Photographs inspired by Jazz Requiem — Notations in Blue

Ming Smith has been photographing since early childhood. Embracing photography as a spiritual practice, the Detroit-born, Harlem-based artist’s photographs reflect a lifelong exploration of movement, light, rhythm, and shadow. A woman of many firsts, Smith was the first woman to join the Kamoinge Workshop, a Harlem-based collective of Black photographers documenting Black life and, in 1979, became the first Black woman photographer to have work acquired by The Museum of Modern Art. Known for her poetic black-and-white street photography and portraits of notable Black cultural figures, Smith, in her detailed approach to image making has employed a range of in-camera, darkroom, and postproduction techniques, which include, but are not limited to slow shutter speeds, multiple exposures, collage, and hand painting on prints. The result is an oeuvre of equally stunning and evocative images of Black life that prioritize complexity, technicality, and beauty.