Icon Photographer Herb Snitzer (1932–2022)

Philadelphia native Herb Snitzer received his B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1957. Moving to New York after graduation, Herb quickly established himself as a top photojournalist and assisted Arnold Newman, one of the great portraitists of our time.

Herb started freelancing for magazines like Fortune, Time, Look, Life, and the Saturday Evening Post, and, in 1959, became the photo editor of Metronome, one of America’s leading jazz publications. His tenure there provided him the opportunity to photograph and become friends with many of the jazz legends of that era—including such artists as John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong.

Herb’s images appear on over 250 album covers, his work is displayed in galleries, museums, and personal collections throughout the world, and he authored five books on music and education. His most recent book, Glorious Days and Nights, features his most recognized jazz photos alongside many never-before-released images. In the 1990s Herb moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, and opened a gallery for fine-art photography. Herb passed away in December 2022.

Please Note: We no longer offer prints from Herb, but we have preserved this gallery of his iconic music photography as a memorial tribute.