Cedric + LaToya's French Quarter Anniversary Session
Now that New Orleans is starting to slowly open back up after being shut down for 2 months, we are having a more people interested in coming to town. Cedric and Latoya are really nice couple from Alabama and have spent every one of their wedding anniversaries in New Orleans. They reached out to me looking for a photographer to capture their 5th wedding anniversary and I was more than happy to help them out.
They mentioned that they wanted to have some photos done around the French Quarter being that it was so empty. We ended up starting at the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. This session happened before New Orleans was in its second phase of opening and the streets were still fairly desolate, including Jackson Square. There are not many opportunities where shots like these two can happen on a normal day. This area is usually a tourist hotspot and can be very crowded in front of the cathedral. The emptiness of the park really made these shots special.
During these photos, there was a man belting out his special renditions of many classic rocks songs through a karaoke machine. We decided to make our way down to Royal Street and away from the performer. Royal Street has been one of my favorite streets to walk down since I started coming to New Orleans 7 years ago. It’s usually less chaotic and there are some beautiful buildings.
When I first met up with LaToya and Cedric they mentioned they wanted to have a few photos done with their masks on. Considering it there’s pandemic happening, I just assumed they meant a mask meant to protect from transmission of illnesses. I completely forgot for a second that we were in New Orleans and they wanted a few photos with their Mardi Gras masks. It was a nice change of pace and brought a nice light mood.
We were all starting to get pretty sweaty and we decided to take a short walk to the Mississippi River to cool down and enjoy the view. I’m still adjusting the humidity here in New Orleans and the river sounded like a perfect idea. On our way to the river I really loved how the light was bouncing around this walkway and I knew I could do a great shot there.
As soon as we got to the river we felt that humidity just melt away with the breeze. We immediately felt much more comfortable. We spent a little bit of time cooling down and getting a few shots with river and the Steamboat Natchez in the background. I always loved the way the steamboat looks in photos.
At this point, we were nearing the end of the session a sunset so we walked across the street and headed for one of the best spots for photos of the St. Louis Cathedral. The sun was poking out just to the left of the church and combined with the haziness of the city it made for some dreamy images.
It really makes me happy to work with such great people and to be able to provide some beautiful photos for my clients.
Also, big thanks to my wife Meghann for being my photo assistant for the day.