We recently connected with Kelsey Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve always been captivated by the fleeting nature of time, childhood nostalgia, and the beauty hidden in everyday moments. But if I had to pinpoint when I truly knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally, it would be in 2016—the moment I picked up my first film camera.

I had been shooting digitally since 2014 (technically since around 2003 if you count all the disposables I made my parents buy me!), but it wasn’t until my girlfriend and her father introduced me to film photography that everything changed. Around the same time, my dad gifted me his Canon F1-N, the same camera he had used when he was my age. That first roll of film felt like stepping into something bigger than myself—something timeless. Film photography forced me to slow down, to be intentional, and to embrace imperfection. The process felt more like a dialogue than a tool for documentation, and I knew there was no turning back.

At first, photography was just a personal exploration, a way to make sense of my surroundings and my own place in the world. But over time, I realized that the emotions and themes I was capturing—nostalgia, change, and the quiet beauty of the mundane—resonated with others. The more I shared my work, the more I saw its impact. That’s when I knew I wanted to take it further.

Releasing my photobook, *Please, Don’t Leave Me*, was a defining moment in solidifying my artistic path. It wasn’t just about putting out a collection of images—it was about telling a story, preserving memories in a tangible form, and creating something that others could see themselves in. That experience, along with the connections I’ve built through my work, reaffirmed that this is what I’m meant to do.

For me, pursuing photography professionally has never been about chasing trends or commercial success—it’s about creating work that feels honest, meaningful, and reflective of the world as I see it. And as long as I can continue doing that, I know I’m on the right path.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Kelsey Smith, a film photographer based in South Carolina. My work is all about nostalgia, time, and finding beauty in the everyday. I’m drawn to the quiet, in-between moments—the ones that might seem mundane at first but hold a deeper emotional weight. I try to capture the feeling of a place, a memory, or a fleeting moment rather than just documenting a scene.

I shoot exclusively on film, which gives my work a timeless, organic quality that digital just can’t replicate. My work includes:

Personal Photography Projects – Exploring themes of nostalgia, childhood, and change, as seen in my photobook Please, Don’t Leave Me.
Editorial & Commercial Work – Collaborating with brands, artists, and publications that align with my aesthetic.
Film Wedding Photography – For couples who want wedding photos that feel real, timeless, and full of emotion.
Prints & Photobooks – Selling signed limited edition fine art prints and photobooks for people who connect with my work.
Photo Licensing & Collaborations – Partnering with platforms like Stills for licensing opportunities.
Lightroom Presets – A big part of my business, helping digital photographers achieve a film-inspired look. My presets are based on real film stocks and the way I edit my own scans, making them an accessible way for people to bring a nostalgic, film-like quality to their images.

What Makes My Work Different
In a digital world, film forces me to slow down and be intentional. The grain, color, and imperfections make every image feel more alive.
It’s about feeling, not just aesthetics. I want my images to make people feel something—whether it’s nostalgia, warmth, or a sense of familiarity.
I focus on the overlooked moments. A gas station at night, an empty parking lot, a sunlit kitchen—those quiet scenes tell stories just as much as people do.

What I’m Most Proud Of
Releasing Please, Don’t Leave Me was a huge moment for me. It’s a deeply personal project that documents love, loss, and the passing of time. Seeing other people connect with it in their own way has been really rewarding.

I’m also proud of how my Lightroom presets have taken off. It’s been amazing to see other photographers use them to bring a film-inspired aesthetic to their work. Whether they’re professionals or just starting out, it’s cool knowing my approach to color and tone is helping others create something they love.

What I Want People to Know About My Work
More than anything, I want my work to feel honest. Whether it’s a wedding, a personal project, or a brand collaboration, my goal is always the same—to create images that feel real, timeless, and emotionally resonant.

If you connect with my work, whether as a client or just as someone who appreciates photography, I’m grateful. I have some new projects in the works, and I’m excited to share more soon. You can follow along on Instagram, check out my website for prints, books, and presets, or reach out if you’re interested in working together.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely. My creativity is driven by a desire to preserve the beauty of fleeting moments and to evoke emotions that feel deeply personal yet universally relatable. My goal is to capture the quiet, often overlooked aspects of life—the ones that remind us of the passing of time, of change, and of the nostalgia tied to places, people, and memories.

At its core, my mission is to create work that feels honest, familiar and timeless, connecting people to their own experiences and emotions. I want my work to resonate on a deeper level. It’s about holding onto those small, fleeting moments and transforming them into something meaningful and lasting.

Ultimately, I hope my photography reminds people to slow down and appreciate the beauty in their everyday surroundings—to see that the mundane isn’t mundane at all but a collection of moments that make up the fabric of our lives. That’s what drives me to keep creating.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing how my work resonates with people on a personal level. Whether it’s someone connecting with a photo because it reminds them of home, a moment they’ve lived, or a feeling they can’t quite put into words, that connection is what makes it all worth it.

Photography, especially film photography, is such a personal process for me. It’s about capturing time, memory, and emotion in a way that feels tangible. When someone tells me that one of my images made them feel something—nostalgia, warmth, a sense of longing—that’s the best feeling in the world.

Beyond that, photography is a form of self-expression and self-discovery for me. It’s a way for me to process my own thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a way that feels therapeutic. Looking back at my work, I often realize I’ve captured feelings I couldn’t articulate at the time. In that way, photography helps me understand myself better—it allows me to reflect on where I’ve been, what I value, and how I see the world.

I also love the process itself. The unpredictability of film, the anticipation of seeing the final image, and the challenge of capturing something real and meaningful—it keeps me inspired and constantly pushing myself creatively. There’s something really fulfilling about creating something that exists outside of me, something that can take on a life of its own and mean different things to different people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kelseysmithphotography.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseysmithphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelseySmithPhotos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KelseySmithPhotography