In the Spirit: The Photography of Michael P. Smith from The Historic New Orleans Collection was created in 2009 by filmmaker Kevin McCaffery to accompany the inaugural public exhibition of the Michael P. Smith Archive. The video addresses the life and work of Michael P. Smith (1937-2008), a New Orleans documentary photographer perhaps best known for his coverage of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest). Included are photographs and interviews with friends and family members.
I found this short film about Mike after seeing many of his images in Lily Keber's great documentary about James Booker called Bayou Maharajah. After my first Jazz Fest in 1992 I realized very quickly that if Mike had his camera and was shooting the stage that I happened to be at then I knew I was in the right place at the right time. Mike knew exactly where to be and how to get what he wanted.