Brian Smith (born July 16, 1959) is an American portrait photographer and photojournalist. He may be known best for portraits of actors, business leaders, politicians, and athletes that are at once stylish and telling.
Born in Ames, Iowa, Smith got his start in photography in high school (class of 1981) as a stringer for the Ames Tribune. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. As a 20-year-old student there, his first magazine photograph was published in Life magazine showing the New York Yankees manager Billy Martin crying at the funeral of his player Thurman Munson.