Scout Southern Market in downtown Beaufort will welcome Birmingham photographer and author Catherine Pittman Smith for a photography exhibit entitled “So Southern: From Birmingham to Beaufort” on Friday, October 23 from 3 – 7 pm. Local writer Wendy Pollitzer will be there, too, with her celebrated book South, in which several of Catherine’s photos appear. Both women will be greeting the public and signing books.

            For over 20 years Catherine Pittman Smith has been capturing compelling images and telling stories through her photography. In addition to her portrait and fine art work, she introduced a new niche, called Art{Full} Creations in 2011- where she documents, photographs and designs custom coffee table books. Works of art, these exquisite books reflect the stories her clients want to tell that can be enjoyed and shared for generations to come.

            What appears ordinary to the naked eye, Catherine captures on film revealing a more personal and far deeper meaning – without distraction. She says she’s inspired by God and influenced by her southern roots, a social conscience and an appreciation for literature and history. Consequently, she loves telling a story through her photography and calls it “Art-Focused Storytelling.”

            A native of Birmingham, Catherine received her BA Degree from Converse College in History and English. She has photographed throughout Alabama, the Southeast, Bolivia, and more recently in Beaufort. She published her first book, Images of America: Mountain Brook, in the fall of 2014, a photographic history of her hometown. Some of her work has been published and featured in Precious Cargo: A Celebration of Alabama’s Children, Flower Magazine, and Birmingham Home & Garden, Style Blueprint, Go Haute, Over the Mountain Journal and Village Living.

            Catherine’s interest in photography began on a family trip to Charleston in 1979 when she “borrowed” her father’s camera and never gave it back. She says, “I give credit to God for my gift and thank Him for opening doors and shutting a few.” She resides in Birmingham with her daughter, who she calls “a miracle and a joy,” along with their 2 cats, John D. and Sassy - and no chickens! She is currently working on a coffee table book about Beaufort.

            Meet Catherine Pittman Smith and enjoy her photography – and get your copy of South signed by Catherine and Wendy Pollitzer and – on Friday, October 23^rd at Scout Southern Market, 709 Bay Street, from 3 – 7 pm. For more information call 843-379-2282.