New Orleans Photo Safari April

New Orleans is one of the most lush cities in the world to photograph.  Even it's ugly side is visually interesting.  But nothing can top it in the spring of the year.  Summer is also a very GREEN time there, but its too hot for ME to be there.  My sister seems to be willing to take it, and her son REALLY seems to be able to take it.  But right now, it is clear and cool there, and the colors of the French Quarter combine so well with the various resident's efforts to plant colorful hanging baskets and planters.  The secret to the success of this trip was the brutal morning wake-up time I prescribed for myself.  Had I left from Memphis, it would have been an 11pm ride to reach the city at dawn.  But thanks to brother Eu, I have a place to stay absolutely free. (thanks again)  I rolled out of a fitful night's sleep at 4:28 am and hopped into my clothes, and got myself down to the French Quarter as the sun began to brighten the horizon before rising above the flat expanse of the Mississippi River.

As I parked in a primo street spot and entered the Vieux Carre', I was only a tiny bit surprised that there were still people in a few of the more tiny, non-Bourbon St. local's bars.  The music was playing as if it were 2 am and here it was 5:30 am.  I was gonna shoot into some of the doorways, but I thought that was kinda no class.  My job was ninja photographer, get in, get out.  So I shot a little in the low light then headed up to the River for a wide shot of Jackson Square.

After a long, rough Friday Night in the quarter, they usually pressure wash and dis-infect the whole place, since a good number of our beloved tourists are not house trained.  They think the whole city is a urinal.  And instead of finding one of the ubiquitous trash cans, they just throw things to the ground where they finish them.  The streets adjacent to Bourbon are covered in trash, and apparently the famous Hand Grenade drink in souvenir plastic tube is popular, as they were everywhere.  The night had begun with the news of the capture of those A-hole ferners that blew up the Boston Marathon.  Even the pigeons were chanting Coo-S-A, Coo-S-A.  
It was weird.

The main reason I went on safari so early was for the glut of cars that develop in the quarter as the day goes on.  Some you just can't avoid.  but if you are smart and lucky, you can shoot the whole place without the eyesore of cars everywhere.  And then there's the LIGHT.  You don't get light like this at any other time of day, and it makes all the difference.

Everywhere I walked, the streets were drying from the a good cleaning they had recieved before dawn, and I got LIGHT and reflections out of the deal. I was giddy as a schoolgirl.

This poor, ole homeless guy was probably not appreciating the loud shutter on my Nikon.  The light wasn't strong enough to show that towel is completely covering his head.  The vendors were beginning to set up, tarot readers, art sellers, performers....everyone was seeing what they basically see every day, but for me it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen down there, and I used to live there.  I had never SEEN the quarter at dawn.

One of the main reasons I wanted to get down early was to see St. Louis Cemetery No.1 without getting mugged.  The famous Iberville housing project is right next door to the cemetery on Basin Street.  The old song used to say, "Basin Street, Basin Street, where the black and white folks meet."  Well, at the cemetery, the black folks often met the white tourists and took everything they had.  My mother was shocked that my little sister went last month and that I was going this weekend. But still, I took my cheapest camera, and went on in, figuring the gang-bangers were all still asleep, and I covered the square that makes up the oldest cemetery in a very old city.  This is the reputed resting place of the famous Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

I found it ironic that she was resting right next to the city's first black mayor, Ernest "Dutch" Morial.  He never looked all that black to me, but I don't mean that to sound racist.  He just looked like a white guy to me.  A lot of people really loved Dutch Morial.  And there he was, right next to one of the most famous and controversial women in the city's history.  While I was showing the site to a couple from abroad, a crew was scrubbing the XXXs off the tomb.  Apparently they don't like it much, it's been against the law to mark the tomb in such a way since 2005.  But tradition holds that you mark the Xs and knock on the tomb or shout at it to cancel out a gris-gris that's been put on you, or to request a favor from the priestess, whom followers believe is as powerful today in death as she was in the 1800s.

One thing I know, even though its over 400 miles one way for me to go there, the city is as ever in my blood.  I was not born there, but lived there for 15 years and easily came under it's spell.  No other city has the magical pull that New Orleans has for me.  I know it won't be long before I head back down with empty memory cards and full batteries.

Another DOH! moment

I had a review for you all this week, it was a rare NC cigar, I thought it was a Padilla piramide shape, but when I guugled that name to get the actual title, specs, etc, the bands did not match up.  It is a very well-known name in NC cigars, it was a double banded stick with a red second band and we wouldn't even be having this discussion but for the fact that I was getting ready to go back down to NO for some more camera safari action, and I formatted the card that had the pics of the cigar in progress that I took to support the  review.  But I saved the bands and photographed those, and FORMATTED THAT TOO!  Luckily I still have the bands somewhere at the house, but I am leaving for NO from work today, so it will be Monday before I can get the review up....no, that's not true, I can tell you now, it was nice and strong, not too rich, but certainly enjoyable.  It was all dark coffee and rich leather and a hint of creaminess on the tongue.  The band featured a script name, progressing upwards at a 30degree angle from the bottom left corner of the band, and I think it was on an oval background, oriented left to right as opposed to up and down.  It is killing me that I do not know what it is, I think Hugh M. gave it to me 2 years ago at the Shack, and it is the general dimensions of a Monte No.2.

More to come on this mystery, I guess, lol.

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Edited to tell you that I was right, it WAS a Padilla, a Capa Habano 2010 Series.  I liked it a lot, I am still not a big fan of Non-Cuban tobacco, although i was for the early decades of my smoking life.  But i like any cigar that someone gives me, and I enjoyed the overall performance VERY much, and the flavor was not bad at all.  I only seem to prefer the soft and subtle flavors of havana tobacco to the point of exclusion of the other types.  I had two of these, so thanks to Hugh M. and the other nice person who gave me this on the same day.

Start Up Short - (2007 Partagas Short)

Eventually, even the most jaded of you would admit, I was going to have to start up the smoking part of this blog again.  And so it began today that I eased back into it with what is actually just another photo walk.  I had been testing so many used, ole skool lenses, and I began to think that maybe my cameras were so old as to be virtually useless.  I mean I rarely came home with anything that made me say, "Dang, this camera was a real upgrade to my years of point and shoots."  I HAD better lenses, but they were a known quantity, they were "quality glass".  I had no reason to test them on photo walks.  But that known part was mostly in my mind.  I had not really tested them outside of the bar shots I had with the girls from last month.  

So tonight I pulled out a damaged-wrapper Partagas Short, cut it and lit it.  I slapped on the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 and took a shot of it indoors with the flash for the before shot.  

Almost too little depth of field...the foot of the cigar is out of focus, lol.  But this is a cigar review, let's not get caught down in the weeds.  I took my short walk route down the Greenway, past the flower beds that are stunningly late in being cranked up this year, considering it is 80 degrees out there.  There were only a few flowers up, tulips they were, and a precious few of them to boot.

The cigar was strong and creamy, with plenty of spice and nuance.  As most of you know, I do not think a walk cigar is very good review cigar.  It is hard to get subtle flavors hidden in the smoke when you are exerting, and a good walk should always be an exertion.  But for the early part of the cigar, things were going pretty good

It was only when I got down to the middle of the smoke that it began to show the harsh and tarry notes that characterize a walking smoke in my experience.  Until that happened, I was able to pick out some distinct cherry notes, a strong belt of leather and red pepper with some jalapeno starkness, and occasional notes of cream and mint.  I realized quickly just how long it had been since I smoked a cigar.

But after that point, it was mostly downhill.  Wind, huffing and an exercisers general lack of ability to hold in a breath long enough to detect nuance led to a cigar that did not really have any pleasure associated with it.  I am sure that had I sat down on a bench for the second half, things would have been very different.  But that was not to be on this particular evening.  I held onto it and smoked it to the band, but the last third was not very good.  Still, under the circumstances this was a very good smoke.  Perfectly aged, very well behaved, and lets face it, a welcome change to the new 'photography blog' this has become of late.  All in all, a worthy smoke for a warm and pleasant evening.

IGNORING the fact that it was only half good, I will give the first half an 85, and let the second half be what it was.  And lest you think that I have totally reformed, here is a pretty flower.

One More Photo Post Before We Smoke....

OK, we are almost back to cigars.  I even took three cigars with me to New Orleans.  I didn't SMOKE them, but I HAD them in the bag.  I had a funeral in Baton Rouge, and since I had to ride for 6 hours just to get there, I took all of my camera bodies and a few good lenses and drove down to the French Quarter to shoot some pics.  Why burn all the gas and time and not get some great photos out of the deal?

I parked on the street on Esplanade Avenue on the east boundary of the French Quarter and waded into the sea of humanity that was a perfect day in New Orleans.  I REALLY should have ponied up the cash for a motel room outside of town to ensure another day just like this one, to shoot twice as much stuff, enjoy twice as much perfect weather, see twice as much skin from the ladies, all smiling and happy to be there and enjoying the world-class sights, sounds and smells of New Orleans.  And the 10-20mm lens just dazzled me.

There were SO MANY PEOPLE in the quarter, and in most cases, I just tried to frame them OUT, but it is all part of the ambiance that was so pervasive, around every corner there was something going on.

The sky was so blue and perfectly laced with clouds, so as to add such a great dimension to the photos.

I have to get down there again as soon as possible, before the heat gets out of control.  I can skip the whole summer without a second thought IF I GET IT DONE NOW.  The weather forecast merely needs to get close to what it was this weekend and I am IN THE CAR, and I am definitely staying overnight next time.  SO much to shoot, everywhere I turned.  I have always loved New Orleans, and specifically the Quarter.  But even growing up there did not allow me the enjoyment I got out of it yesterday.  I got to see the city in a new way, as a 'tourist'.  Because I guess after all, I WAS a tourist.  I felt so much of what I imagine other visitors feel, even down to the guy that came up to this dude with two big ol cameras and said "I bet you a dolla I can tell you where you got yo shoes.."  I told him, "wow, you really KNOW that I got my shoes on St. Peter St. in the French Quarter?"  he said "aw, man, ain't nobody gonna put nuttin pass you."  but I tracked him back down after I took my picture and said, "yo man, here's the dollar for trying.  That gotcha is SO OLD, you deserve credit for even TRYING it in 2013."  We girl-watched for a few minutes and made some small talk and went our separate ways.

I had a bit of exposure trouble out of my Nikon D100, but the D70 worked without a hitch.

What a great day.  I miss you already, darling.

To New Orleans I will Go.....

I have a funeral to attend this weekend, in Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
I have been running from city to city seems like every weekend for two months.  In reality I have had 2 of 8 weekends off to loaf around and do 'nothing'.  Nothing is relative, I have no wife, husband, kids or anyone to do my housework for me, all that stuff gets done on the weekend.  But this weekend, I am out of town again, and with a plan to head from the Memorial Service straight out the door to New Orleans to shoot and smoke around the city.  In all the world I am not sure there is a more interesting city to photograph than New Orleans.  There are older cities, there are cities richer in architecture, prettier people, cleaner vistas.  But the combination of culture and history in that city just beg to be recorded with a camera.  

This week I have rooted through all of the ice chests to see what is what.  Seems like I no longer know WHAT I have outside of a few boxes that I have had forever and have almost never been opened.  I have so many boxes with 8 of these, ten of those, 4 of that size, blablabla.  I opened up EVERYTHING last night and took a lot of notes.  I came up with a 2007 Partagas Short to smoke, it had a torn wrapper.  So I will smoke that for sure.  I am also hankering for a big ole Esplendido.  So I think I will bring one of those along, too.  I have a few things I have wanted to shoot for some time, and there is always the element of discovery.  The weather looks like its gonna be perfect, so we will see how it goes!