By Mike Tedesco, Pro Photo Community

"It's always been about the people," Matthew Jordan Smith said when asked what excites him about photography. Back when he was 10 years old, Matthew would continuously get caught sneaking around with his father's camera taking snap shots of his family. When he was 12 years old, Matthew's father bought him a Pentax Honeywell. Matthew would shoot anything and everything, but his shots always had people in them.

Today, Matthew is the man behind the lens for some of the most popular entertainers, including Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Bassett, and Tyra Banks. "I still remember my first celebrity shoot, which turned out to be Halle Berry. I got the job at the last minute, and it was for a cover of Essence Magazine. I remember the moment she walked in and thinking how beautiful she was, and this was before any hair and makeup. Once we started talking and joking, the tension released, and we had an incredible session."

This approach of getting to know the client and talking to them on a personal level is something that has worked well for Matthew over the years. "My job starts way before I get into the studio. I get online and I research the person as much as I can." If it's not someone famous in the industry with a lot of information available, he talks to them before the shoot and before the makeup and hair. "It's critical to get this information before they get in front of the camera as it helps them to feel relaxed. I'll talk to them about things such as movies, vacations, and music."

In fact, Matthew has an extensive collection of music that he uses during the shoot to make his clients comfortable in their surroundings. On the computer, he has almost 8,000 songs in addition to hundreds of CDs that aren't yet digitized, so he's able to meet the musical tastes of almost anyone. Matthew loves having young interns around that can keep him up-to-date on the latest trends in music and pop-culture.

Matthew's style of imaging has never really been about a light or a camera. "For me, my style is more about connection and evoking certain moods. Yes, I like to bring my subject's personality out, but I also want to make an image that is distinctively Matthew."

Matthew went to college at the Art Institute of Atlanta, where he got his first exposure to fashion photography. He began hearing about Parisian and Italian photographers, and the professors would show images from Zoom, Italian Vogue, and other high-end magazines that quickly turned his focus to this genre. "I loved the creativity rather than the documentary approach of journalism. I could use my own creativity to capture an image that was totally my own style."

Right out of college, Matthew headed for the center of fashion—New York City. He landed a job as an assistant working for Bruce Buck, who was a high-end fashion photographer. "That job is where I learned firsthand what it was like traveling, being under the pressure on a studio set." He didn't just learn about the shooting environment alone. That first role gave Matthew insight into the whole business, including booking, producing, shooting, and post production. "School gave me the technical rules and training about equipment, but New York taught me how to break the rules and do the real thing."

Matthew's first entry into the digital world came in 1999 when he started doing heavy scanning of his medium format images for his Sepia Dreams book, and he quickly realized the benefits of a digital workflow. The two biggest benefits Matthew sees are having the images immediately and not having to deal with so much film on the road. "I went on a trip to India some time ago and shot 200 rolls of 35mm film. It took me nine months to process and scan. If I'd had my Canon 1D Mark II N, I would have had the images right away." Matthew does see some extra time needed for the post processing on the computer but feels that the time spent is worth it. Having the latitude of a RAW image allows him to push and pull the file in ways he could never do before. The one negative aspect Matthew sees in the new world of digital imaging is that people spend less time thinking about the capture and depend more on post production.

For up and coming photographers, Matthew's best advice would be to not get caught up in all of the technology. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot digital and use the technology, but the point is, you can't forget about the rules of photography." Matthew also emphasizes shooting what excites you. All too often, Matthew sees young photographers look at who's hot and try to copy them. "You have to know why you shoot and what you love about photography. Shoot from the heart. Shoot what you love. Shoot what moves you."