[3] Smith said in an interview with Kodak, "I absolutely knew I wanted to be a photographer, but I didn't feel that studying in an art school or a photography department full time was the way to address the issues that were interesting to me – so I sort of entwined the two."
From the 88 Rolls of film shot, Smith ended up compiling two portfolios, which later became his first book: “In the Land of the Light: Israel, a Portrait of Its People (1983).
[5][6] After returning from Jerusalem, Smith spent a short time as an adjunct professor of photography at Yale University.
[7] As Smith continued his career into the nineties he slowly shifted from corporate executives to fashion photography.
"[8] Rodney Smith's work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal to Martha Stewart, from Time to Bloomingdales.