Balcony On Bourbon Street
One of my favorite cities to visit is New Orleans. And everyone knows the best time to visit the Crescent City is during Mardi Gras.
This year Mardi Gras came a bit early. The temperature ran in the 30′s and 40′s, which is a little chilly for that region. But that didn’t stop anyone from having a good time.
Up on the balcony there is a guy cheering in a yellow shirt. You can’t see what he is cheering for in this shot. He is cheering because one of the women in this crowed lifted her shirt, which is an interesting tradition. The girls flash and and somebody throws them beads. Well, there are no flashing pictures on this blog. I’m going for a ‘PG’ rating.
Another great tradition at Mardi Gras is the parades. There are a ton of them. The entire celebration goes on for at least two weeks.
Drew Brees throws a footbal to parade watchers
In this shot to the right, Drew Brees, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints throws out some Mardi Gras footballs to parade watchers. This was in the Bacchus parade, where Drew was the king of the parade. This was about a week after the Saints won the Superbowl. So I don’t have to tell you how excited the people of New Orleans were about him at that moment.
First Mardi Gras
When I shoot pictures at an event like a parade, I don’t just focus on the event itself. I try to get the people attending the event. I don’t know these people at all. But I asked that man if I could take a picture of his daughter. They were thrilled and the mother told me how this was the first Mardi Gras for her daughter. She just looks too cute with those beads draped over her hair.
Sure, it was Mardi Gras and most of the excitement was about the parades and the partying in the French Quarter. But I wanted to capture some of the character of this town in my photos. So I made sure to get some of the elements that contribute to that character. For instance I couldn’t resist getting a shot of this river boat.
River Boat
Street Musician
And one of the things I love most about New Orleans that music literally fills the streets of the French Quarter. Here is a shot of a street musician playing his trumpet. I advise you to bring a roll of singles with you when you visit the French Quarter so that you can tip the various performers that you encounter. This guy was playing just outside of Cafe Du Monde, where I was enjoying coffee and beignets.
And finally, you can hardly visit the French Quarter without
St. Louis Cathedral
visiting the St. Louis Cathedral.
I talked to a lot of people while I was there and a lot of them had the same story. They came to the city either to visit or to help build homes after Hurricane Katrina and they decided to stay. I can see why.
