For LA-based photographer Harper Smith, who counts Paper, Billboard, Bullett and the Jenner sisters among her clients, finding time to get away is as simple as hopping into her 1970s Ford F-250 and hitting the road with director husband Cameron Duddy (the man behind Bruno Mars' music videos) -- plus her pig Pepper, pug Stewie and lab Remy. "When Cam and I were starting out, we were poor as hell so we just went on road trips instead of big fancy-schmancy trips," says Smith, who instantly bonded with Duddy over memories of Wyoming where they'd both spent their childhood summers. "The day after our first date, I ended up hitching a ride with him and his entire family in an RV all the way up to Jackson Hole. That was our second date, and we've carried on the tradition."
Smith originally pursued documentary photography before finding her way into fashion, but her Americana influences are always underlined in her work. "It's fun to mash editorial fashion stuff with that incredible you-can't-plan-it Americana feel," Smith says. "When these two collide it's my happy place." Her favorite time of day to shoot when on the road is an hour before sunset, but that takes some serious strategy. "When I am shooting in the studio, I can arrange the light however I want," Smith explains. "But when I'm out in the world, I heavily rely on the natural light. My Baby-G alarm is always set to make sure I'm prepared and ready for that last 30 minutes of the day. The hour before sunset, you get that golden feel, especially when you're in the West with the golden fields and golden sun -- it's gorgeous." Watch above as Smith drives and shoots her way through Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
