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Rodney Smith: Between Real and Surreal

Rodney Smith

Rodney Smith’s photography enters the realm of visual storytelling where the camera becomes a tool for exploring the human psyche. His surreal narratives aren’t fantasy; they are psychological documentation, using the same rigorous location scouting and natural light that defines great reportage, but applied to illuminate interior landscapes rather than external events. Using only traditional photographic techniques, he created images that seem impossible yet are completely authentic, much like how the best photojournalism captures moments so extraordinary they seem surreal.

Born in New York City in 1947, he earned his master’s degree in theology from Yale University with a minor in photography. Smith started as a photo-essayist, turned to portrait photography, and found his most tremendous success in fashion photography. Inspired by W. Eugene Smith, taught by Walker Evans, and devoted to the techniques of Ansel Adams, he was driven by the dual ideals of technical mastery and pure beauty.

Rodney Smith was also renowned for the extraordinary rigor behind his seemingly effortless images. Photographs that radiate spontaneity and elegance were in fact built on perfect exposures of film negatives, carefully measured development times, and immaculate printmaking. His process left no margin for error: every step was tested, refined, and held to exacting standards. This devotion to craft ensured that nothing in the mechanics of photography could hinder his expression, allowing his pictures to feel at once natural and otherworldly, timeless and precise.


POS LS 735 2Twins in TreePOS LS 735 2
POS LS 735 3TreesPOS LS 735 3
POS LS 735 4Reed on LedgePOS LS 735 4
POS LS 735 5Landscape No. 1POS LS 735 5
POS LS 735 6Erin in GreenPOS LS 735 6
POS LS 735 7Don Standing in Leaves No. 1POS LS 735 7
POS LS 735 8Edythe Seated on RooftopPOS LS 735 8
POS LS 735 9Melissa in ArchwayPOS LS 735 9
POS LS 735 10Leaning HousePOS LS 735 10
POS LS 735 11Deanna Leaning beneath WindowPOS LS 735 11
POS LS 735 12Don Jumping over Hay Roll No. 1POS LS 735 12
POS LS 735 13Viktoria through ClockPOS LS 735 13
POS LS 735 14SkylinePOS LS 735 14
POS LS 735 15Nathan Leaping with Umbrella on RooftopPOS LS 735 15
POS LS 735 16Bernadette in MirrorPOS LS 735 16
POS LS 735 17Grove DordognePOS LS 735 17
POS LS 735 18Gary and Henry Chasing ButterflyPOS LS 735 18
POS LS 735 19Gary Descending StairsPOS LS 735 19
POS LS 735 20Zoe Balancing Teapot on HeadPOS LS 735 20
POS LS 735 21Open DoorPOS LS 735 21
POS LS 735 22Caroline Running through DoorwayPOS LS 735 22
POS LS 735 23Viktoria under LampshadePOS LS 735 23
POS LS 735 24Saori on Sea Plane WingPOS LS 735 24
POS LS 735 25Saori & Mossimo Holding HandsPOS LS 735 25
POS LS 735 26Road with Trees No. 3POS LS 735 26
POS LS 735 27Chris between HedgesPOS LS 735 27
POS LS 735 28James in Innertube with DuckPOS LS 735 28
POS LS 735 29RocketmanPOS LS 735 29
POS LS 735 30Three Men with Shears No. 1POS LS 735 30
POS LS 735 31Woman with Hat between HedgesPOS LS 735 31
POS LS 735 32Danielle in BoatPOS LS 735 32
POS LS 735 33A.J. Chasing AirplanePOS LS 735 33
POS LS 735 34ChickenPOS LS 735 34
POS LS 735 35Reed with Megaphone on RooftopPOS LS 735 35
POS LS 735 36A.J. Looking over Ivy-covered Wall, Harriman, New York, 1994POS LS 735 36