Meet Modern Farmer’s Guest Instagrammer: Agrarian Photographer Stephen Smith

Smith, 33, spent a lot of time as a youngster on his grandmother’s farm in North Carolina, and later worked in the bar and restaurant industry. But it was a solo motorcycle trip through the winemaking regions of South America in 2010 that led him to the agricultural side of food and alcohol.

He ended up in California’s Napa Valley, where his “world opened to careers in winemaking, farming, and ranching,” including spending time working in a winery, on a grass-fed cattle ranch, and as the head of business development for Jack Rabbit Hill biodynamic farm distillery and vineyard. Smith is using these experiences in his current pursuit as an agrarian photographer.

Stephen Smith

“I was a photo and sculpture student at the University of Colorado Boulder and have been taking photos my entire life including during my various agricultural jobs,” says Smith. “I decided to pursue my passion full time this year, focusing on the subjects that I find the most inspiring and I feel knowledgeable about.”Working in food and farming has helped shape Smith’s photography and vice-versa. He says it was his time working in these various agricultural fields that has given him the “confidence to explore a career photographing these subjects full time” and has also allowed him to see the world of agriculture in a new way.

“I love the in-between moments that the camera can capture. The olive falling from the tree, the fresh grape juice being pressed into a tank for fermentation, the rippling muscles of a horse in full stride,” says Smith.

While Smith lives in Boulder, Colorado, he’s been on the road for the last three months, riding his motorcycle across the West and photographing various farms, ranches, and wineries. Some of his favorites include Fly Girl Farm, which is run by “two passionate young ladies growing organic vegetables” who work “very hard to grow food for their community.” Long Meadow Ranch in Napa, is another operation Smith loves. He says they are a “fantastic example of a diversified operation that pioneered organic farming in the Napa Valley. They raise around 80 percent of the grass-fed beef they sell in their restaurant, produce olive oil from 130-year-old trees, grow veggies, and make amazing wine.” Lava Lake Lamb ranch, in Hailey, Idaho, fascinated Smith because of “their focus on conservation, traditional herding practices, and progressive land management, as well as their delicious products.” Smith also spent time at Bitterroot Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming, a traditional ranch where they raise Highland cattle, but also recently played host to a yoga retreat.

When asked how long he plans to stay on the road, Smith answers “As long as it feels right.”