By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

Gary Mark Smith has traveled to 64 countries in his lifetime. An internationally acclaimed street photographer, he recently spent about a month in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And this week, Smith traveled to Hays, where he has a busy schedule ahead of him for the next few days.

But while Smith could be anywhere in the world, for him, a trip to Hays is like coming home. In fact, he's "perfectly comfortable" here, and would stay longer if he could, he said.

"This is much bigger than anywhere in the world to me, because it's home," said Smith, who has resided in Lawrence for more than 30 years. "It's delightful."

Smith ventured to western Kansas at the request of the Hays Arts Council. He'll be judging the 25th annual Five State Photography Competition on Friday and will deliver a public speech about his work at 7 p.m. Thursday at Fort Hays State University's Rarick Hall, room 114.

Many pieces of his work also are on display at the HAC gallery and will remain there until Dec. 6.

Smith plans to take full advantage of his time in Hays. He also will be shooting some of his signature street photography and hopes to add images of Hays to his international portfolio, he said.

After years of travel, Smith has plenty of stories to tell about his ventures. He's watched a volcanic eruption in Montserrat, he photographed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and he's captured images of war and peace all over the globe.

But while Smith sometimes travels to specific destinations with the intent to capture historic times, the majority of his work portrays the "everyday poetry" of daily life, he said.

Ultimately, however, Smith's motivation was his desire to see the world.

"I wanted to become more educated ... to help save the world in a new way," he said with a wry smile, noting he also hopes his work will encourage others to journey abroad.

"People all over the world are as nice as the people walking the streets in Hays, even in the most dangerous situations," Smith said.

A native of Bethlehem, Pa., Smith has worked hard to make his art a high priority in his life. Earlier in his career, he would be away from home and his family for about one-third of the year.

Since then, he's slowed down a bit, but still is planning several working vacations for the upcoming year.

And since the start of his career, he's seen his goal realized. He knew at a young age he wanted to expand the art of street photography to a global stature, he said.

When it comes to his art, Smith strives to capture images that are visually bold and intellectually stimulating, he said.

"If you can get those two together, that's when art becomes magic," Smith said.