Smith's original intent was to photograph political figures, but he eventually expanded to photograph celebrities as well. When asked about favorite subjects, Smith replied his preference for "historical figures". His self-stated desire to photograph subjects favorably for historical record (and thereby stock photography) precludes Smith from being a papparazzo, whose primary focus is on sensationalism and shock art.
He began his career the day of June 1, 1990, when he heard that Mikhail Gorbachev was due to arrive in D.C. and was likely to greet crowds. Hoping to photograph Gorbachev, whom Smith described as "bringing peace to the world," Smith purchased his first 35 mm Nikon zoom camera at the Ritz Camera and photographed the president. However, upon developing the photograph, Smith realized that the zoom was insufficient, so he later set out to bypass the motorcade and photograph Gorbachev from four feet away. He returned to the Ritz to display his successful photograph, at which point he was told that such photos of historical figures were "worth money," which surprised Smith. The employee connected him with wire service news agency offices, after which Smith found the Agence French-Presse and received his first $150 for the usage of the "Peace Mikhail" photograph, thus making back the money for the zoom camera he had purchased earlier that day.
Achieving representation
After 7 years of freelance, Smith had a frustrating day that involved going to the Essence Awards in February 1997, failing to photograph John F. KennedyJr. who never attended the event; being refused drink services at Walker's Bar; then waiting for John F. Kennedy Jr. outside of his house to ask for photographs, at which point a railing collapsed and he fell down the basement steps, falling unconscious. He woke up hours later and proceeded to the bus station with no valuable photographs.
On April 26, 1997, Smith and a fellow photographer went to the White House Correspondents'Dinner, where Smith was determined to photograph Robert DeNiro (which he did later in the evening). To Smith's surprise, he saw John F. Kennedy Jr. whom he was unable to photograph in February; he asked Kennedy for several photographs and told the story of falling off the railing while waiting for him. Kennedy gave him "a funny look", and later in the evening, he purposefully gave Carolyn Bessette Kennedy a kiss for the camera; thereby, Smith realized that Kennedy was aware of his fall and wished to do him a favor by granting him a special picture. The photograph of the kiss was a huge favor to Smith who found his phone ringing "off the hook" as a result, and he was picked up by Getty Images thereafter.
Photograph of Princess Diana
In Washington D.C. Red Cross in 1997, he photographed a best-selling photograph of Princess Diana, which became the cover of U.S. News & World Report. This was often the focal point of Smith's interviews and acclaim.
Condemnation of paparazzi
Throughout his career, Smith has condemned paparazzi and distinguished himself from the group. In a 1997 interview at the Senator Theatre, he disparaged paparazzi who put celebrities' lives at risk. In his 2008 interview, he writes,
"I am not a member of the quoteunquotePapparazzi[sic] that relentlessly follow the celebs everywhere, even to their homes. Nearly every photo that I snapped over the years was at a press conference or a charity event...or a reception...or black tie dinner...or at a red carpet. In all of these events, I did the legwork to get the info and make the proper calls in many cases and get my name onto the list of media that was coming. Though I was freelance, that was rarely a problem."
Later career and projects
As an historian, Smith has written a history of the daguerreotype and the photograph and often shares content about 19th and 20th century photography. He stated on his Flickr account,
Circa 2021, Smith began the Etty Hillesum Channel, wherein he shared and publicized the works of diarist Etty Hillesum, alongside those of Anne Frank and Hélène Berr.
Smith has contributed over 1,896 photographs to Wikipedia. He has stated that Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu were his favorite subjects. As of 2026, he continues to contribute new images of civil rights activists and historical figures.
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