Toby:
Was there ever a time when photographing the Clintons that you felt your presence was unwelcome?
Bob McNeely:
Not that I would describe as unwelcome, but there was a very clear line between private and official. I would not go uninvited into the living quarters of the White House. When traveling on the road, all of the staff around the Clintons tried to be careful of their privacy. People should realize how many people are around the President and the First Lady at all times, and when they want to be alone, they can be quite emphatic.
Pete:
Who owns the rights to your Clinton pictures? Are they yours, or do they belong to the National Archives?
Bob McNeely:
The pictures that I took do belong to the National Archives as of 12:01 am January 20, 2001. Before that, they are held in the White House and are under the control of the White House.
Sammie:
Was it difficult to photograph President Clinton during the impeachment?
Bob McNeely:
I resigned from the White House August 20, 1998, three days after the President admitted before the Grand Jury that he had had an inappropriate relationship. He was not impeached until about five months after I left.
Jan:
Was there a photographer or teacher who served as a mentor to you? What did you learn from him or her?
Bob McNeely:
Yes. There was a teacher who I studied with for six weeks in the summer of 1970 by the name of Nathan Lyons who then, and is now, the head of the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. His non-critical approach to photography based more on your own vision and response to the world provided the basis that I've operated on ever since. Obviously many photographers' work I found inspiring, and I consider myself largely self-taught in terms of technique and working procedures. My underlying philosophical approach was greatly affected by my time with Nathan Lyons.
Marty 3:
Hello Bob. What makes a good photo in your opinion?
Bob McNeely:
There are obviously two judges of a good photo, the viewer and the person who created it. They don't always agree.
Brad:
What's the best picture of Bill Clinton that no one's ever seen?
Bob McNeely:
I haven't seen it.
Tomorrow:
Was your film purchased for you? I'd imagine all that film would be costly! What about developing? Do you ever develop your own film?
Bob McNeely:
In the White House, the generosity of the United States taxpayers was greatly appreciated by myself and the other White House photographers. What they got in return is an incredibly complete and interesting record of the last eight years of America as it was expressed in and around Bill Clinton. As far as developing my own film, I think that that was a very important part of learning about how to be a photographer, and for a long time, because of the economic necessity, I did all of my own developing and printing. Now my clients pay for most of my processing, and I do not have the time to do my own.
Positive:
How far ahead was your schedule planned, when working for the White House?
Bob McNeely:
We had a rough block schedule 90 days out, very rough. We had a more precise 30-day. On Friday of each week, we would get the week ahead that was close to the reality, and then of course, every morning there would be a schedule waiting of the President's activities for that day and that would be changed depending on current events.
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