Jim Smart developed an interest in photography some 50 years ago when he took a high school course and made a pinhole camera, shot with a Speed Graflex, and took surfing photographs in Hermosa Beach with a 35mm Pentax. Since then he has traveled throughout the western United States and used Leicas, Hasselblads (film and digital), a Mamiya 7 medium format film camera and owned or used most of Canon cameras made since the 1970’s.

He now principally uses the digital Canon 5D Mark II and the Mamiya. Jim thought he could avoid the digital revolution, but was forced to “enlist” a few years ago when he became the advisor to the Coyote Chronicle, the school newspaper at California State University, San Bernardino where he teaches journalistic writing and photography.

He now has become proficient in the use of Adobe’s CS5 Photoshop and teaches basic photography skills by private lessons. He also takes portraits upon requests in the Joshua Tree area and captures fine art images on his travels, especially in Joshua Tree National Park.