![Stewart Smith (photographer)Portland, Maine
Choose Stewart Smith! Here’s some background on one of our favorite photographers:
I come from a mill town called Rumford, Maine…I always knew I loved photography and wanted to make something of myself and move onto better horizons..I remember alot of people in my town thought I was nuts to leave and not work in the mill to become a photographer…I knew it was in my heart and so I left and went to the Rhode Island School of Photography which is no longer around..It was in Providence, Rhode Island and was very small..They had a two year course that I completed and then moved back to Maine….I now work and live in Portland, Maine but travel all over the United states with my work…I shoot alot down in Boston.
Now that I am 40 years old..I feel as though things should start happening for me..I have done some pretty big jobs here and there but I want it to be more consistent…I have been shooting fashion since 1997 and the same goes for sports and wedding…I have done over 500 model portfolios and love each shoot!! I love working with new and experienced models in hopes of helping them along with their careers as well as me submitting these models to various magazines in hopes of being published. I would say for being a Maine photographer..I am one of the busiest since I do every type of photography…My winters and summers are always busy.
A little Q & A with Stewart
Is this your primary job?
This is all I do..I live, eat, breathe and sleep photography…If I’m not shooting…I’m networking, working on my web site ( StewartSmithPhotograohy.com ) or other web sites I have my work on or submitting my works to magazines and web sites hoping to get some attention….I cannot imagine doing anything else but this!!
What do you enjoy doing outside of photographing beautiful women?
I love watching sports, hanging out with my friends, family, traveling and evenings with my girlfriend..I enjoy networking, going to the movies, walks and reality tv shows..
How did you get your start?
When I was a kid…My sister always had a camera and was her highschool yearbook photographer..She used to take pics of me and my friends and then let me take pics of my friends too..As I got older..I took pics of my friends in high school at parties acting crazy…When I would get the pics developed and show them…they would laugh…It was a cool feeling not saying anything to somebody and have the laugh because of the pic you took of them…Instant gratification!!…I was hooked …I also did the high school yearbook for 3 years…And did the entire yearbook the year I graduated..It was awesome to see everyone in the hall ways looking at my work, smiling and laughing at all the candids I took….My sister was a huge inspiration as well as one of my teachers Joe Sassi.
What is your most prized piece of equipment for photography?
I would say my Mamiya RB67….It’s old and bulky but it’s the very 1st professional camera I ever bought with my own money!!
I don’t know if and when I will use it again but I will never sell it..We have been through alot together!! : )
What is most painstaking about your job?
One has to be the misconception people have of me..People think I’m some stud..They call me Hugh Hefner and a pimp…I don’t get it…I have a girlfriend for God’s sake..I think because I am around beautiful women all the time..People think I am something I’m not..Guy’s want me to introduce the models to them all the time and stuff like that..I hate to say it but alot of guys are idiots…Guys that don’t know me asking me creepy questions about some of the models I have worked with…I never tell anyone anything about anyone!! It’s very annoying to me..I would actually rather edit pics than to have answer stupid questions all day.
One more thing is getting phone calls from people saying…”I like your work and need a headshot”….. I would like to shoot with you but don’t need anything fancy… ( meaning..I don’t want to pay to much to have good work ) [We’re on similar boats. It gets fairly difficult to sort through. It is very annoying. But thankfully these are the same people that pay for some of the models’ lifestyles.]
What is the most daring or experimental shoot that you’ve ever done that turned out great in your eyes?
This one time I was actually hanging sideways on a cliff to get a shot of a male model rock climbing… The best shot we took that day reminded me of the poster from the movie cliff hanger with Sylvester Stallone. [I’d love to see it!]
Who is the one model you enjoy working with most, and why?
Ouch!!….This is a tough one!!…There are so many great models I have worked with over the years….I would have to say CJ Gibson from Tampa……She was so much fun to shoot…She’s like a wind up doll…Put her in front of the camera and she knows her poses and has about 30 expressions….There is nothing more we love as photographers than a model who isn’t afraid to let their hair down…She would strike a pose…hold it…do 3 or 4 different expressions and then move on…It was like she read my mind the whole time!!…I am hoping to shoot her again some day…We stay in touch so hopefully next time I make it down to Florida..We will shoot again. [she is quite the darling.]
For most people, being a photographer affords you the opportunity to be very close to models, any encounters/experiences you mind sharing with us that would never have happened if not for this type of networking?
Well…there are days when I feel like a piece of meat!!…The models sometimes have a hard time focusing on modeling because they want me as a boyfriend and are attracted to my physique…lol…yeah right!!….Just kidding…
No, really…I don’t really get caught up into who I am shooting regardless of their beauty or fame..When it all boils down to it..The model and I just want to get great images…I have been invited to some cool parties and dance clubs by models who enjoyed working with me and that’s about it….. I am very close to alot of the models I shoot because they know I always look out for their best interests and actually care about them as people… I have a girlfriend and let them know about her…Just so they know they won’t be getting hit on all day…. I have alot of respect for women and for my work and that’s why I think I stay as busy as I do…I treat everyone the same…As a friend…Because by the end of a day shooting together..You are friends.
Whose work do you enjoy outside of your own?
Herb Ritts, Sante D’Orazio, David LaChapelle, Walter Iooss, Richard Avedon and Arney Freytag.
Why should models choose you for a shoot?
Well… I would hope it’s because they like my style first… Then maybe because they heard how much fun I enjoy shooting and working with models..I always give a model 110% to them if I feel it in return…I go up and above the call of duty for models to often playing manager..I help get them work and published in magazines..I know they never would have been able to do some of the things I do for them on their own and I never ask for anything in return….I do it because I want to….And I guess one more thing is..I’m honest and always treat women with respect.
Links: StewartSmithPhotography.com | Myspace | Facebook ID #1077103076 | OneModelPlace ID #919](http://29.media.tumblr.com/HDQTo7Oiqlf6733xw4LYqzKgo1_500.jpg)
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Portland, Maine
Choose Stewart Smith! Here’s some background on one of our favorite photographers:
I come from a mill town called Rumford, Maine…I always knew I loved photography and wanted to make something of myself and move onto better horizons..I remember alot of people in my town thought I was nuts to leave and not work in the mill to become a photographer…I knew it was in my heart and so I left and went to the Rhode Island School of Photography which is no longer around..It was in Providence, Rhode Island and was very small..They had a two year course that I completed and then moved back to Maine….I now work and live in Portland, Maine but travel all over the United states with my work…I shoot alot down in Boston. Now that I am 40 years old..I feel as though things should start happening for me..I have done some pretty big jobs here and there but I want it to be more consistent…I have been shooting fashion since 1997 and the same goes for sports and wedding…I have done over 500 model portfolios and love each shoot!! I love working with new and experienced models in hopes of helping them along with their careers as well as me submitting these models to various magazines in hopes of being published. I would say for being a Maine photographer..I am one of the busiest since I do every type of photography…My winters and summers are always busy.
- A little Q & A with Stewart
- Is this your primary job?
- This is all I do..I live, eat, breathe and sleep photography…If I’m not shooting…I’m networking, working on my web site ( StewartSmithPhotograohy.com ) or other web sites I have my work on or submitting my works to magazines and web sites hoping to get some attention….I cannot imagine doing anything else but this!!
- What do you enjoy doing outside of photographing beautiful women?
- I love watching sports, hanging out with my friends, family, traveling and evenings with my girlfriend..I enjoy networking, going to the movies, walks and reality tv shows..
- How did you get your start?
- When I was a kid…My sister always had a camera and was her highschool yearbook photographer..She used to take pics of me and my friends and then let me take pics of my friends too..As I got older..I took pics of my friends in high school at parties acting crazy…When I would get the pics developed and show them…they would laugh…It was a cool feeling not saying anything to somebody and have the laugh because of the pic you took of them…Instant gratification!!…I was hooked …I also did the high school yearbook for 3 years…And did the entire yearbook the year I graduated..It was awesome to see everyone in the hall ways looking at my work, smiling and laughing at all the candids I took….My sister was a huge inspiration as well as one of my teachers Joe Sassi.
- What is your most prized piece of equipment for photography?
- I would say my Mamiya RB67….It’s old and bulky but it’s the very 1st professional camera I ever bought with my own money!! I don’t know if and when I will use it again but I will never sell it..We have been through alot together!! : )
- What is most painstaking about your job?
- One has to be the misconception people have of me..People think I’m some stud..They call me Hugh Hefner and a pimp…I don’t get it…I have a girlfriend for God’s sake..I think because I am around beautiful women all the time..People think I am something I’m not..Guy’s want me to introduce the models to them all the time and stuff like that..I hate to say it but alot of guys are idiots…Guys that don’t know me asking me creepy questions about some of the models I have worked with…I never tell anyone anything about anyone!! It’s very annoying to me..I would actually rather edit pics than to have answer stupid questions all day.
One more thing is getting phone calls from people saying…”I like your work and need a headshot”….. I would like to shoot with you but don’t need anything fancy… ( meaning..I don’t want to pay to much to have good work ) [We’re on similar boats. It gets fairly difficult to sort through. It is very annoying. But thankfully these are the same people that pay for some of the models’ lifestyles.] - What is the most daring or experimental shoot that you’ve ever done that turned out great in your eyes?
- This one time I was actually hanging sideways on a cliff to get a shot of a male model rock climbing… The best shot we took that day reminded me of the poster from the movie cliff hanger with Sylvester Stallone. [I’d love to see it!]
- Who is the one model you enjoy working with most, and why?
- Ouch!!….This is a tough one!!…There are so many great models I have worked with over the years….I would have to say CJ Gibson from Tampa……She was so much fun to shoot…She’s like a wind up doll…Put her in front of the camera and she knows her poses and has about 30 expressions….There is nothing more we love as photographers than a model who isn’t afraid to let their hair down…She would strike a pose…hold it…do 3 or 4 different expressions and then move on…It was like she read my mind the whole time!!…I am hoping to shoot her again some day…We stay in touch so hopefully next time I make it down to Florida..We will shoot again. [she is quite the darling.]
- For most people, being a photographer affords you the opportunity to be very close to models, any encounters/experiences you mind sharing with us that would never have happened if not for this type of networking?
- Well…there are days when I feel like a piece of meat!!…The models sometimes have a hard time focusing on modeling because they want me as a boyfriend and are attracted to my physique…lol…yeah right!!….Just kidding…
No, really…I don’t really get caught up into who I am shooting regardless of their beauty or fame..When it all boils down to it..The model and I just want to get great images…I have been invited to some cool parties and dance clubs by models who enjoyed working with me and that’s about it….. I am very close to alot of the models I shoot because they know I always look out for their best interests and actually care about them as people… I have a girlfriend and let them know about her…Just so they know they won’t be getting hit on all day…. I have alot of respect for women and for my work and that’s why I think I stay as busy as I do…I treat everyone the same…As a friend…Because by the end of a day shooting together..You are friends. - Whose work do you enjoy outside of your own?
- Herb Ritts, Sante D’Orazio, David LaChapelle, Walter Iooss, Richard Avedon and Arney Freytag.
- Why should models choose you for a shoot?
- Well… I would hope it’s because they like my style first… Then maybe because they heard how much fun I enjoy shooting and working with models..I always give a model 110% to them if I feel it in return…I go up and above the call of duty for models to often playing manager..I help get them work and published in magazines..I know they never would have been able to do some of the things I do for them on their own and I never ask for anything in return….I do it because I want to….And I guess one more thing is..I’m honest and always treat women with respect.
Links: StewartSmithPhotography.com | Myspace | Facebook ID #1077103076 | OneModelPlace ID #919
