Photographing the 'Bard of Albany', William Kennedy
A day spent on assignment with a literary legend
I was walking the block where Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond was shot three times in the head when my phone rang.
It was then, as I was approaching Dove & Hudson Used Bookstore in Albany, when a photo editor rang from the Times book section.
Would I be available to photograph William Kennedy for an upcoming article?
Say no more.
I live here, after all, and no one (not even the occupant of the Governor’s Mansion) is more Albany than Bill Kennedy. He single-handedly wrote the city into the literature lexicon with tales of ‘Legs’, the notorious New York gangster who met his fate on Dove Street. The fact that I happened to be on that very street felt like proof of how small and connected this city can be. It was kismet.
At nearly 98-years-old, Bill is still a regular fixture at New York State Writers Institute events, where top authors from past and present routinely sing his praise.
“The legend…”
“An inspiration…”
A couple of days later, I joined the legend himself in his bookcase-lined living room.
The rest of his walls were scattered with framed photos of a long distinguished life. Each had a story he was eager to share.
“When Fidel Castro invited Russell Banks and I to Havana…”
If these walls could talk they would tell tales of Bill entertaining famous authors (Hunter S. Thompson, for one) at his home over the decades. Somehow, today would be my turn.
Bill’s energy would never lead you to assume he is nearly a centenarian. He guided me and my camera for nearly two hours of posing around his house: at the pool table, leaning against the bar, sitting in his favorite chair. We ended in his home office, which includes a walk-in closet full of archival boxes.
He then showed me the six years’ worth of research on ‘Legs’ that spread across two archival boxes. Evidence reports, crime scene photos, mugshots and newspaper clippings told the real-world story of the Prohibition-era bootlegger. Bill’s 1975 novel told the historical-fiction version.
Bill was on wine glass number one as fans of his, fifteen miles away, were on hour number three of a marathon reading of this book at Albany Distilling Company. Seventy readers would eventually read for more than twelve hours to finish it. We joined them later that evening with NYT writer Dan Barry — a legend in his own regard.
Bill, with another wine glass in hand, read a couple chapters himself.
I often don’t hear about my photos after-the-fact. The work is filed, eventually printed, and that’s that.
This time was different.
Turn to the comments section of a Dan Barry story if you ever want to regain confidence in our online humanity. I found nothing but compliments on the writing, and, by association, even a few about the visuals. It was also a joy reading stories from readers all over the country who have a connection to Bill and his books.
Closer to home this article (appropriately) got a lot of attention.
Paul Grondahl, director of the New York State Writers Institute, wrote: “for my money nobody has captured the essence the way the awesome photographer Patrick Dodson did of Bill and the spirit of his friends, family and fans.”
Gary Gold, longtime Albany photographer, commented: “Hearing from other ex Photo Service members in NYC and surrounding area about the story and the pix.”
Jon Campbell, New York State Capitol reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, wrote: “Great piece on an Albany icon, made all the better by great photos.”
and even Dan Barry weighed in: “No question: @patrickdodson caught the moment.”
All this self righteousness presented here on Substack is to say that the wonder and warmth surrounding this assignment have made it one of my all-time favorites.
