Renowned New Orleans photographer Syndey Byrd passed away on October 2, after a long illness. She was 71 years old.

Syndey Byrd was born July 3, 1944 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she grew up. Syndey, a one-time Miss VFW of Hattiesburg, often said that aliens had dropped her off in Hattiesburg. She attended the University of Mississippi, earning a degree in art. After graduation, Syndey moved to New York where she worked as an interior designer for Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale’s...