Cache Valley photographer 'a good noticer,' even with only one eye

By Jordan Olsen

December 11, 2007 | "We need to catch this. You're going to lose your sight," the doctor said.

Scott Smith at the age of 24 had developed melanoma in his right eye. To prevent the spread of the cancer his eye had to be removed.

Smith may be unique in being a professional photographer with only one eye, but he doesn't let that deter him from his passion for nature and capturing it on film.

"I always liked hiking," said Smith as he gazed outside his dining room window at the snowcapped Wellsville Mountains.

Smith grew up in Salt Lake City and attended Utah State University, receiving his master's in meteorology. It wasn't until his senior year of college that he really became interested in photography. Smith got a job as a research technician at USU and began doing freelance photography on the side.

In 1988 Smith decided to quit and be a full-time freelance photographer.

Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, wearing a light blue Columbia fleece pullover and black fleece pants, Smith says, "I can't explain how I do it [photography]. I just know when it snaps into place. All through my life I've been a very good noticer."

When asked about the positives and negatives of being a freelance photographer, Mary, Smith's wife, was quick to point out that he didn't have regular office hours. She also said a freelancer could live anyplace in the world.

The two met while attending USU and living in the dorms. They were friends for five years before he proposed to her over the phone.

"He had nice legs," she said when asked about her first impressions of him.

When he's not out in the field shooting or in his basement editing his photos, Steve and his wife enjoy riding their tandem bike on one of their many routes.

It's not your typical tandem bike. The person in front sits in a chair close to the ground and has his or her own set of gears so that the two can pedal at their own speed.

"My dream is to take [the bike] to New Zealand and ride it all around," said Mary.

The couple also owns six llamas, which they use to pack all of their photography equipment on their extended hiking trips.

Smith said he spends around 100 days in the field shooting.

He said he would like to be out a lot more than that, but since he doesn't have any employees he has to do all of the back end work as well.

"One of the reasons I enjoy photography and am pretty good at it is because I enjoy both sides -- the technical and the nature side," he said.

Smith said people often like the clichés of nature photographs because they're comfortable, familiar and generic.

"If I see something that looks cool, I'm gonna try and shoot it," he said.

With one of his own photographs of a mountain range in the Shoshone National Forest hanging above his head, Smith talks about how many nature and wildlife photographers alter their photos. Some go as far as adding animals that weren't in the shot or replacing a sky because the sky in the original shot wasn't majestic enough.

"People have been conditioned to believe [the photograph] is real and when they find out it's not they're gonna be pissed," he said.

Smith explained that with technology, it can be really hard for some to resist altering photographs to make them more appealing to the public.

Smith said that he tries to stick to the rule that if you were out in the field with him when he took a photograph and then saw the final product, you would say, "Yeah, that's what I saw."

"I'm a realist type photographer," said Smith. "I don't try to view [the photos] with extra meaning."

Quoting a photographer friend of his, Smith said, "I like to try and capture 'the suchness of things.'"

When asked what advice he would give to an aspiring photographer, Smith said, "Shoot what you love to shoot and shoot as much of it as you possibly can."

Eight books have been written exclusively featuring Smith's photographs. He has also contributed photos to more than 50 other books. He publishes an annual Cache Valley calendar.

He resides in Young Ward with his wife and many species of animal life.

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