SAN FRANCISCO - MR BARACK Obama's campaign photographer on Friday posted a series of intensely intimate behind-the-scenes election night photos on picture-sharing website Flickr.

Images of Mr Obama tracking election results with his wife Michelle and their daughters and friends went online at http: www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom.

'Among the most striking things about these election-night photos is how calm both Barack and Michelle Obama look,' Yahoo said in a message posted with a sampling of the images taken by Mr David Katz.

'But calm doesn't mean inattentive. Only Obama knows what was on his mind, but you have to wonder if the reality of it all - the history he was making - is evident in the shadows of his intense expression.'

The stream of photos at the Yahoo-owned website includes pictures from the campaign along with shots of 47-year-old Obama playing basketball.

'Obama has said he plays basketball on Election Day for good luck,' Flickr said in its message. 'It looks like a superstition that just might have some merit.' -- AFP