about studio smithery

Hi, I’m Gary, though friends know me as Gaz.  I am the founder and principal photographer behind Studio Smithery.

Before launching the practice, I spent over two decades working in luxury automotive design across Engineering, Corporate Strategy, and Business Transformation.  I spent the last 10 years as a Programme Manager within a Creative Design Studio, where I was responsible for ensuring that the Design Director's vision became reality.  It was a career built on creativity, relentless attention to detail, a deep appreciation for luxury design, and most importantly, the ability to quickly form effective working relationships.

Photography has been a lifelong passion.  I first worked as a professional photographer back in 2007 after taking a career break to travel the world with my camera.  Projects ranged from shooting a fashion catwalk in Canada to working as an in-house portrait photographer for a hotel in the Canary Islands.  During my years traveling, I was successful in securing a place at the London College of Fashion to study BA (Hons) Fashion Photography.  Unfortunately, personal circumstances prevented me from accepting the offer, and I returned to automotive design in 2010.

My passion for photography always prevailed.  Even while managing a portfolio of vehicle programmes in the Design Studio, I moonlighted as the functions photographer, shooting various internal events.  Then in 2026, I decided to step away from a successful automotive career to realise a long-held dream of founding Studio Smithery.

Today, whether I am executing a commercial brief for a business or documenting a couple's wedding day, those same core disciplines of creativity, attention to detail, an eye for design, and strong human connections form the foundation of everything I do.  Only now, I am lucky enough to apply them to my true passion.

Away from work, I live in the Cotswolds with my wife and our two young boys, who bring a level of joy I never knew existed, while infuriating me in equal measure.  Home life is noisy, chaotic, and covered in crumbs, but having a young family has exponentially increased my love for photography.  Constantly armed with my dad cam, I capture both significant and seemingly insignificant family moments, the latter often leading to the more cherished images.  Documenting life makes you realise how quickly things move.  You never appreciate the passage of time as much as when you see it in the faces of your children.

I believe a photograph is one of the most powerful tools to evoke a memory, tell a story, or ignite a dream.  Whether I am executing a commercial brief or documenting a wedding, my goal is always to deliver both technical excellence and a lasting emotional connection.