Matthew Jordan Smith's book of Aretha Franklin photos was a long time coming.
Smith was the legendary singer's official photographer from 2005 until her death at age 76 from neuroendocrine cancer in 2018.
Smith told CNN he initially planned on putting the book together in 2020, but that was delayed due to the pandemic.
When he finally got the chance to get the project off the ground, he used the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to help make it happen. The result is a collection of striking images displaying the richness Franklin's life and career.
"I've shot so many different artists and celebrities," Smith said of his decades as a photographer. "But there was nobody like Aretha."
Here are just a few of the images in the book "Aretha Cool," which is out now.