Rudy Smith was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania but
grew up in Omaha, NE. He matriculated from Omaha Central High School and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha as the first minority graduate from the department of communications.
Rudy is an award winning photojournalist with over fifty national, state and local awards for photo excellence. He has had his images published in Time Magazine, Look Magazine, Ebony, Jet, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and many others. He has also assisted with the production of several tv documentaries.
His talent has taken him across the country and the world making beautiful images of people and places that he hopes to publish in his photo book in the near future.
Smith is the only professional photographer in the history of the State of Nebraska to be inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame for his work covering high school athletics.
He was a co author and inventor with Mr. Robert Samuel's of Discover Omaha board game. The game was used in the Omaha Public Schools as a teaching aid on Omaha history and places. Samuel's and Smith received the State of Nebraska Tourism Award for their game that helped promote the uniqueness of Nebraska.
He has taught photojournalism at the University of nebraska at Omaha and lectured at colleges and universities across the country.
Many of his local history images of the 1960's and 70's appear in the book Visions of Freedom on the Great Plains: an illustrated History of Africans in Nebraska from 1865 to present. It was published in 1998. Several of his images are in the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History. The book can be found in most Omaha Public Libraries and online at the Omaha Black Music Variety Store. Shop Omaha Black Music link.
He is employed at the Omaha- World-Herald newspaper and was the first minority staff photojournalist and one of the first minority editors for the newspaper. He continues to champion issues of diversity at the paper and on improving the papers coverage of minority issues.
He is married to Llana M. Smith and they have three children. They are members of the Saleam Baptist Church.
Smith credits his longevity, artistic gift and success as a photojournalist to God and the support he has enjoyed while employed at the Omaha World-Herald Newspaper.
