Rodney Smith's Perfectionism

If we are talking about perfection, he is one of the guy behind it, or even perfection itself. Rodney Smith has been implementing it on any of his work. This is one of the best black and white surrealist photographer, who is also the source of my inspiration.You are also gonna love him immediately.

Rodney fell in love with photography when he stayed in Germany with a couple who took pictures as hobby. They also developed the pictures by themselves. His next exposure to photography was when he visited Museum of Modern Art which showcased their permanent collection of Gene Smith, Minor White, Dorothea Land and more. Looking upon those great works, he soon believed that he could do the same thing. After finishing college, Rodney took  a master degree in Theology, which he was very interested in (*cough* haha). He said,

"I guess I've always been very intense, but back then the intensity was sort of manifesting itself as anxiety. Because of all this intensity I became really introspective and trying to figure out the cause and the purpose and the resolution to all that anxiety. " 

Even though he was studied Theology, he did not abandoned photography as his other passion. He also studied photo-techniques diligently. Soon he noticed that the best way to study his two desire was to combine them. He only shot films, never used any kind of special effect and befriended with darkroom as if it was his own bedroom.

"He is a modest man. With eclectic sensibilities. He can wear an ascot without appearing pretentious. He proclaims himself to be a closet optimist. He believes Modernism took a wrong turn at a wrong time. He thinks Freud saved his life. He graduated Yale. He lives in a wooded enclave in Snedens Landing, just close enough to Manhattan to meet an editor for lunch at a moments notice, but far enough away to mollify his distain for city living. He loves books. Paper. And printed matter. He wrestles with Big Ideas and references Wittgenstein and Plato as if he saw them just yesterday. He’s tweedy. Proud. Not loud. He’s a perfectionist. Workaholic. Worry wart dan fuss budget. He won't stop what he's doing until he's satisfied that it couldn't be done any better."

photo courtesy of Rodney Smith