Colin Smith - Calibrite - United States

What inspired you to become a photographer/videographer?

When I first saw the world within the limits of a viewfinder, I became immersed with that little slice of the world and the riddle of how to best tell a story with this limited information. I experimented with lenses and composition and eventually this expanded to include video.

What is your photography style?

I like a mix between editorial/documentary/cinematic look, if such a thing exists.

How did you get to where you are now?

I worked in Print design in magazines and book/album design in the 90s. I quit the corporate world and started my own agency and transitioned into interactive design where I started to incorporate more photography and video into my designs. From there, my work got noticed, and I won some awards and was approached by magazines and, eventually book publishers. Soon after, speaking invitations started to come in, and I have since spoken on 3 national tours as well as working with high-profile clients.

Why is color management important to your workflow?

Color is a very important part of your work. That color needs to be accurate, predictable, and reproducible. The color communicates emotion and information, a slight variation can change the feel entirely. I spend a lot of time fine-tuning my colors, and I need to know what I’m looking at is as close as possible to what the viewer will experience.

What are your favorite brands you have worked with?

I really enjoyed working with tech brands like Adobe, Apple and Nvidia, but the most fun is Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, David Lee Roth (Van Halen frontman). We have collaborated on many projects, from an interactive graphic novel to shows and tours, to covers for his singles. Dave is such a hoot to be around and a natural entertainer. He is also very knowledgeable about art and the creative process and has an unusual respect and appreciation for artists and creators.

What would you say is your greatest achievement to this day?

Probably building up PhotoshopCAFE.com from nothing to an internationally recognized brand. The website has received over 50,000,000 visitors, and the youtube channel has just passed 300,000 subscribers and 30,000,000 views. I literally started it with free tools from a small apartment in the year 2000. Now as I travel, people are constantly telling me they have launched their careers with what they learned from there. To me, the achievement is the legacy, not so much the property.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?

When I was 5, I emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand on a ship.

What is a top tip for people who aspire to do what you do?

Find out what you are passionate about. Pursue it, single-minded. Don’t quit.

EQUIPMENT TOOLKIT:

Cameras: lots of things from Hasselblad/Red to gopros but mainly and currently: Sony a1, Sony A7SIII, G master lenses, Canon C200, DJI Mavic 3, Insta360 X3, DJI RS3 Pro. Google Pixel 7 pro.

Lighting: Stills – Profoto D1 air. Video – Kinoflo and Aputure continuous lighting systems.

Computer: Apple Mac Pro, Apple 16″ Macbook Pro M1 MAX. MSI Creator Z16

Software: Mainly Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere Pro.

Wacom Pen Tablets.

BenQ SW321C and SW270C monitors.

Colorchecker i1Display Pro

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Brand Ambassador Colin Smith

As an educator, Colin has produced countless videos and is a best-selling author of 21 books, the latest being “The Photographer’s Guide To Drones” (Publisher Rocky Nook). He runs a popular Youtube channel with over 315,000 subscribers.

Colin is in high demand on the national speaking circuit and is a regular platform speaker at conferences and major trade shows such as Adobe MAX, WPPI, NAB, CES, Imaging USA, Photoshop World, and PPE, to name just a few.