New Orleans

I’m down in NOLA and have been entertaining the tail of Hurricane Allison. There have been buckets of rain every day and, according to the Red Cross, flooding, but not in my view. I see no problem navigating my rented Ford through urban canals, creating wakes behind me that would easily support a couple of show girls on water skis. Though I have been present at many of these water emergencies, I’ve yet to get me a photo of a guy in a boat rowing down Canal Street.

So, all in all, the rain has not bothered me much, except that it gets incredibly annoying being damp all the time. Even if I get to my car mostly dry, when I settle on the set, I might as well be sitting on a sponge. The other day I was with my girl buddy Kristin, and the sky opened and fell on us. We were so soaked that we went into an antique store on Decatur Street to see if they had any clothes. I would up buying her a 40’s sundress and open toed heels. I found myself a Brooks Brothers seersucker suit on a mannequin and a pair of socks with flames on them from the goth shop next door - shirt was optional. We looked damp, yet chic.

I’ve been running into many old associates who look seriously worse for the wear, but somehow seem to recognize me immediately. I’m told that the group of photographers I coexisted with down here is mostly dead or wasted and was some kind of aberration anyway. It seems our motley crew has been replaced by the 21st century type of photographer with strong family ties and no bad habits. The people I’ve been photographing have been on the whole pretty charming, although the Brass Band - which is an inner city sort of thing - waited for me to set up all my lights, take a Polaroid, and then asked for money. I guess the world has generally given them a hard time, and they’re just returning the favor.

Most of the historic buildings have been turned into coffee shops. There seems to be no industry or growth - even gambling didn’t really take here. The city appears to run on caffeine and crawfish. I think I see a break in the clouds, so I best be off.