Gloucester photographer Sean Smith chases the light, and the fans follow

Sean Smith shoots at the moon.

It is his least cooperative subject.

The Gloucester photographer, who has a social network following of over 25,000, succeeds in capturing the night sky. He said that is tricky, because the light of the moon is different from the darkness of the night.

His paintings of sunrises and sunsets over the York River and the Atlantic Ocean reveal colors that van Gogh would have envied.

He said: “You could say I’m a skywalker. A cold place, a warm place, any slight disturbance in the weather makes for amazing skies and amazing lights.”

Smith is in hot pursuit of both. Although his love affair with the camera began 30 years ago, he says it is many years for his extra patience to wait for the right photo at the right time.

“Sometimes I think it’s good luck,” Smith said with a raised hand. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m out doing this, but when you see the results, you know why you do it.

While most stay inside, Smith is on the move, carrying his camera equipment. He enjoys snow days like a schoolboy, traveling the wilderness in search of the rare cold spots in southeastern Virginia. A recent nighttime stroll through Colonial Williamsburg led him to a lone snowman in front of the Governor’s Mansion, a shirtless student in the Sunken Garden on the William & Mary campus and an elderly couple holding hands near Duke of Gloucester Street.

The street lights in his paintings give a similar impression to the painting of Thomas Kinkade. His pictures can be calendar shots or Hallmark cards. Many are for the Visit Williamsburg tourism site, which uses his stunning photography to showcase the area.

“We love working with Sean Smith,” said Daniela Owen, the site’s public relations specialist. “He has a wonderful way of capturing the stories of the Historic Triangle; his paintings not only record history, but invite you into it.”

Olivia’s in the Village, a family restaurant on Gloucester Main Street, doubles as her photo gallery. Although everything on the walls is for sale, Smith has not been aggressive about monetizing his art.

He does not have an online store or business website.

“That’s part of the main strategy when I’m not moving as fast as I am now,” said Smith, who worked for eight years as a photographer at NASA Langley. “I’m not rich, but I can do what I like and choose my schedule.”

The Williamsburg native thought she wanted to be an artist until she fell in love with a high school photographer who shared her own darkroom.

“I started with Polaroid,” said Smith, who received the Pentax K1000, which is characterized by its easy-to-learn body. Smith practiced with his new camera and sampled others at Peninsula Community College at the time.

In the early 1990s, Smith realized how the digital age could change the game of photography which gave rise to visual storytelling. When Canon introduced a prosumer digital camera with advanced features in 2003, Smith had to have it.

That’s when things started to shake and shake.

He was in the city of Washington, during a break from his work as a multimedia producer. As he walked around the DC Convention Center, he saw a stairwell lined with people looking for a strong cell signal. The light hits just right. He broke down and entered one of the photos in a National Geographic contest called Culture Shock.

His black and white submission was selected as one of the five finalists and received a cash prize.

Five years later, Smith’s work appeared in National Geographic’s special space issue. He thought it would be a small photo in the corner. It was a two-page spread.

He said: “I bought as many as I could.

Smith is reluctant to name his most famous photo, though he remembers the intense reaction last year when an electrical storm and the Northern Lights converged on the Governor’s Mansion.

“It has something like 14,000 people,” said Smith, who saw his following grow until Meta, formerly Facebook, took him on as a producer.

He likes the view of the Coleman Bridge. Williamsburg is the main center, although he likes to go to the beach, especially Sandbridge and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A recent trip up the East Coast to Chincoteague for the annual swimming horse shoot was fun.

And “exploding,” he added.

Smith recently started adding video to his Instagram feed and Meta, backup to show the environment that motivates him to get up in the morning and stay without time.

“It’s a beautiful world we live in, especially on the East Coast and especially in the Tidewater area,” Smith said. “This place has so much to offer on any given day.”