Chris Frazer Smith was born in 1963 in the North West of England. Early in life he decided he wanted to make his living taking photographs. He takes photographs that explore the patterns of our existence in sophisticated urban environments.
Cinema photography had a huge effect on him from a young age and influences have come from many places: photography, film, painters, Bauhaus, dance, music and particularly artists such as Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Andreas Gursky, Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, Pina Bausch and Johannes Vermeer.
His work has led to many international awards from: The Association of Photographers, Communication Arts, American Photography, The British Journal of Photography, Campaign Photography, Creative Review, The Masters Cup, Applied Arts, Photo District News, and he was awarded the Lucie International Photographer of The Year Award in 2003.
In demand as a commercial photographer, Chris shoots for advertising agencies, publishers and record companies. Recent clients have included: HSBC, Ian McEwan, Bayer, Sebastian Faulks, Jo Nesbo, American Airlines, Shell, Toyota, Grayson Perry, Ford, Mercedes, Cathay Pacific, Microsoft, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, British Airways, Zurich Insurance, Nestlé, Kronebourg and Renault.
He has been in the Campaign “Top 10 photographers” for the past decade, a D&AD judge, a mentor to students and, when he can, lectures to students. He has recently directed several film shorts.
