Aug. 15, 2012 "The President hugs the First Lady after she had introduced him at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa. The campaign tweeted a similar photo from the campaign photographer on election night and a lot of people thought it was taken on election day." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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March 30, 2012 "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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 19, 2012 "Police hold back the crowd as residents line the streets of the motorcade route to welcome the first sitting President of the United States to visit Burma. This photograph was taken through the bullet-proof window of the vehicle just in front of the President's. I love that three of the police are also trying to sneak a glimpse, one with a smile on his face." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 1, 2012 "A nice way to celebrate the New Year for the President was to jump in 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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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July 16, 2012 "The President and First Lady were attending the game between the U.S. Men's Olympic basketball President Barack Obama and Brazil in Washington, D.C. During the first half, the jumbotron flashed couples on their 'Kiss Cam', where they are then induced by the crowd to kiss each other. But neither the President or First Lady saw themselves when they were flashed on 'Kiss Cam', and some in the audience booed when they didn't kiss. At halftime, as we walked to the locker room to visit the U.S. team, daughters Malia and Sasha were asking their parents why they hadn't kissed during their 'Kiss Cam' moment. Both the President and First Lady said they hadn't even realized what had happened and didn't know why people were booing. So in the second half, when they appeared again on the 'Kiss Cam', the President leaned over to kiss the First Lady amongst audience cheers as Malia and the Vice President watched overhead on the jumbotron." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 20, 2012 "'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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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June 15, 2012 "We had just arrived at the helicopter landing zone in Chicago and instead of walking right to the motorcade, the President and First Lady walked past their vehicle to the edge of Lake Michigan to view the skyline of their home town." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 5, 2012 "'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." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 26, 2012 "A view from behind the President's chair during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 27, 2012 "Sonya Hebert captured this amusing moment as U.S. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova literally picked up the First Lady during a greet with Team USA Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London." (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

Oct. 26, 2012 "The President to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets the Nicholas Tamarin, 3, just outside the Oval Office. Spider-Man had been trick-or-treating for an early Halloween 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."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Nov. 15, 2012 "The President had just met with the U.S. Olympics gymnastics team, who because of a previous commitment had missed the ceremony earlier in the year with the entire U.S. Olympic team. The President suggested to McKayla Maroney that they recreate her 'not impressed' photograph before they departed." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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