Recalling the hubbub that occurred the last time President Barack Obama was photographed shirtless in swim trunks -- the White House took steps to avoid a repeat performance.

While Obama and daughter Sasha took a swim in waters near Panama City Beach this past weekend, the White House herded press photographers into a hotel, reports the New York Times' Jeremy W. Peters.

The White House then offered the media one photo taken by a White House staff photographer.

The New York Times' Peters reports:

But the photographers and reporters traveling with the president over the weekend were irritated to learn that they had been excluded from documenting Mr. Obama's swim, which had become a politicized issue because of the BP oil spill. By choosing to go in the water, the president was making a symbolic gesture that the waters of the Gulf of Mexico were indeed safe for recreational use.

(Note: The Obamas actually swam off Alligator Point in Saint Andrew Bay, not the Gulf.  Many headlines reported that the event took place in the Gulf. The distinction has led to some allegations of deception and to debate over whether the swim achieved the intended symbolism. See links at the bottom of this item.)

Peters' article continues:

The White House press office's use of Flickr photos as a substitute for photos taken by the press corps has become a sore subject among photographers assigned by their news organizations to cover the president. Photographers have complained that the White House too often distributes its own photos of presidential events while not allowing news photographers to attend.

To photographers, using a photo taken by the White House is akin to reprinting a news release, and many news organizations refuse to use such photos. The Associated Press did not distribute the photo of the president's swim on Saturday. A spokesman for The A.P., Paul Colford, said that generally, the service "does not distribute a handout photo when we could just as easily have taken the image ourselves."