Smith’s interest in scientific photography started young, when a neighbor—the chief molecular biologist at the U.S. Army Institute of Public Health—asked him to help develop a focus-stacking system to photograph vectors and invasive species. Smith went on to pursue degrees in geoscience where he continued to test the technology and find broader applications in research. Today, he is a scientific photographer, consultant, and CEO of the scientific imaging company, Macroscopic Solutions LLC Macroscopic Solutions LLC. He was a winner of the BBC Wellcome Science Image of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.