Smith was raised in New Orleans, where he dreamed of playing professional basketball. He attended Xavier University in Louisiana on a basketball scholarship and lettered all four years. During his junior year, the team earned a slot at the NAIA championship tournament in Kansas City. When a local television reporter and news photographer came to the gym, Smith watched them orchestrate the story.

Seeing their creativity was all it took-Smith was hooked. He changed his major to mass communications. His practical education continued at a local PBS station, where he helped wire the building and install transmitters and satellite dishes. Soon he was compiling video vignettes that were used as fillers. Smith earned a resident position at the local CBS affiliate, WWL-TV.

He shot news and promotional photography for a while and then decided, almost on a whim, to reach for the next level. Smith applied to the American Film Institute.

"I sent a letter explaining my passion for photography," Smith says. "I was shocked when I got the reply saying I was accepted. In a matter of weeks I was driving out to Los Angeles."

During his first year at AFI, he won the Remy Martin Award, the first time that award was given to a cinematography fellow, and the first time the award went to a first year student.

After a year, Smith returned to New Orleans to shoot at the Jazz & Heritage Festival for his old TV station. When he heard that Richardson was in town shooting scenes for JFK, he faxed a letter to the production office.

"Bob invited me to the set the next day," Smith recalls. "I immediately canceled my flight back to Los Angeles. Pretty soon I was running mags and doing whatever needed to be done. I ended up staying on for the entire film. It was an incredible experience."

That was a turning point. "One day we were shooting a huge sequence in Jackson Square," recalls Smith. "I was soaking it up like a sponge. Bob was taking some Polaroids for density and exposure checks. My job was to keep the camera loaded. I took a few pictures of my own, so I could make some notes on how the set was lit. Bob noticed them and called everyone in and announced to the crew, 'From now on, Keith takes the Polaroids.' Bob really liked my initiative and respected my work."

On JFK, Smith made diagrams noting every meter reading, lighting placement, scrim, gel and cutter. He did the same on Natural Born Killers, Heaven and Earth and A Few Good Men. "Those diagrams still prove invaluable to me," he recalls. "I'm constantly referring to them for inspiration. I saw how well prepared and focused Bob is on the set. His concentration is phenomenal. When you're a cameraperson, you're put into situations where you want to bring the light from a certain direction, but for some reason you can't. But Bob always finds a way. He attacks a scene cleanly and beautifully. Bob is the master of innovation."

After JFK, Smith returned to AFI and graduated in 1992 with a master's in Fine Arts. Since then he has worked as an assistant, second unit cameraman-operator (Fallen, Any Given Sunday) and cinematographer on more than fifteen low-budget features, including Sex Monster, Frontline, The Girl Gets Moe and Recoil.

On Any Given Sunday, Smith had the chance to re-team with director Oliver Stone as an additional photographer-camera operator. "I was honored to be part of Oliver's camera crew, which was headed by cinematographer Salvatore Totino," says Smith. "I was responsible for shooting all the pickup shots. I shot players' wives, opposing coaches, skylines, sunsets, stadium establishing shots, clouds, cheerleaders, mascots, scoreboards, monitors-you name it, I shot it. I was even allowed to direct a few sequences with secondary cast members. Oliver trusted me and I was proud to deliver for him."

Smith also credits Tom Sigel, ASC as a mentor. Sigel met Smith on the set of JFK and later asked him to work as an assistant on Meteor Man and Blankman. Smith also worked as the A-camera operator on Fallen and second unit operator for Sigel on Three Kings.

"I was very impressed with Tom's demeanor on the set," says Smith. "He is very articulate in the heat of the battle. If you can't express what it is you're looking for, you'll never get it. That sounds obvious, but I learned how important it is."

Smith also learned from his mentors the importance of preparation. "Style is born out of preparation," he says. "There are so many questions that can be answered in pre-production that save time and money during production and post. When I start a film, I research different films on DVD and make video prints. I laminate these into a binder, and they serve as a kind of show-and-tell for me. I can share them with my colleagues and inspire discussions about our visual approach. I also draw floor plans of the locations to help with blocking and camera movement. Having definite visual goals makes for a more coherent film."

After The Wash was released, Smith had the thrill of seeing his name on a Sunset Boulevard billboard. It was a big step forward. Smith remembers Richardson telling him that it would be a long hard climb. "Bob was right," Smith concludes. "It has been a long, arduous path. However, I feel that out of this struggle, I have forged a future for myself as a cameraman. I am honored to be part of a unique breed of artist. We are all storytellers, but cinematographers feel compelled to visualize those stories and share them. We want the audience to see and feel the story we are telling. What a great job."