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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1993-04-08
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FROM THE PUBLISHER, Page 4
Great ideas are often generated in the most unlikely places,
or so claims photographer P.F. Bentley, whose latest brainstorm
occurred while he was having dinner at a sushi bar in Nashua,
N.H. Bentley was part of the press corps covering the state's
first-in-the-nation primary, and he was trying to devise a more
personal approach to the campaign. Then it hit him: Why not
portray a run for the presidency from the inside looking out? A
few days later, P.F. told associate picture editor Rick Boeth
that he'd like to hook up with the Clinton campaign, a risky
choice because the Arkansas Governor's candidacy was in deep
trouble at the time and his aides were naturally suspicious of
becoming involved with the press. "P.F. used all his
considerable finesse and diplomatic skills to convince everyone
in the campaign that he could be a part of their lives," recalls
Boeth.
That hunch led to the special series of photos that appear
in this week's issue. Initially, Bentley and Clinton agreed to a
one-month trial run, but the candidate felt sufficiently
comfortable with the arrangement to continue it indefinitely.
"We both understood that he would have to instantly trust me,"
says Bentley. Campaign advisers were told to get used to the
photographer's presence in meetings, and Hillary Clinton
welcomed him to the family home in Little Rock. The first
photos, published in late March, ended with a Clinton win in
Illinois. Since then, Bentley has been privy to the Clinton
campaign's controversies, days of triumph and stolen moments of
calm. His photos capture the gritty reality of rumpled hotel
rooms, late-night strategy sessions and quick dinners of cold
pizza, all shot in black-and-white to emphasize the documentary
nature of the project.
P.F., 39, lives in Stinson Beach, Calif., grew up in
Honolulu and has been a TIME photographer for 13 years. His TIME
campaign coverage won first place in the Pictures of the Year
Competition in both 1984 and 1988. In addition to his U.S.
political coverage, Bentley has shot assignments in Panama, El
Salvador and Haiti.
"Clinton often acts as if I am not in the room at all, and
we can go a couple of days without speaking to each other,"
observes Bentley. "I've found him to be the most casual
politician I have ever worked with." So casual, in fact, that
P.F. actually followed Clinton into the steam room of his New
York City hotel last week. The intrepid photographer could take
only two exposures at a time before the cameras fogged up and
had to be cleaned -- but eventually got the shot he wanted.
Elizabeth P. Valk