The Photography of Rodney Smith
Rodney Lewis Smith was a New York based fashion and portrait photographer. After he studied English Literature and Religious Studies at University of Virginia in 1970, Smith went for his graduate degree in Theology at Yale University in 1973. From eighty-eight rolls of film shot in Israel in 1976, Smith ended up compiling two portfolios, which later became his first book: “In the Land of the Light: Israel, a Portrait of Its People” which was published in 1983.
Smith primarily photographed with a 35mm Leica M4 before he transitioned to a 120/6×6 (medium format) Hasselblad with a 80mm lens. He preferrred natural light to illuminate his subjects, but occasionally would use continuous lighting. Smith shot predominantly in black and white, until 2002, when he first began to experiment with color film. His work is commonly referred to as classic, minimalistic, and whimsical.