Ray Smith Photography

Editorial & Commissioned Work

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Northam Burrows - A Little Risk for a Picture

Northam Burrows sits where the Taw and Torridge Estuary opens out toward Bideford Bay — a place of sand, salt marsh, old stones, big sky and shifting ground.

These were taken around The Skern, where the tide fills and empties the mudflats and the land never feels entirely settled. It is beautiful, but it is not soft. Deep channels, wet mud, fast water, and that strange estuary silence all remind you to watch your step.

I took these with one eye on the photograph and the other on whether I was about to sink into the mud.

The reward was that extraordinary North Devon light: hard, silver, bruised by cloud, turning the beach, the bike, the rocks and the coast path into something half real, half remembered.

Worth the risk.

Carefully.

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Nigel Johnson, photographed at Bideford Boxing Club

This was taken during a feature shoot about a boxing club member who had received an MBE.

Nigel wasn’t the award story — but perhaps, one day, he should be considered too.

He was helping me build the studio environment inside the club: a canvas backdrop on freestanding light stands, crossbar support, a studio softbox from above, and a Nikon 250mm giving that compressed portrait feel.

But the technical setup is only half the story.

Nigel is one of those people who quietly does a lot for others. He takes people to hospital who might not otherwise get there. He helps where he can. He turns up. No fuss, no grandstanding — just a good egg doing good things.

Sometimes the best portraits happen just outside the planned frame.

Shot at Bideford Boxing Club.

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Morning in Diddywell

Taken this morning in beautiful 82° sunshine at 09:00 — a lamb close to his mum, with the rest of the family scattered across the hill behind them.

Diddywell doing rural summer rather well.

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Beach bike ride

My favourite light is hard, directional sunlight — almost like a Klieg light.

It cuts across the scene, throws deep shadows, and turns ordinary places into lines, shapes and dark graphic marks.

There is something liminal in that kind of light. The beach stops feeling like a location and becomes a threshold — part real place, part stage, part memory.

That is the light I look for. Not soft, not polite. Light with structure.

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FOUND NEGATIVES, 1988 Near Benidorm / Turia. Rolleiflex • Tri-X 400

Found these in a drawer. Shot walking outside Benidorm with the Rolleiflex.

Turia was about two hours away.

Quick scans on a homemade lightbox—just previews. I’ll have them done properly.

Tri-X still holds.

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MY PORTRAIT OF MARK POWELL, 1995

Mark Powell, 📍 D’Arblay Street, Soho — May 1995. 📷 Pentax 6x7 • Tri-X.

Saturday. Brighton to Soho.

I drove up in my little red Yugo, boot loaded with a Pentax 6x7, Tri-X, tripod — and a huge HMI light that had no business being squeezed into a tailor’s office.

Soho was its usual puzzle. Tight streets, slow turns — until, somehow, I parked right outside.

Mark Powell.

Already a presence in the men’s fashion pages — Esquire, Arena, GQ — right at the centre of that Soho world where tailoring met attitude. His office on D’Arblay Street was legendary. People passed through constantly — Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, editors, stylists, musicians. If you cared about clothes, you ended up there.

We worked fast.

Tripod down. Pentax loaded. Tri-X ready.

I shot wide open. The HMI pushed as high as that tight little room would allow — hard light, straight in.

No overthinking. A few minutes and it was done.

That was the rhythm then.

Turn up. Set up. Take the picture.

And if you got it right, you knew immediately.

Outside, it was tipping down.

So I gave him a lift home. A very merry ride it was.

A great day.

The photograph went on to make the front page of The Times as an “article inside” image.

Soho, 1995. A man in his element. No performance — just presence.

📍 D’Arblay Street, Soho 📷 Pentax 6x7 • Tri-X 💡 HMI

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SCHUH ADVERTORIAL — EAST LONDON, 1997

Handheld 645. Ektachrome 200. New faces board.

These are original tear sheets from a 1997 advertorial shoot for Schuh, photographed in East London behind a warehouse loading bay.

Medium format 645. Natural daylight. No set build—just concrete, brick, and whatever the location gave back.

The model was new—second shoot. She went on to be a success.

What mattered here was placement. Letting the shoes carry the frame. Letting the film do the colour work. Slight softness, that Ektachrome palette, and just enough edge from the location to stop it feeling polished.

No digital safety net. You exposed properly or you didn’t.

Credits (as printed)

Alex: Blue sequinned dress: Solo Soba at Speed Queen, £195 & Sign of the Times fluffy blue jacket: Top Shop Black patent 3 strap mule shoes £34.99

Kristen: Stripey skirt and top by Mac And Magee Skirt £17.99, Top £20.99 Black and white patent ‘Tulip’ bar court shoes, £34.99

Alex: Stripey dress: Mac And Magee, £29.99 Orange mohair jumper: Karen Millen White leather ‘Emma’ zip knee boots, £69.99

Kristen: Black and white mod dress: Miss Selfridge, £29.99 Black and white patent ‘Tulip’ bar court shoes, £34.99

Alex: Black velvet jacket: Name Workshop, £249 Orange crushed velvet hipsters: Karen Millen, £75 Black patent ring sandals, £49.99

Black satin shirt: Miss Selfridge, £32.99 Black and white pinstripe hipsters: Name Workshop, £70 White patent stiletto cross vamp shoes, £49.99

All sunglasses: Name Workshop, £58 All boots and shoes: Schuh Bags from a selection at Poshat at Sign of the Times Tights: Jonathan Aston Hair accessories: Miss Selfridge, £2.99 Satin bags: Shu-Uemura Liberty in London, £30

A loading bay. A roll of film. A new face.

That was enough.

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🌿 Night Watch | Badgers in the Green Fields of Appledore 🦡

In between my photography projects, I’ve been documenting the hidden wildlife that shares our landscapes. This short observation of a badger in the fields around Appledore is part of ongoing work with the Badger Trust – helping to raise awareness of their presence and the importance of protecting these ancient pathways.

So often, these creatures remain unseen, quietly shaping the ecology of our countryside. Through photography and film, my aim is to bring them into view – reminding us that the green fields aren’t empty, but alive with stories.

🎥 See more of my documentary work at raysmith.photography

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✨ On the Lens | Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Golf Match, Royal North Devon ✨

Read here

Earlier this year I had the privilege of photographing the historic Varsity Golf Match between Cambridge and Oxford at Royal North Devon Golf Club – the oldest links course in England.

From the quiet intensity of lining up a putt to the rhythm of a full swing in motion, I wanted to capture more than just sport – the atmosphere, the tradition, and the character of the players themselves.

The North Devon light was soft but ever-shifting, the coastal wind adding both challenge and texture to the day. Shooting here reminded me how much photography is about patience – waiting for that fleeting alignment of focus, form, and feeling.

📸 Full coverage is now live on my photo journal: raysmith.photography

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On the Edge of the Burrows

The day was all contradictions — high winds tearing across the grass, yet the air heavy with heat. On Northam Burrows, the sheep kept grazing as if nothing had changed, steady against the restless sky.

The rock, baked and weathered, seemed to hold the memory of countless such days. Blackberries clung to their stems, some still green, others dark and ripe, the wind rattling the brambles but not dislodging the fruit.

A thistle stood defiant, brittle but unbowed, while my bicycle lay still on the parched ground, the wheels warm to the touch after the ride.

It’s in this kind of weather — harsh but alive — that the landscape reveals itself. The heat presses down, the wind pulls you forward, and every detail, from stone to berry, feels sharpened by the struggle.

Northam Burrows never repeats itself. Each walk here is a new poem written in sky, sea, and weather.

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🌊 Saltwater Serenity

Sea swimming isn’t just exercise — it’s therapy in motion. The saltwater cleanses, the minerals soothe, and the cold wakes every cell alive. Skin softens, mind clears, and the world feels simpler between each wave.

Captured here: the meeting of body, sea, and stillness — a moment where nature becomes the spa.

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Lonely pub, Yorkshire, England, 1964 - by John Bulmer (1938), English

[henk-heijmans]

Drenthe, Netherlands, ca. 1950 - by Dolf Kruger (1923 - 2015), Dutch

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🎬 Some of my shots from the Austin Powers-themed charity night in Westward Ho!

A colourful evening in support of the incredible North Devon Hospice, full of groovy guests, far-out fashion, and brilliant community spirit.

From swinging suits to flower power vibes — it was a joy to capture the fun.

Here's the newspaper article:

Swinging 60s night sees big giving for local hospice

A psychedelic charity night in Westward Ho just raised over £2,000

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Meet ‘Dan the Fish Man’ from Devon

Affectionately dubbed ‘Dan the Fish Man’, Clovelly-based fishmonger Dan Garnett takes his barrow to farmers’ markets all over North Devon delivering delicious, locally caught fish and seafood, plus cooking inspiration, to customers

Words and Photographs RAY SMITH

I shot the picture and wrote the article

Meet 'Dan the Fish Man' from Devon

Affectionately dubbed ‘Dan the Fish Man’, Clovelly-based fishmonger Dan Garnett takes his barrow to farmers’ markets all over North Devon de

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Diddywell, Northam