ERIN O. SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOUT ME
I'm passionate about telling stories that matter in ways that foster civic engagement. The work I do allows me to spend time with people on their best days and also on their worst days, and both are equally important and rewarding to be a part of.
I am a visual journalist who does a lot of tinkering in other things related to the journalism and graphic design fields. I am a journalism graduate from Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. I also received a certificate in education psychology and instructional technology, a certificate in new media and a minor in Spanish.
​
Currently, I work as a photographer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the department of News and Communications alongside two other photographers producing photos for several VUMC News & Communications publications (the Reporter, Voice, Momentum, Hope and Vanderbilt Medicine), various other VUMC websites and publications, as well as some external publications when photos are requested by outside media. I share in scheduling duties, and I also help manage our photo database and provide support for those who need help navigating the site.
Previously, I was a staff photographer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. I worked alongside three other photographers and a chief photographer to produce visuals for online and print editions of the newspaper as well as several magazine publications and special sections. When needed, I stepped into the roll of chief photographer making sure assignments were divided among the photo staff, pulled photos from Associated Press and other news wires, ensured photographs produced by the staff or contributed from an outside source were ready for designers, and uploaded all photos produced by the staff to make them available for purchase.
Prior to Chattanooga, I worked for 2.5 years as a staff photographer at The Times. A small daily paper located in Gainesville, Georgia. I was one of two staff photographers to produce visuals for our print, online and magazine publications that covered primarily Hall County with some coverage of the bordering counties, including Gwinnett, Dawson, Jackson, Lumpkin, Forsyth, Banks, Habersham and White counties.
Before graduating, I had opportunity of being a photo intern at the Chattanooga Times Free Press where I worked alongside a dedicated group of staff photographers to produce visuals for the daily print and online publications. As part of the photo staff, I was also responsible for seeking out and producing several multimedia pieces over the course of the six months.
While at UGA, I served as a staff photographer at the Red & Black newspaper, which is an independent student newspaper serving the UGA community. Through the Red & Black, I had the opportunity to cover UGA sporting events, the BB&T Atlanta Open, AthFest, the Terrapin Twilight Criterium, 2013 SEC Football Media Days and other weekly events required for the online and print publication. I also had the opportunity to serve as photo editor for a semester and collaborate with a fantastic group of editors to produce a weekly paper.
​
I also held the position of co-chief photographer for InfUSion Magazine, UGA's first multicultural magazine, and have produced photos and articles for UGAzine, another UGA student-magazine. InfUSion is produced once a semester, while UGAzine is published twice a semester. Both have online components.
In my free time, I enjoy exploring new places while working on my Chaco tan lines, learning new techy/geeky computer things, pretending I'm an artist and trying to come up with my next big project. I love to travel and experience new cultures, but I can never stay away from my southern roots for too long.
Feel free to send me an email me here!
Photos to the left by Donn Jones, Dan Henry, Sunny Montgomery and Jane Ellyn Aaron.
RESUME
Experience:
​
Vanderbilt University Medical Center / Nashville, Tenn.
Editorial Photographer (January 2020 - present)
Create images for VUMC News & Communications publications (the VUMC Reporter, VUMC Voice, Momentum, Hope and Vanderbilt Medicine), VUMC Marketing materials, various VUMC websites and publications, as well as external media platforms when photos are requested from the medical center. Manage access to our photo storage and sharing platform, PhotoShelter. Share in scheduling responsibilities.
​
Chattanooga Times Free Press / Chattanooga, Tenn.
Editorial Photographer (May 2017 - January 2020)
Created visuals to tell the stories of the Tri-State area, including middle Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama. Worked alongside a mid-sized staff of photographers, reporters, multimedia team, designers and editors to produce a daily paper. Toned, cropped, scaled and captioned images for print and online purposes. Produced stylized images in a studio for magazine publications.
The Times / Gainesville, Ga.
Staff Photographer (October 2014 - May 2017)
Worked to tell the stories of the Hall County community and surrounding counties through visuals working alongside a small staff of reporters, videographers and one other staff photographer. Toned, cropped, scaled and captioned images for print and online purposes.
Clarke-Central High School - Odyssey / Athens, Ga.
Intern (August 2014 - December 2014)
Assisted in teaching a group of high school students to become better visual storytellers in their magazine and online publications.
ProSwim Visuals / Charlotte, N.C.
Contract Photographer (July 2014 - August 2014)
Photographed individual swims for clients at regional and national swimming events. Assisted in business management through customer relations and bookkeeping.
Chattanooga Times Free Press / Chattanooga, Tenn.
Photo Intern (January 2014 - June 2014)
Worked alongside a dedicated group of staff photographers and writers to cover the Chattanooga community and surrounding counties for the daily print and online publications. Sought out and produced a multimedia piece once every eight weeks in rotation with the staff photographers.
The Red and Black / Athens, Ga.
Staff Photographer (May 2012 - December 2014)
Covered university, community and sporting events for the University of Georgia independent student newspaper. Shot UGA football, the Atlanta Open and local music festival AthFest. Edit photos in Photoshop and upload content to the website through BLOX content management system.
Photo Editor (May 2013 - August 2013)
Delegated stories to staff, fostered communication between editors and photographers and ensured photos were print-ready for UGA’s independent student newspaper and online publications.
InfUSion Magazine / Athens, Ga.
Chief Photographer (August 2012 - December 2014)
Delegated sections, communicated between editors and photographers and ensured photos are print-ready for UGA’s first multicultural magazine.
Staff Photographer (August 2010 - May 2012)
Responsible for all photography for the sports and opinions sections.
UGAzine / Athens, Ga.
Designer, Writer, Photographer (January 2013 - May 2013)
Created layouts in InDesign, wrote articles and produced photos for a UGA student-produced magazine.
Saturday Blitz / Hoover, Ala.
Freelance Videographer (July 2013)
Produced video footage for online coverage of SEC Media days 2013, including SEC Media Days: Les Miles, SEC Media Days: Gus Malzahn, SEC Media Days: Butch Jones, and SEC Media Days: Will Muschamp.
UGA Food Services / Athens, Ga.
Student Worker (October 2013 - December 2013)
Fostered an inviting environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors while they dined with food services and learned news skills required to prepare food for customers.
UGA Christian Campus Fellowship / Athens, Ga.
(January 2012 - May 2013)
Helped manage online social media presence by photographing events including retreats and social functions.
UGA National Press Photographer Association / Athens, Ga.
(January 2013 - December 2013)
Served on a four-person board helping organize club events in Fall of 2013. Served as a competitive events judge for photographic technology at the two-day State Technology Leadership Conference. Organized a local Help Portrait event alongside the Athens Housing Authority.
NASCAR at Atlanta Motor Speedway / Hampton, Ga.
(August 30, 2013 - September 1, 2013)
Volunteered for three days at a national-caliber racing series to produce photos used in brochures, posters and online for Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Skills:
- Graphic design programs: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator,
Photoshop and some Dreamweaver (basic html)
- Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
- Soundslides, Audacity
- PhotoShelter
- Photo Mechanic, Bridge
- Microsoft Office
- BLOX content management system
- Experience with Mac and PC
- Experience with Final Cut Pro, Premier and MovieMaker
- Experience with Canon and Nikon DLSR cameras
​
​
Education:
University of Georgia / Athens, Ga.
(August 2010 - December 2014)
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (ABJ), magna cum laude
Emphasis in Visual Journalism / Spanish Minor / New Media Certificate / Education Psychology & Instructional Technology Certificate
Course Work:
​
Mobile News Lab / Athens, Ga.
(August 2014 - December 2014)
Researched and collaborated with a team of six students and three faculty members at the University of Georgia discovering ways to get the most out of mobile usage in the news industry. Through this project, we partnered with CNN and the AJC to help them better understand how mobile is being used and could be used as a tool to gather information and publish news.
New Media Institute / Athens, Ga.
(August 2014 - December 2014)
Collaborated with the Jeannette Rankin Scholarship Foundation and three other team members in order to create an interactive, inspirational learning module for the foundation to train future volunteers to effectively and efficiently assess potential scholar applications.
New Media Institute / Athens, Ga.
(August 2012 - May 2013)
Created a logo and advertisements for a product design project. Designed webpages and templates with basic CSS and HTML in Adobe Dreamweaver, created interactive forms through Google, and constructed webpages using Wordpress.
Documentary Photography Weekend Workshop / Lavonia, Ga.
(February 2013)
Documented a weekend of a local business along side professional photographers and editors, while being mentored by a National Geographic Senior Photo Editor. Pictures were published in the Franklin County Citizen Leader.
Petit Le Mans Workshop / Braselton, Ga.
(October 19, 2013)
Documented the 1000-mile, nine-hour, 37-minute race at Road Atlanta alongside professional photographers and editors. Petit is part of the American Le Mans Series. Photos were published by ALMS and Autoweek.
​
​
Awards:
- Best News Photograph / 2020 Tennessee Press Association
- 2nd place in Best Feature Photo / 2015 Georgia Associated Press Media Editors
- 2nd place in Best Portfolio / 2015 Georgia Associated Press Media Editors
- 2nd place in Best Sports Feature Photo / 2015 Georgia Associated Press Media Editors
- 2nd place in Best Photo Illustration / 2015 Georgia Associated Press Media Editors
(Photo/Andrea Briscoe)