By TaRessa Stovall

The Obama campaign was one of iconic images, not only of the candidate, but of his interactions with and impact on others, from his beloved wife and daughters to huge crowds eagerly pressing for Hope and Change.

The new book, Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs, 150 photos culled from thousands by photo historian, curator, and photographer Deborah Willis, with text by Washington Post Associate Editor Kevin Merida, provides a thoughtful bouquet of these images as a tribute to change-in-motion and history in the age of instant information and communications.

Willis was guided in her selection of the photographs by the desire “to identify images that referenced identity, pride, and beauty … from a diverse group of image makers, professional photographers, amateurs and tourists.”

She was moved, she said, by images of “the hands reaching out to touch him … as they reveal that the people in the crowds had high hopes for their future and that they believed in Barack Obama’s platform.”

Merida, who covered the Obama campaign for the Washington Post, wove his observations into the accompanying text of this book. In describing what he calls the Obama “magic,” Merida wrote that, “The pictures collected in this volume show Obama’s effortlessness, his cool, his contemplative side, his solemn side, his playful side. His disappointment and his joy … Part of the marvel of photography is that it freezes moments, allowing us to study them, ponder their meaning, return to them for new insights.”

In discussing what the visualization of the Obamas means for blacks and other groups in America, Willis said that, “There is a strong sense of reflective beauty and respect. There is power in his imagery, as well as confidence.”

On election night, Willis noted that in her travels from Harlem to the West Village, “blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos were crying, smiling, hand slapping, laughing and sharing moments of joy.”

The kaleidoscope of emotion and experience that marked Obama’s ascent to the White House is ably documented in Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs. Willis achieved her goal of presenting diverse visions that capture key moments, both familiar and fresh, of a man whose multifaceted journey is endlessly fascinating, inspiring and