Shuford Smith

Together the Smiths have created several successes in business, writing, and photography.

In 2010, their publishing company, Smithwrights, produced their first novel, Endangered, and two editions of Winning Wines. In 2007, Focus on the Foothills, a 100-page photobook was released. Peel Books brought out their first children’s book, ABC All American Riddles; it won a 2005 Children’s Choice Award. Distributed by McGraw-Hill, their two retirement books are The Retirement Sourcebook and 101 Secrets for a Great Retirement. Globe Pequot released the couple’s two camping guides, Camp the U.S. for $5 or Less: Western States then, Eastern-Midwestern States.

In addition, the Smiths have published articles and photographs in numerous newspapers and magazines. While living in Tryon, they have interviewed and photographed local artists for the “Arts & More” column of Tryon Daily Bulletin. They have recorded events such as ArtEscape, Blue Ridge Barbecue, LobsterFest, Sherlock Holmes, Shuckin’ & Shaggin’.... Currently, they submit a bi-monthly column to the Tryon Daily Bulletin on how to live simply with style.

In photography, the couple has been drawn to nature—landscapes, flowers, trees, and animals. They’ve amassed a wide collection of images from their ten years of travel across North America. Nearly 500 of those photos can be viewed in the Serene Gallery portion of their website at www.livesimplywithstyle.com.

The Smiths participated in America 24/7, the largest digital photography project in history. North Carolina 24/7 included eighteen of their photos. In 2006–2007, Mara was one of three female photographers who recorded the daily lives and visual stories of Polk County, NC.

As technology changes the way they take pictures, it changes the ways the Smiths share them. They shoot with three digital cameras. With their computers, they employ negative and flat bed scanners. Printing with archival inks on archival papers, they are marketing what they call affordable fine art photography.

Mara holds a B.A. in English from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She has taken a darkroom course at The Light Factory in Charlotte, North Carolina and a Landscape Photography course at The Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona. Ford has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Education with emphasis in Counseling from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He founded COMPUTE!, one of the first personal computer training facilities in the country. After selling that business, he established then directed all training for Queens Compute at Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.