Senator with a Camera

By Ray Smock

The staff of the Byrd Center was delighted to see the story in the Washington Post about Senator Patrick Leahy’s skills with a camera.  When Senator Leahy, Mrs. Leahy, and several members of his staff visited the Byrd Center last year, the Senator and I had some fun discussing our mutual interest in photography, both being fans of Nikon cameras.  He looked at my camera and jokingly said “I see you have the new D800, I’m going to have to upgrade.”  But as any photographer will tell you, it’s not the equipment but the eye of the person behind the camera and being at the right place at the right time that makes for memorable images.  Senator Leahy has produced a body of work that is unique in American photography and I can’t wait for many of his images to grace the pages of a gorgeous and fascinating book of photographs, made better by the stories he can tell about them.

Senator Patrick Leahy, photo by Ray Smock