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