'Chasing Light': Amanda Lucidon's visual diary of Michelle Obama's White House years

Amanda Lucidon moved in faith. After taking a buyout from her California newspaper job, in 2008 the photojournalist relocated to the nation's capital, a place she believed would offer "unlimited possibilities."

Lucidon excelled as a freelancer in the competitive D.C. market, earning awards that brought her to the same spaces as influential people in the industry. That's how she met Pete Souza, the former chief official White House photographer.

She remembers leaving an unmemorable impression in the exchange with Souza, so when he called two years later to ask if she wanted to apply for a job, she thought he had the wrong number. Turns out, she just happened to be right about the possibilities.

Lucidon accepted, which made