Daniel Wakefield Smith

Daniel Wakefield Smith (born 1973) is an American photojournalist, writer, researcher, composer, theatre director and actor from New Haven, Connecticut.

Journalism and photojournalism Smith is a journalist, researcher, and photographer who lives in Iraq, but has also worked in Afghanistan, Haiti and Turkey. Smith, who has described himself as an "unembedded photojournalist", says he prefers to travel alone, meeting local residents in sites of conflict or great poverty, photographing them and learning their stories. The stories he writes and the photographs he has taken on these journeys have been published in the New Haven Advocate, other alternative newspapers, and various other publications.

During a 2004 trip to Iraq, Smith was detained in Kufa by members of the Mehdi Army, taken to meet Muqtada al-Sadr, and subsequently released. Smith also received a minor shrapnel wound during a 2006 visit to Baghdad.

Smith has often collected donations to give to needy individuals and charities in the countries he visits; these donations include medical supplies which he gives to local hospitals. He often does work for aid organizations, as well.

In 2007, Smith moved to Baghdad to do freelance print and photography work, and in 2008 became a writer/photographer for the subscription-based Iraq news website "Iraqslogger.com", including a daily column rounding up U.S. newspapers' coverage of Iraq.

Research and consulting Since 2009, Smith has worked as a political and human rights research consultant for various non-governmental organizations, including the International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch, the International Refugee Assistance Project and the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq. He has been interviewed by multiple news publications such as Reuters, the BBC, National Public Radio, The Intercept, and the Global Post which sought him out for his expertise on Iraq-related issues.

Music Smith is a composer and also plays the piano, organ, harpsichord, and theremin. He studied composition with David Gleba of Branford, Connecticut. Smith is the orchestra's artistic director. Performances often incorporate dramatic readings which are thematically connected to the music being performed. Concert themes have included Russian composers, "The Devil and the Violin", "Music for Shakespeare", "Dark Music and Scary Stories", "Jewish Themes" and the Bach family. Most Live Music Project concerts include original compositions by Smith. Although much of Smith's music is in the style of 18th-century composers,

Radio drama Smith has had an interest in radio dramas since the late 1990s, when he began listening to AM radio broadcasts of old-time radio dramas on When Radio Was. Beginning in 2000, Smith's radio drama recreations found a home at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. , Smith has led a repertory company of Connecticut actors in radio drama performances at the Quick Center for over 10 seasons. He directs, acts, and performs live sound-effects for the productions, as well as writing original musical scores, which he played on organ or piano, accompanied by small string and/or wind ensemble.

Other work Smith has also worked as a volunteer E.M.T., a trial consultant, medical study subject, and was a piano technician for ten years.