R.I.P. New Orleans Photographer Michael Smith

New Orleans photographer Michael Smith, who documented every JazzFest from its inception in 1970 until his retirement in 2004, has died at age 71.

"A New Orleans native, Smith documented the traditions of the city’s Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, second line parades, social aid and pleasure clubs and spiritual churches throughout his legendary career. His photos also document the careers of countless New Orleans musicians of all genres, performing in large venues and neighborhood clubs, including Tipitina’s, the iconic club of which he was an original owner.

"When I'm out there on the streets or in a club, I'm enjoying myself in the authentic environment of New Orleans culture, but I'm also acting out an obsession with documenting as much as I can about the music," Smith said in 1995 Times-Picayune article."