Meet Christopher L Smith | Photographer

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

Hi Christopher L, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I am organized to the point it is an obscession. I also have a strong work ethic and dogged determination to succeed.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a photographer. Have been interested in photography since I was given a camera by my father when I was 5. I cannot remember not having a camera. My father was an Amateur but could never afford to take the leap and become a Professional. I left school, went to college and studied photography, after four years and a diploma in my hand I decided to go Professional. It was extremely hard to get taken seriously. I worked as a gardener, a bricklayer, anything to pay for film and camera gear and whilst I continued to knock on doors with my portfolio… In the end I became a freelance news photographer (Stringer) and Stock Photographer. My stock imagery started to earn more money and so I moved more towards shooting stock for magazines and books.
In 2005 I received a call from the RN Fleet Air Arm and was asked to bring my portfolio to the Naval Base. I finally got my foot in the door and was offered the job of chief archive photographer which i did for 2 years before being made redundant.
In 2012 I met my wife and moved to the USA from England. I had to start again but had my income from Stock photography. I had to start from the beginning but landed a role of photographer for Must Do Magazines in Sarasota. It didn’t pay much but it was my first foot in the US door. In 2016 I started a side job as a drone pilot shooting aerial photos… I have my FAA License and continue to shoot aerials and now Mapping pics in Tucson, where we moved to in 2018 and of course started again. Covid put me and many others into isolation. Since 2021 I have been shooting Airbnb and Real estate, Last year (22) I was asked to shoot for Adolfson and Peterson Construction and am finally being recognised as a quality photographer.
I do not stop learning, stop creating and am now moving into 360 Virtual Tours, another string to my bow. So started out as a 35mm photographer using Nikon, now I shoot Nikon digital, fly drones and soon to offer 360 virtual tours.
Its been a long journey filled with struggles, working at all sorts of jobs but always focused on one thing – Photography. Its not a job, its a passion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Arizona is unique in that it has the remaining original Route 66, so I would head to New Mexico and work our way through state all the way to California. The ultimate stop has to be The Grand Canyon – Its not called the Grand Canyon State for nothing… It might be a big hole in the ground – but what a hole. Everywhere in Arizona is Unique but i’d have to visit the Old Tucson Movie Studios – People thin movies were made in Hollywood but many cowboy movies were made in Arizona… I would also take my best friend to the Pima Air and Space museum. Food? its got to be Mexican food. I think Arizona offers the most authentic Mexican food in the USA If you live in Arizona, how could you not like rice and beans! Arizona has so much to see, I am still checking it out and finding exciting adventures, my last was Sedona and Flagstaff.. Bisbee has an exciting arts vibe too, its always a place I like to visit… it never fails to inspire me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think my wife is my inspiration. She is also a photographer who trained at Brookes – Feel she is more artistic than myself but always encourages me, supports me when I have doubts.

Website: www.csfotoimages.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csfotoimages/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-l-smith-b9a863226

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csfotoimagescom

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@csfotoimages9621