Rangefinder Magazine
April 2005

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Profile: Matthew Jordan Smith by Larry Brownstein
Photographing the Big Names in Entertainment

Halle Berry, click! Vanessa Williams, click! Britney Spears, click! How do you get into the position where you are photographing the biggest names in entertainment and seeing your photos on the covers of major magazines? Matthew Jordan Smith has photographed these and many more famous faces and seems quite happy to share his story.

His interest in photography began when his father gave him a Pentax camera, provided him with a makeshift darkroom, and taught him how to process film. He went to art school and was told by a professor that the best photographers are in London, Paris and New York, so after graduating he went to New York and began working as an assistant. He found it a struggle to get a position as an assistant, but great persistence ultimately paid off in landing a few jobs that eventually snowballed until he was assisting many photographers and was working every day as an assistant.

While assisting he worked on developing his own portfolio and his own style. After four years of assisting, he started to get his own assignments. He shot fashion work at first until an editor assigned him to shoot Halle Berry for an Essence magazine cover. Shortly afterward, they assigned him to shoot Vanessa Williams, then Oprah, and he was on his way.

Jamie Foxx	“Strong Tyra,” Tyra Banks

Smith says a photographer’s people skills are not to be underestimated. “People hire you when they like you. People request to see you when they like you. Photography is a very intimate thing. And it is about relationships. A lot of photographers get caught up in the technical part of it, as I used to in the beginning of my career. I got very caught up in the technical aspect of photography. And then I learned it’s not about that. It’s more about the relationship. It’s about the emotion, to get people to relax to a point when you can get those special moments. That is what photography is all about.”

He credits the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie as a key influence in learning how to interact with people. I was intrigued by Smith’s emphasis on relationships and asked him to elaborate on how this looks when working with a client. The answer was illuminating: “It doesn’t matter who you are working with, you have to have some rapport before they come on your set. I want them to feel comfortable so that when we are working together, they are feeling like the most beautiful person in the world. And it is not always the things that are right in your face. There are subliminal things that make a big difference as well, like having the right flowers or the right food and the right music around. All the things that make people feel comfortable and make them feel at home. I do a lot of research before I photograph any celebrity.”

I asked, “Are most celebrities comfortable in front of the camera?”

“Oh, no, not at all. Most celebrities are uncomfortable in front of a camera because the image is so important to celebrity. They can be a bit nervous about that at times and they can be cautious about who they trust their image to.”

part of a MJS series: “Yang”	“Yin”

“What other quality allowed you to be so successful?”

“I was very persistent. When somebody tells you ‘no,’ it doesn’t necessarily mean ‘no.’” He went on to tell me about another book that has been a great influence on him: Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith. Among other things, he learned it takes seven points of contact to make a new client. He took this to heart, and when he met with people, he followed up diligently and took note of personal information. He would send birthday cards and use whatever opportunity to make the client remember him. “Do something special that nobody else would do to make them remember you. Once you are in their mind, half the battle is done.”

Smith also cautions photographers not to care about the trends they see in magazines and not to make their portfolio emulate the “hot” photographer of the moment. He says showing different styles just to show an editor or a client that you can do a variety of styles and types of work is the wrong approach.

“Make the focus on doing what you love to do, and just do that. Brand yourself by doing that one thing. For that you will be hired.”

I asked him to describe his style. He answered, “I have come to see that my images have a sensitive and sensual edge to them.”

Angela Bassett	Queen Latifah

Upon visiting his web site at www. matthewjordansmith.com/, it is clear that he is modest. His images go beyond being sensitive and sensual. Each and every image strikes me as being technically perfect. But beyond that, it is clear that these images must certainly have pleased the clients as they all appear to bring out some attractive quality of the subject, whether it is playfulness, joy, sexiness, seductiveness, etc.. You don’t see much at all of a dark or brooding nature so often associated with fashion photography (and I applaud that!)

I discussed with Smith (who usually shoots with a Mamiya RZ or a Contax 645 camera) the technical aspects of several of his photos:

“Woman With Man Whispering in Her Ear” (page 12) was a portfolio shot done with models. He shared a vision and a script with the models—the man had been waiting all day for his girlfriend to come home and to seduce her. He directed the models accordingly. He shot it with Profoto strobes—a hard light from behind and a softer umbrella in front. According to Smith, exposure is critical in a shot like this as the highlights are nearly blown out but not quite.

He went on to say that he shoots transparencies most of the time and exposure is always critical. “But at this point its like brushing my teeth. I’ll take my meter reading and adjust accordingly, depending upon whether the clothes are white or black, or whether it’s a beauty shot or a fashion shot. I remember in art school a professor made a statement and told us that we should write this on our walls: ‘Meters don’t think; they just react. It’s up to you to think about how you want to expose the image.’”

“Woman With Man Whispering in Her Ear”	“Grape Drop”

He shot many different situations with the models, working the situation to ensure a good portfolio image.

Smith shoots sometimes with Kino Flos, a cinematographer’s light source that is balanced for daylight. The advantage of Kino Flos is that they are fluorescent and cool-working. This is a big advantage relative to using strobes that require taking many light meter readings and interpreting them to attempt to visualize the image, or shooting Polaroid or digital tests. On the downside, Kino Flos are not very bright compared to strobes. A typical exposure might be 1⁄3 at f/4.5 with ISO 400 film. This limited depth of field also makes the focus point critical, and as a result, Smith often focuses on the eyes, letting everything else go soft.

We also discussed a photo of Vanessa Carlton in which he used a mirror to create an interesting film-noir lighting effect. Looking at a selection of his photos, it is hard to see a theme or a formula to his lighting. Smith explains, “I don’t classify my lighting as glamour lighting or portrait lighting. My approach is different with every subject I do. The lighting I choose for a subject is more about the feeling I want to pull out from the subject or the mood. Do I want it to be a sexy shot? Do I want it to be intimate? Do I want it to be energetic? I choose the light that will help me achieve that effect.”

Smith was greatly moved by a Matisse show he saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He observed how Matisse’s work evolved through the decades. Smith believes photographers should be developing interests outside of photography—reading a variety of subjects, pursuing hobbies—exploring their interests in ways that will show up in their photography, in ways similar to what he observed in Matisse’s work.

“Blue”

At the time of this interview, Smith was preparing for a trip to India, taking his Canon 35mm camera and 300 rolls of color negative film—now, that will take some time to hand-check at the x-ray station! He is a strong believer in having personal projects. He believes photographers need to work on something important to them, (not an assignment) to keep sharp and fresh, and for the pure enjoyment of photography. He takes an annual trip for this purpose.

It was a pleasure speaking with Matthew Jordan Smith, a photographer at the top of his game, and learning how he got there: with technical proficiency, incredible persistence, an impressive focus on customer satisfaction and the wisdom to follow his own path.

More of his work can be seen at www.matthewjordansmith.com and in his recent book Sepia Dreams: A Celebration of Black Achievement Through Words and Images (St. Martin’s Press).

Larry Brownstein is author and photographer of Los Angeles: Where Anything is Possible, an inspirational look at life, culture and architecture in Los Angeles. He is represented by Getty Images, California Stock and other photo agencies. His work includes travel, landscape, portraiture and wedding photography. He has written for numerous photographic publications. His web site is www.larrybrownstein.com. He can be reached at larryb@larrybrownstein.com/.