Celebrity Photography Insights

Photography Tips

Having a job title of celebrity photographer sounds pretty exciting. According to Brian Smith, photographer of the stars, it is glamorous. During a recent interview, Iowa native Brian Smith talked about the long road from his humble Midwest roots to photo shoots with Tony Bennett at his New York City penthouse. Watch the interview here:

So how was Smith able to make the transition from photojournalism into the world of celebrity portraiture? His story starts with an internship rejection and editor telling him he needed to prove that he could capture personality, not just work a camera and capture action. The exercise the editor recommended was for Smith to go out and introduce himself to 50 strangers and take their portraits. In each of those portraits, Smith had to capture a part of each of their individual personalities. The exercise Smith says was one of the most helpful pieces of advice he has been giving throughout his career.

On the technical side of the interview, Smiths say he shoots exclusively with Sony equipment. His go to lens being the Sony 24-70mm because of its sharpness. His preferred light setup utilizes strobes, and when shooting Smith very rarely uses a tripod.