White House News Photographers Association Honors CQ Roll Call’s Tom Williams with “Award Of Excellence” for Still Photography

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thursday, March 3, 2022 - FiscalNote, a leading technology provider of global policy and market intelligence, today applauds veteran CQ Roll Call photojournalist Tom Williams for being recognized with the “Award of Excellence” from the prestigious White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) within the “On Capitol Hill” category of the 2022 Eyes of History Still Photography Contest.

The Eyes of History contests are held annually to select the best in visual journalism across still, video, and multimedia disciplines. The “On Capitol Hill” photo contest category recognizes “a feature or general news picture taken on Capitol Hill that depicts Congressional/Political activity from, but not limited to, press conferences, hearings, rallies and behind-the-scenes situations. Photo should capture a unique or compelling moment, or the essence of the situation, even if taken during a photo-op.”

In his award-winning photo, Williams captures a black-and-white image of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer exiting his car in the rain on his way to a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on July 21, 2021. To view Williams’ award-winning photo, as well as a gallery of other award winners, click here.

Describing the context and timing of his photo, Williams commented: “Normally, Senator Schumer would have walked the 30 or so yards from the Capitol to the Senate swamp press area for a news conference on immigration, but as luck would have it, it was raining and he drove. I saw some people with umbrellas going to his car, so I hurried over thinking it would be a cool shot of him getting out. That's how mundane it gets on the Hill sometimes, when the presence of an umbrella is cause for excitement. The man out of frame to the right is Don Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post, and he got Schumer looking in the right direction for the picture. So a couple things worked in my favor, and the subject was in focus - which is never a given. As in most good photos, a lot of luck is involved.”

“Tom tells the visual story of Congress with skill and artistry, and I’m proud he is being honored alongside his peers who cover news events in Washington,” said Catalina Camia, editor-in-chief of CQ Roll Call. “It is an honor that the WHNPA has recognized CQ Roll Call’s photojournalism team for more than 10 years with these awards.”

Notably, this is Williams’ second recognition for his photojournalism this year. In February, Tom was recognized as a Finalist in the Spot News category for photography by Pictures of the Year International (POYi) for his iconic image of lawmakers taking cover in the Gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill during the January 6, 2021 insurrection. He was one of only three photographers named in the Finalist category for Spot News in the 79th annual POYi awards competition.

The White House News Photographers Association is a 101-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of Washington’s professional visual journalists. For more on ‘The Eyes of History®’ and the winning images, visit the WHNPA website at www.whnpa.org.

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