The Senator as artist gives a walk through of 52 of his photographs taken from his unique perspective of events in the senate and around the world. More Info New York Times Article 2010 http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/showcase-138/ http://www.reformer.com/ci_15968900?source=rss_viewed Brattleboro Reformer Newspaper Story The eye of a Senator Leahy to show his photos during Gallery Walk By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN / Reformer Staff Sen. Patrick Leahy, self-portrait Thursday September 2, 2010 BRATTLEBORO -- Sen. Patrick Leahy said he was a little nervous the first time he brought his camera into the U.S. Capitol. Leahy was Vermont's junior senator back in the early 1980s when he noticed Sen. Howard Baker taking photos of the historic events that were unfolding in Congress. Baker, a Republican from Tennessee who was majority leader at the time, told the young senator from Vermont that if he wanted to bring in his own camera he should go ahead. Leahy's shutter has been snapping ever since. "I was shy at first, but now I'm not," said Leahy, who is now one of the most senior members of the Senate. "Nobody seems to mind." On Friday Leahy will be in Brattleboro during Gallery Walk to give a rare guided tour of some of his favorite images, when he helps open the exhibition, "The Eye of Senator Leahy," at the Riverview Cafe. Leahy will lead the tours starting at 5:30 p.m. and viewers will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. The tours and show are free. The 52 photographs will hang in the Riverview Cafe through September. Leahy's photos offer a unique perspective on what are otherwise some of the most photographed events in Washington, D.C. While a gallery of photographers are typically crouched in front of the president as he signs a piece of legislation, Leahy is often standing behind the president and his camera is there to document history from the podium. Many of his pictures are one-of-a-kind and show the pen hitting the paper in ways that are impossible for press photographers to capture. Leahy selected the images for the Brattleboro show and he said many of the photographs have stories associated with them. In one, Pres. George H. Bush is wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, which Leahy said the President put on after a group was sharing cocktails on a Washington afternoon. After Leahy snapped the photo, Bush made him promise to put the print away until his presidency was over, and Leahy agreed. It was only after Bush had left office that Leahy pulled it out of locked storage to share with the world. As one of the most powerful senators in Congress, Leahy is typically involved in high-level negotiations that are closed to the press, and his camera is often nearby. In a series of photos he will show at the Riverview, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Pres. Barack Obama are having a heated debate over Lieberman's reluctance to support the president. In each subsequent photo the president is moving farther and farther away from Lieberman as the Senator makes it clear that he will not support the legislation. "Vice President Biden smiled when he saw me get those," Leahy said, adding that the vice president asked if the prints would end up in Leahy's next show. "You bet they will, Joe," Leahy answered. After his 35 years in Congress, Leahy has become known as the senator with the camera, and he is often pulled out to capture a moment when the press corps is off in another wing of the White House or Senate. One day Yo-Yo Ma was walking through the White House when he ran into a Marine band. The cellist convinced members of the Marine band to take part in an impromptu concert and it was only Leahy who was there with a camera to document the event. "Sometimes I have my camera at just the right moment," Leahy said. Another time Leahy snapped photos of Pres. Ronald Reagan the day before the President Obama signing a law protecting women from hidden pay discrimination -- the photo is unique because it is the only one showing his pen on the paper. (Photo by Sen. Patrick Leahy) (Picasa 3.0) two were scheduled to fly to China. Members of the press asked for the negatives and the next day that photo was all over the official news agency in China. Leahy's photos have appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Time and Newsweek. "The Eye of Senator Leahy," has shown in Burlington, Rutland, Randolph and Waitsfield, as well as in the Russell Rotunda in the U.S. Capitol. Leahy continues to actively gather images and he said the show is always changing. "Every one has story behind it," Leahy said. " Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 
802-254-2311, ext. 279. New York Times Article 2010 http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/showcase-138/ http://www.reformer.com/ci_15968900?source=rss_viewed Brattleboro Reformer Newspaper Story The eye of a Senator Leahy to show his photos during Gallery Walk By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN / Reformer Staff Sen. Patrick Leahy, self-portrait Thursday September 2, 2010 BRATTLEBORO -- Sen. Patrick Leahy said he was a little nervous the first time he brought his camera into the U.S. Capitol. Leahy was Vermont's junior senator back in the early 1980s when he noticed Sen. Howard Baker taking photos of the historic events that were unfolding in Congress. Baker, a Republican from Tennessee who was majority leader at the time, told the young senator from Vermont that if he wanted to bring in his own camera he should go ahead. Leahy's shutter has been snapping ever since. "I was shy at first, but now I'm not," said Leahy, who is now one of the most senior members of the Senate. "Nobody seems to mind." On Friday Leahy will be in Brattleboro during Gallery Walk to give a rare guided tour of some of his favorite images, when he helps open the exhibition, "The Eye of Senator Leahy," at the Riverview Cafe. Leahy will lead the tours starting at 5:30 p.m. and viewers will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. The tours and show are free. The 52 photographs will hang in the Riverview Cafe through September. Leahy's photos offer a unique perspective on what are otherwise some of the most photographed events in Washington, D.C. While a gallery of photographers are typically crouched in front of the president as he signs a piece of legislation, Leahy is often standing behind the president and his camera is there to document history from the podium. Many of his pictures are one-of-a-kind and show the pen hitting the paper in ways that are impossible for press photographers to capture. Leahy selected the images for the Brattleboro show and he said many of the photographs have stories associated with them. In one, Pres. George H. Bush is wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, which Leahy said the President put on after a group was sharing cocktails on a Washington afternoon. After Leahy snapped the photo, Bush made him promise to put the print away until his presidency was over, and Leahy agreed. It was only after Bush had left office that Leahy pulled it out of locked storage to share with the world. As one of the most powerful senators in Congress, Leahy is typically involved in high-level negotiations that are closed to the press, and his camera is often nearby. In a series of photos he will show at the Riverview, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Pres. Barack Obama are having a heated debate over Lieberman's reluctance to support the president. In each subsequent photo the president is moving farther and farther away from Lieberman as the Senator makes it clear that he will not support the legislation. "Vice President Biden smiled when he saw me get those," Leahy said, adding that the vice president asked if the prints would end up in Leahy's next show. "You bet they will, Joe," Leahy answered. After his 35 years in Congress, Leahy has become known as the senator with the camera, and he is often pulled out to capture a moment when the press corps is off in another wing of the White House or Senate. One day Yo-Yo Ma was walking through the White House when he ran into a Marine band. The cellist convinced members of the Marine band to take part in an impromptu concert and it was only Leahy who was there with a camera to document the event. "Sometimes I have my camera at just the right moment," Leahy said. Another time Leahy snapped photos of Pres. Ronald Reagan the day before the President Obama signing a law protecting women from hidden pay discrimination -- the photo is unique because it is the only one showing his pen on the paper. (Photo by Sen. Patrick Leahy) (Picasa 3.0) two were scheduled to fly to China. Members of the press asked for the negatives and the next day that photo was all over the official news agency in China. Leahy's photos have appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Time and Newsweek. "The Eye of Senator Leahy," has shown in Burlington, Rutland, Randolph and Waitsfield, as well as in the Russell Rotunda in the U.S. Capitol. Leahy continues to actively gather images and he said the show is always changing. "Every one has story behind it," Leahy said. " Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 
802-254-2311, ext. 279. New York Times Article 2010 http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/showcase-138/ http://www.reformer.com/ci_15968900?source=rss_viewed Brattleboro Reformer Newspaper Story The eye of a Senator Leahy to show his photos during Gallery Walk By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN / Reformer Staff Sen. Patrick Leahy, self-portrait Thursday September 2, 2010 BRATTLEBORO -- Sen. Patrick Leahy said he was a little nervous the first time he brought his camera into the U.S. Capitol. Leahy was Vermont's junior senator back in the early 1980s when he noticed Sen. Howard Baker taking photos of the historic events that were unfolding in Congress. Baker, a Republican from Tennessee who was majority leader at the time, told the young senator from Vermont that if he wanted to bring in his own camera he should go ahead. Leahy's shutter has been snapping ever since. "I was shy at first, but now I'm not," said Leahy, who is now one of the most senior members of the Senate. "Nobody seems to mind." On Friday Leahy will be in Brattleboro during Gallery Walk to give a rare guided tour of some of his favorite images, when he helps open the exhibition, "The Eye of Senator Leahy," at the Riverview Cafe. Leahy will lead the tours starting at 5:30 p.m. and viewers will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. The tours and show are free. The 52 photographs will hang in the Riverview Cafe through September. Leahy's photos offer a unique perspective on what are otherwise some of the most photographed events in Washington, D.C. While a gallery of photographers are typically crouched in front of the president as he signs a piece of legislation, Leahy is often standing behind the president and his camera is there to document history from the podium. Many of his pictures are one-of-a-kind and show the pen hitting the paper in ways that are impossible for press photographers to capture. Leahy selected the images for the Brattleboro show and he said many of the photographs have stories associated with them. In one, Pres. George H. Bush is wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, which Leahy said the President put on after a group was sharing cocktails on a Washington afternoon. After Leahy snapped the photo, Bush made him promise to put the print away until his presidency was over, and Leahy agreed. It was only after Bush had left office that Leahy pulled it out of locked storage to share with the world. As one of the most powerful senators in Congress, Leahy is typically involved in high-level negotiations that are closed to the press, and his camera is often nearby. In a series of photos he will show at the Riverview, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Pres. Barack Obama are having a heated debate over Lieberman's reluctance to support the president. In each subsequent photo the president is moving farther and farther away from Lieberman as the Senator makes it clear that he will not support the legislation. "Vice President Biden smiled when he saw me get those," Leahy said, adding that the vice president asked if the prints would end up in Leahy's next show. "You bet they will, Joe," Leahy answered. After his 35 years in Congress, Leahy has become known as the senator with the camera, and he is often pulled out to capture a moment when the press corps is off in another wing of the White House or Senate. One day Yo-Yo Ma was walking through the White House when he ran into a Marine band. The cellist convinced members of the Marine band to take part in an impromptu concert and it was only Leahy who was there with a camera to document the event. "Sometimes I have my camera at just the right moment," Leahy said. Another time Leahy snapped photos of Pres. Ronald Reagan the day before the President Obama signing a law protecting women from hidden pay discrimination -- the photo is unique because it is the only one showing his pen on the paper. (Photo by Sen. Patrick Leahy) (Picasa 3.0) two were scheduled to fly to China. Members of the press asked for the negatives and the next day that photo was all over the official news agency in China. Leahy's photos have appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Time and Newsweek. "The Eye of Senator Leahy," has shown in Burlington, Rutland, Randolph and Waitsfield, as well as in the Russell Rotunda in the U.S. Capitol. Leahy continues to actively gather images and he said the show is always changing. "Every one has story behind it," Leahy said. " Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 
802-254-2311, ext. 279. Less