North Harford graduate Patrick Smith once again got recognized for his work in photography, one of the most prestigious ones being a contest for Pictures of the Year (POY). “This past year I was a Finalist, [or] second place, and very honored to again be recognized,” he said.

      Smith explains that photography wasn’t his first choice in a career and that his ideas shifted once he realized becoming a professional athlete is something he would never be. “I realized I would never be a professional athlete and knew that I enjoyed telling other’s stories when I worked at their college newspaper.” Through his experience at his school’s newspaper, he found his talent in photography.

     Smith has been working with Getty Images since 2010. “There is no greater company to work for as I get to travel the globe documenting major sporting events with an inspiring, talented team of photographers and editors,” stated Smith. According to Photography Life, the most important thing to be able to do with photography is to evoke emotion from the photos that are taken. Smith confirmed this and added, “chasing that perfect picture while telling a story is what keeps me coming back.”

     Smith’s motto remains “happy and healthy.” He believes if his career and achievements continue to fulfill this motto that his goals are already completed. “Photography is my identity. I live, eat, and breathe photography and photojournalism,” says Smith, “it fills me up and it’s so much more than a hobby and career. ”

     According to Smith, the equipment that helped him gain his finalist status the past year isn’t always necessary because “whether that’s an iPhone or a professional kit, they both accomplish the same thing.” However, Smith’s equipment is expensive and helps with every image he takes. “I am fully outfitted with Canon DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. I have many lenses that help tell stories from a fisheye lens to a 600MM telephoto lens,” said Smith. To put that in perspective, a Canon DSLR camera ranges from $89 to $2,000 according to Canon USA.  

     The one thing Smith wished he knew before he started his career in photography was that “it’s very subjective.” Smith explains that he spent the very beginning of his career “pleasing others” and in reality what he should have been doing was pleasing himself first. He added it is important to consider, “this industry is also all about telling the story, so it’s often not even about yourself.”