By Erica Scripa
Photojournalist Patrick Smith told a room full of eager Towson University students Wednesday that they should never be afraid of failure as they pursue a career in journalism.
Speaking at the West Village Commons as part of the Department of Mass Communication’s fourth annual journalism day celebration, Smith said students should “keep pushing” even if they think their “work might suck.”
Smith, who graduated college in 2009, said that during his time at Towson he “lived, ate and breathed” the Towerlight, the school’s student newspaper. The said his post-graduate internship at the Baltimore Sun was due in part to the work he did at the Towerlight as well as the help he received from a professor.
“They saw the passion in my eye and gave me a chance,” Smith said.
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The internship spring boarded Smith into his freelance career before he eventually got a job at a newspaper in Utah.
“I knew I wasn’t gonna get ahead without taking a risk,” Smith said. “So I applied to all these papers in secret.”
Smith said he and his now wife moved to Salt Lake City. With no friends and no place to live, Smith said he dove headfirst and became immersed in a strange new community. He said he was faced with the challenge of finding one story a month completely on his own.
“I knocked on doors to find stories, and I had to learn to tell their stories for what they were giving me, not for what I wanted to show,” Smith said. “It felt awkward at times.”
Smith said he found that the key to a good story was finding something unique about his subjects. The first step, he said, was putting down his camera and getting to know the people he was about to photograph.
“You have to understand their values as a person,” Smith said. “A lot of the time your story changes after you sit down with them.”
Utah was a place where Smith was able to learn and be around passionate people who, while competitors, also became his friends. But at age 25, Smith said he had a painful setback when he needed back surgery and was out of work for six months.
Smith said he lost his job and, without a goodbye, his life in Utah was over.
“I channeled my negative energy into doing what I wanted to do,” Smith said.
In 2011, living back in Bel Air, he got a call from Getty Images. Smith said he remembered showing the editors his work from Utah, filled with photos of children and puppies, and feeling as if he was out of his league.
But to his surprise, Smith said, the editors loved his work and offered him a freelance position on the spot.
“From there it (his career) snowballed,” Smith said. “I could’ve never pictured to be where I am.”
Six years later and now a seasoned photojournalist, Smith covers teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and Washington Redskins.
His passion for sports has left him with a few bruises, though, including one time when he was kicked in the chest by a football player while covering an NFL game.
“I would get run over everyday just to do what I do,” Smith said.
Smith attributed his successes to the people who gave back to him and the positive influences he had along the way. He advised students to be trusting, honest and foster relationships. He urged students to invoke emotion and keep shooting pictures because a journalist never knows what moment he or she will capture.
“Learn from your mistakes and look back on your successes,” Smith said. “Sometimes the beauty of life doesn’t have to convey anything. It’s just fun to look at.”