IM:PHOTO

Interview with David Smith:

Photographer: David Smith

Location: Winter Haven Florida
Years in the Business: 30

Area of Focus: Sports Photography

Website: None

David Smith is a freelance / contract sports photographer living and working in Winter Haven Florida. His work history includes 20 years with the local Winter Haven newspaper as a staff photographer, 5 years with the New York Times primarily as a sports photographer. He now does freelance sports photography and works for C&M Photography in Bradenton Florida.

How did you get started in photography?

I started in High School working on the school newspaper. I needed something to do.

What was your first real photography job and how did you get it?

My first real job was working for the local newspaper in Winter Haven. Small community so I knew people coming out of school. I kept submitting photos to the editor and eventually some got published. They finally offered me a position.

What position did you enjoy most and why?

Definitely my time spent as a staff photographer for the local paper. I loved the variety because every day was different and you never knew what you were going to be asked to shoot. One day you could be covering a murder trial and sitting in the court room when the life sentence was handed down and you saw the emotions in the room.

The next day you might be covering a city council meeting or a parade or a youth sporting event. VIPs that came to town or the featured business owner of the month for the Chamber of Commerce. It was just very dynamic.

Why did you leave that job?

I didn’t, the job left me. The whole industry changed over time and they no longer had the budget for full time staff photographers. When I left the local paper I finally had what I thought was my big move. I was hired by the New York Times. I figured I had it made finally, a big paper would be there forever. Nice and stable. I worked for the Times for 5 years and in that time the paper changed ownership 3 times. After the third buy out I was laid off and came back to Winter haven to do my own thing.

Do you have a website where your work is posted?

No. I don’t have a web site and actually I don’t do anything on social media. It’s just not a good place to be.

How do you find work then?

The work finds me. I stay busy just covering sporting events like this baseball tournament working for C&M. There is something going on every day all year long down here so I just bounce from one venue to the next. I get by, live simply, don’t have a lot of bills. I’m kind of a one trick pony. Photography is all I know so I just keep doing it. If I could do something else I probably would. My advice to young people is don’t go into photography today. It’s way too unpredictable and unstable if you want to make money.