Martin Benjamin has long been among the very best of the Capital Region’s photographers, whether he’s capturing rock stars in the spotlight or thoroughbreds at the track.

For the past month, however, Benjamin has been wading lens-deep into the circus that is the New York State Senate. His photos are sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, sometimes infuriating and almost always just completely surreal – like this entire political fiasco.

“Yeah, that is what I have been doing the last 3 weeks+ every day for The Daily News,” says Benjamin. “It’s been non-stop around political nitwits, including last Saturday and Sunday. I’ve had one Friday and one Sunday off in 23 days.”

Many of Benjamin’s photos have been gracing the pages of the Daily News lately, but if you really want to wallow in the whole experience of total governmental disfunction, just check into Benjamin’s website.

Tags: clowns, Martin Benjamin, New York, photo, Senate