Kennerly, McNeely, Team Up For New Obama Inauguration Book Project
WASHINGTON, DC (January 23, 2009) – Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Hume Kennerly, who was President Gerald R. Ford's official White House photographer, was back behind a camera again this week in Washington covering the inauguration of America's 44th President, Barack Obama – but this time it wasn't for the White House or the news magazines, it was for a new inaugural book project.
Kennerly has teamed up with photojournalist Robert McNeely (who was President Bill Clinton's White House photographer) and a group of award-winning photographers to produce the Official Barack Obama Inaugural Book.
The photographers covered the days leading up to Tuesdays swearing-in, the day-long events of the inauguration itself, as well as behind-the-scenes moments with Obama and the transition team's move into their new home on Pennsylvania Avenue.
What's different about this book, Kennerly says, is that the general public and other photojournalists also have a chance to be a part of the finished product. They are inviting anyone who photographed the inauguration and its festivities to upload their own photographs to the book's Web site through PhotoBucket. The submitted pictures will be considered for inclusion in the project's online gallery of images, and possibly for the final edit of the finished book.
"Ultimately we hope to pick several photographs from other photojournalists or from the public to use in the book," Kennerly told News Photographer magazine today. "And we're not asking anyone to give up their copyright; we just want to use the pictures in the book and anything associated with the book, and to make sure the photographer is the actual creator of the image and that they have the right to offer it for use." Kennerly said use of a photographer's picture in the project would be akin to "licensing" use of an image, "like it's done in the 'Day In The Life...' kind of project."
Photographers on the team who were shooting for the book along with Kennerly and McNeely included Sam Kittner, Karen Ballard, Paul Morse, Daniel Cima, Bruce Talamon, Anne Day, Hector Emanuel, and Gil Garcetti.
The book will be unveiled on President Obama's 100th day in office, in April 2009, and sells for $39.95. Pre-oders for reserved books are available on the project's Web site now, without payment required at this time.
The Official Barack Obama Inaugural Book project is not part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, but is a licensed product. It is being produced by Epicenter Media and will be published by Five Ties Publishing. The online galleries are being hosted by PhotoBucket and personal uploaded collections can be custom printed by users into a book using Kodak online imaging and publishing.
Epicenter Media has produced four previous inauguration books, for President Clinton's two inaugurations and for President George W. Bush's two inaugurations.
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