Meet Anthony Smith | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve been around photography my entire life. My dad has always been taking photos my entire life and gifted me his old Nikon DSLR when I was about twelve I want to say. I never really caught the bug though at that time. Then 8 years later I went on a camping trip to Big Sur and brought a disposable camera along at the suggestion of my good friend Hunter Pollock. After getting the photos back from that trip I was hooked, totally entranced by the process of shooting film. Shortly after that an old teacher of mine, Joel Lopez, gifted me my first SLR. I fell in love immediately. With photography, obviously, not my teacher. Shortly thereafter I made the decision to pursue photography as a career, and I haven’t looked back since. I love taking photos, it’s such a fun, creative experience, especially when you’re working with film.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So, I’m a photographer, or I guess more accurately an amateur photographer. I feel like I shoot a pretty eclectic mix of landscapes, street photography, and portraits. I’ve also done a bit of work shooting bands’ performances which I really enjoy. I have a lot of goals that I hope to accomplish within this creative space, first and foremost being to actually start making some money. In all seriousness though I’d love to break into the fine art world, I feel like that space is the most accommodating for putting out projects and having full creative freedom, which obviously every artist dreams of. Fine art photography is probably the hardest to get into, but I guess that’s why it’s the end goal. I’d also love to collaborate with fashion brands and other artists, basically anything that will allow me to continue shooting and making cool things.

Recently I’ve been traveling quite a bit, trying to shoot as much as possible, keep my eye sharp. In August I was in New York for a little over a week and shot a ton of photos, so I’m currently going through the process of picking out the best 40 photos from that trip in order to hopefully put together either a zine or a hardcover photobook, so that’s something that I’m absolutely amping about. I have no idea what I’m getting myself into, as I’m still an amateur through and through, so I have no clue how hard designing, publishing, printing, etc. will be, but I’m excited to go through the process and pick up that experience and know-how.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Pen in Huntington Beach. Literally one of the few places I actually go to. Cheap beers, nine billiards tables, what else do I need to say? Sometimes there’s a hot dog truck outside too, so yeah that checks all the boxes, I’d go and stay there all week with a friend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Obviously, a huge shoutout to my friend Hunter for encouraging me to venture back into photography (if you like tattoos check him out on Instagram @shed_boi , he’s an incredible artist), and to Joel for giving me my first SLR camera. Also would like to thank my dad for always helping me out, he knows a helluva lot more about photography than I do. I’d also like to thank my family and friends for always supporting me and encouraging me to continue to pursue my passion. This path isn’t exactly easy, so I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for their support and encouragement.

Website: capturedbysmith.com

Instagram: @tonynick_