I’m not sure if being the most imitated editorial photographer is a good thing, but I guess it’s a compliment. Rodney Smith’s simple, humorous, bowler-hatted images have graced the pages of a whole host of magazines. You can recognize his images a mile away and I’m always happy to see them. And he’s not just an editorial photographer, but is well represented as a fine art photographer also.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dapper at his opening at the Fahey Klein Gallery in Los Angeles some years back. I loved his story about showing up to photo shoots for big fashion magazines with a Leica and a couple of rolls of film in his pocket. No lights, no assistant, just Rodney and his amazing eye. Needless to say, it drove his clients crazy.