Tamati Smith

Before entering the world of photography, Tamati went from the Geraldton Aboriginal Medical Service to the mining industry, and then into the Royal Australian Navy where he served for 7 years. It was during his time in the Navy that he began to make his culture and identity a priority. Much like many others trying to find ways to occupy time during the pandemic, Tamati Smith picked up a camera for the first time. One of the first events that really kicked off his photographic journey was the 2020 Black Lives Matter rallies in Sydney. From that moment, Tamati Smith started attending as many events and rallies as he could in order to photograph them. With the support and encouragement of fellow photographer Michael Torres, Tamati Smith joined a photographic collective of like-minded black photographers, and since then he has been able to photograph many large events in Australia.