Brian Bowen Smith
Brian Bowen Smith is an American commercial and fine-art photographer known for his celebrity portraits. He was mentored by Herb Ritts who helped him discover his own personal photographic style.
Brian Bowen Smith
- Name
- Brian Bowen Smith
- Birthplace
- Syracuse, New York
- Occupation
- Photographer
- Nationality
- United States
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Brian Bowen Smith is an American commercial and fine-art photographer known for his celebrity portraits. He was mentored by Herb Ritts who helped him discover his own personal photographic style.
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Brian Bowen Smith worked as a photographer and was United States. Brian Bowen Smith was born at Syracuse.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q27734210 · wikipedia · Brian Bowen Smith
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Brian Bowen Smith • Birthplace — Syracuse, New York • Occupation — Photographer • Children — 1
Early life
Early life
Bowen Smith was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. Before establishing his photography career, Bowen Smith was as an athlete and actor before meeting iconic American fashion photographer Herb Ritts. Bowen Smith worked as his assistant before pursuing his own photography career.
Commercial career
Commercial career
Bowen Smith’s professional career spans editorial, advertising, fashion, and entertainment photography. He is known for his portraits of celebrities featured on the covers of magazines. His work has been featured in publications such as Vanity Fair, Esquire, Self, GQ, and Details. Besides editorial work, Bowen Smith has photographed key art for multiple Netflix series including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Chelsea Does, The Ridiculous 6, and The Do Over. Additional television photography credits include The Voice, House of Lies, Ray Donovan, Shameless, and Dice. Bowen Smith has also photographed movie posters and advertisements for multiple major motion pictures. Recent credits include The Intern starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway and Central Intelligence starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. He has also worked with several fashion brands including Marc Jacobs. Projects with Marc Jacobs include a campaign to raise awareness of skin cancer and multiple advertising campaigns. Marc Jacobs also co-hosted the launch party of Bowen Smith’s 2013 book titled Projects. Projects features a collection of celebrity portraits taken throughout his career including those of Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Demi Moore, Hilary Swank, and Selma Blair.
Fine-Art career
Fine-Art career
Beyond commercial photography, Bowen Smith made his fine-art debut in October 2014 with a collection called Wildlife. This solo collection was on display at De Re Gallery in Los Angeles and featured nude images of women wearing children’s animal masks. The identities of these women were kept anonymous allowing celebrities and models to participate. In October 2015, Smith released a collection of nude photographs printed on metallic canvas called the Metallic Series.
Personal
Personal
Bowen Smith lives with his wife and son in Los Angeles.
Editorial covers
Editorial covers
2013 Miley Cyrus on Billboard Dwayne Johnson on Essence Cat Deeley on Women’s Health Kristen Bell on Redbook 2014 Nicki Minaj on Billboard Adrien Brody on Manhattan Magazine Chris Pine on The Hollywood Reporter Margot Robbie on Manhattan Magazine Eddie Redmayne on Gotham Channing Tatum on The Hollywood Reporter James Marsden on Los Angeles Confidential Dwayne Johnson on Men’s Health UK 2015 Gina Rodriguez on winter issue of Cosmopolitan Latino Chloë Grace Moretz on Angeleno Magazine Anne Hathaway on Marie Claire Japan Julianne Moore on Angeleno Magazine Melissa McCarthy on People 2016 Samuel L Jackson on Rhapsody Magazine Christina Aguilera on Women’s Health Drew Barrymore on Good Housekeeping Jessica Chastain on Angeleno Magazine Megan Fox on Glamour Mexico Christoph Waltz on GQ Germany Renée Zellweger on Stylist Chris Pine on GQ The Chainsmokers on Billboard 2022 Kelly Clarkson on Variety
Album covers
Album covers
2013 Incubus - Trust Fall (Side A) 2023 Kelly Clarkson – Chemistry
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Brian Bowen Smith”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q27734210: Brian Bowen Smith
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Brian Bowen Smith Overview. Copious Management.
- 2.Brian Bowen Smith Overview. Copious Management.
- 3.Brian Bowen Smith Overview. Copious Management.
- 4.Photographer Brian Bowen Smith on Cindy Crawford, Selma Blair, and Bowling with Paul Rudd. ELLE. 7 June 2013.
- 5.Brian Bowen Smith - Marc Jacobs. Copious Management.
- 6.The Naked Truth About Marc Jacobs' Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign: Who Posed Nude, Where Can You Buy The Shirts & Who Benefits. If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives).
- 7.Inside the Party: Marc Jacobs and Emmy Rossum Host Brian Bowen Smith's Book Launch. InStyle.com.
- 8.Brian Bowen Smith on Projects and the Art of Celebrity Photography. PAPERMAG. 7 June 2013.
- 9.Brian Bowen Smith: "Projects". YouTube. 2 May 2013.
- 10.Miller, Julie. Celebrity Photographer Brian Bowen Smith Shot Mystery Nudes for Fine-Art Debut. Vanity Fair.
- 11.Kourtney Kardashian Bares All in Brian Bowen Smith’s Metallic Life Series. Vanity Fair.
- 12.Stone, Andrew. Kourtney Kardashian Bares All For Star Photographer. Refinery29.
- 13.The Kelly Clarkson Show. We gave Kelly a horn 🎉🎉🎉 Making 2023 predictions LIVE!. Instagram.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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People, houses and institutions
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Born at
1- SyracusePlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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