New Orleans: Poised for a Renaissance and Healing Through Music

By Zack Smith

You know, being from South Louisiana, and living here almost all of my 31 years, I have always had an affinity for New Orleans. Its cracked streets, even more cracked characters, the smell of gumbo in the streets, and music in the air, I have always known I'd be here in some capacity. But I never knew why it was called the Big Easy. During my years living and working here as a freelance photographer and musician, there ain't nothing big or easy about that. My main subject matter for photography is musicians - so pretty much if I am not shooting music, I am playing it. So, since Hurricane Katrina came barreling through all our 'easiness' here and diminishing our population, things have been hard, different, and even inspiring in the Petite Mean.

And it was nice... before the storm I had a wonderful client base: Chief Photographer of Performance at the Contemporary Arts Center, Photography Instructor at the New Orleans Academy of New Orleans, assistant to famed jazz photographer Herman Leonard, and a roster of local and national clients as well as a slew of local musicians, performers, and companies. I was also playing drums regularly in an up-and-coming indie-rock band. With a swift westerly wind, that all changed. I evacuated to Lafayette, LA, and started sneaking into New Orleans in mid-September to see my beloved city hurting. I didn't photograph at first - I bought a chainsaw. I started my own company - all locals - and began cutting trees from homes, backyards, and streets. Anything to find that normalcy back in my life. When I began photographing, it was for me. I didn't want to photograph the destruction as every AP, Getty, and Time-like culture-vulture news agency was. I photographed my people's reactions to their new homes.

It's been a year since Katrina hit. Since January I can say that I have finally put the chainsaw down. I have been following a path of new photographic opportunities while regaining almost all of my past clients as well as some very exciting new ones. Musicians are back, second lines are filling the streets, music's in the air, and the Saints are winning. The streets are once again filled with music - Frenchmen St. is alive every night of the week. You pick it: Traditional Jazz, rock, swing, reggae, blues... it's back. To see Tipitina's start doing weekday shows again, Mrs. Linda selling her Ya-Ka-Mein under Fess' head, things are starting to shine. We have a long way to go, but you know the only thing about this city that's easy is loving it. It's home. Though hard time and unfamiliar territory lay ahead, I'll be with her and re-born, through our city's rebirth.

For more of Zack Smith's work, go to www.zacksmith.com.


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