Down on the Bayou

Down on the Bayou

NOLA09D-163

April 21, 2009

It is easy to visit New Orleans without realizing that it is in the heart of swamp country.  That mighty Mississippi river, having wound its way through thousands of miles, spills into a wide delta that is prone to flooding, and gives us a small sampling of an American jungle.  But just outside the vibrant city is the dense brush and forest, and here you see that legendary landscape that we think of when we think of the bayou.  Here, as we floated by, was a  house that was only accessible by boat.  No roads lead out here, just the barest of essentials, and the hard beating it took from humidity and rain and neglect.  But it is this look that best encapsulates the area.  Enjoy.

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 mm f/1.4

Focal length: 50 mm

Exposure: 1/100   f/11 ISO 100

Post-processing: Slight texture,toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Flowers of Remembrance

Flowers of Remembrance

NOLA09D-118

April 21, 2009

A quite different panoramic composition today, found while wandering through the surreal and altogether serene graveyards of New Orleans.  These amazing vaults, built above ground to protect against floods and hurricanes, have withstood, in some cases, over a century of being in the hot, muggy south.  Lichen creeping up their facades, old stone tablets describing the inhabitants, and always flowers in front.  While a lot of folks in the south enjoy fake flowers on graves, these were actually real roses, left beside this solitary marker.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/400 @ f/4.5, ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Washin'

Washin'

NOLA09D-63

April 19, 2009

While my advisor would not approve, during a long conference, eventually you get saturated with the science and the meetings and the wearing of ties, and you have to escape.  When the Experimental Biology conference was in New Orleans, it gave me a great opportunity to flee the convention center and head out into the city, armed with just a camera and a 50mm lens.  There was such a diversity in the districts of New Orleans, an atmosphere that was so different than other cities, and more than a few scenes that were throwbacks to a different time.  This laundromat, found in the Garden District, had that old-time look to it.  A few chairs sitting outside for folks to sit and watch the world turn as their clothes spun.  The signage, the lone person sitting in a tank top, all bespoke of former days, and it all came together as a single image.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/800 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4