Rodney Smith, born in New York City, was inspired by a photographic collection at MoMA junior year in college. He earned a BA in English Literature and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, a Master of Divinity from Yale, and studied photography under Walker Evans. He was a prominent photographer whose whimsical work invited comparison to that of Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte. Long acclaimed for his iconic black and white images that combine portraiture and landscape, Smith created enchanted worlds full of subtle contradictions and surprises. Shooting on location using only film and light, his un-retouched, dream-like images are matched in quality by the craft and physical beauty of his prints.