Todd Smith

I recognize truth and beauty by the subtle way my heart reacts.

There is a sweetness in seeing something real. A recognition.

The Upanishads of ancient India say: "That which is not sweet is not true."

A love of transcendent beauty is what inspires me to photograph...

Not merely to document, but to dive into the subtle world of seeing.

Photography is meditation for me.
I was a monk for a number of years, and I've done a lot of meditation.

The object of meditation is to transcend the everyday, active mode of thinking
and experience a more settled state of mind. As the mind settles, one experiences
more joy and appreciates more subtle thought and feeling.

Like that, photography starts with the everyday objects around me.

If I take the time, I settle as I photograph and find there is
beauty teeming underneath the surface everywhere.

Photography gives me an excuse to stop and dive into that beauty.

When I frame a shot, every decision of how to compose
the image is a reaction to the world I'm looking at, as well as a reaction
to what I'm feeling as I look.

My job is to appreciate.

Through the process of photography, I find myself a
co-creator in the beauty I experience.

I like to pay attention to my quietest emotions as I work.

I test an angle or a lens against them.

By listening to what I am experiencing I discover subtle beauty.

The principle is something I learned from my parents
when I was young.

Whenever they wanted to hang a picture in a room, they tried first by holding it too high,
then too low, and gradually they refined the motion until the
most pleasing spot had been revealed.

Like that, I move my camera left and right and change my point of view a lot.

The heart is a sensitive instrument.
If we're open, it can lead us to find beauty everywhere.

I hope you enjoy my site.

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Our address is:

8220 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite 219
Canoga Park, CA 91304
Tel: 509-340-3505