In 2010, Melbourne-based Jason Smith took some time out of life to reassess priorities and to find passion, purpose, and meaning. He determined that this was photography. In 2013, Smith purchased his first DSLR for himself for Christmas. “Once I knew [my passion] was photography, I then committed to a formal study pathway, plus additional online tutorials, hours of practice, volunteer work, and starting my own freelance business,” says Smith. In 2014, Smith studied for and received a Certificate IV in Photo Imaging and a Diploma of Photo Imaging. Currently, he’s completing a Creative Arts degree with major in photography, at Deakin University.
Turning his lens on the urban landscape and architecture, the lines, colour, geometry, and design elements of our world and humans became a source of inspiration for Smith. “I have a real passion for documentary photography,” says Smith, “to make a difference through photography, and tell life’s untold, unseen, and unwanted stories.” This passion sparked a long-term project, Urbanscape, which investigates and documents the colour and geometry found around the industrial and commercial zones of Melbourne. “I also previously shot a short documentary series, Extraordinary, [which documents] a day in the life of a very special family that has two boys with advanced special needs.”
For his Grad Show exhibition at Melbourne Polytechnic, Smith won best photo book for Extraordinary, while his project, Urbanscape, at Deakin University’s Emergence exhibition won the Overall Excellence award. Moving forward, Smith intends to continue volunteer work and crafting a blend of urban landscape, architecture and documentary photography. “My hope is that my work would inspire anyone wanting to pursue their creative passion and, perhaps, be a vehicle for social awareness and change,” says Smith.
www.jason-smith.com.au
