Heide Soltsien was born in Germany, where her father was a graphic artist and designer. After an apprenticeship in photography which culminated in a diploma, Heide studied advertising, gaining a second diploma. After a spell as an industrial photographer, Heide worked as a photojournalist for four years until her marriage in 1963, travelling to England as Mrs Smith. In 1971 the Smith family emigrated to Australia, where Heide worked as a photojournalist and later in a professional colour laboratory. In 1978 the family moved to Canberra, where Heide established a studio, which she ran until 1997. Heide and her husband Brian settled in Narooma, a small fishing village in NSW in 1998, before moving again to Tuross Head in 2018. Heide continues to photograph families and celebrities, participate in exhibitions and competitions, and publish books. In 2009 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and in 2019 an AIPP Fellowship. "She has been described as a national treasure and her work is acclaimed around the world, but photographer Heide Smith holds a special place in the hearts - and homes - of Canberrans;"
Jane Dargaville Canberra Times
