French photographer Willy Ronis has died at the age of 99. Ronis was of the great photographers to emerge after World War II.

He was known for capturing the everyday essence of Parisian life. Through photos of bistros, lovers, nudes and gardens Ronis was able to exemplify the beauty that lay within the simplicities of life.

"I never took a mean photo," Ronis said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2005. "I never wanted to make people look ridiculous. I always had a lot of respect for the people I photographed."

Ronis moved his focus to fashion photography and worked for Life and Vogue. He also taught in Paris and Provence. He was dubbbed "the photographer of Paris par excellence".

Ronis received many awrds for his work including the Kodak Award, the gold medal at the Venice Biennale, and was honored for his lifetime achievements at the 2007 Lucie Awards in New York City.