Rodney Smith obsession

A large part of today was spent planning and thinking about a photoshoot (for FALL) that we will hopefully do (at least part 1 of) on Saturday.  For ideas and inspiration and I spent some time looking at various things online, including one of my absolute favorite photographers:

Rodney Smith - official website 

Rodney Smith - google image search

Um yeah....so he's a complete badass.  

I love how much each photo says.  You just know there is so much of a story behind each image, or each character that is depicted.  Everything about his images are rich...color, depth, style, story, light, beauty, structure....everything.  It's like they're vague and specific at the same time...vague because he's not really giving you much information, he's leaving it up to you what the story is and what the thought behind it is...and yet each is so specifically detailed and stylized.  I feel like I could stare at any one of his photos for a very, very long time without getting bored because his images exercise your mind....it's beautiful aesthetics with thought-provoking profoundness. 

Oh and he has an awesome blog in which he rants and rambles and is just generally great.  

http://rodneysmith.com/blog/

I have it bookmarked in a folder entitled "Art/Ideas/Inspirations" and there have been many times that when feeling bored and uninspired I will just spend some time to get lost in his words and photos.

"When I least expect it,and I'm not looking for it, when I seem to let go completely, something wonderful happens.  The more I trust my instincts - which are a combination of my intellect and emotion - the more I like the experience.  The more I hold on, the more fearful I become, the more controlling I need to be, the less I seem to get."

- Rodney Smith