A native of Bowdoinham, Maine, Smith moved to New York City after graduating from Mt. Ararat High School in 1989. He enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology but later dropped out to pursue a career in fashion photography. Smith has shot photo spreads for Vogue, GQ, and W Magazine, as well as numerous celebrity photo shoots. Smith began his career as a filmmaker directing commercials for clients such as Lancôme, Tommy Hilfiger and Tiffany’s. In 2006, Smith directed the short horror film, Bugcrush, which was based on a short story by Scott Treleaven. The film won the Short Filmmaking Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Smith’s next effort was his feature-film debut with a big-screen adaptation of Scott Smith’s 2006 horror novel, The Ruins. Smith’s short film, Yearbook, debuted at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Carter Smith is openly gay.