It took what seemed like forever to get here and now that I am here it seems I've been here a long time. I drove from Boston to New Orleans last week. Don't know this town at all and am enjoying learning my way around a little. I am here principally to attend the SPE Conference (Society for Photographic Education) coming up this weekend but have rented a place for two weeks in the city.

Waiting to take a bus tour of damage from Katrina, this happened:

along the river downtown in mid day fog as thunderstorms were rolling through and the air was like putty, thick and viscous. I saw this and was so shocked I ran back to the parking lot to the car to get the right lens. This is a typical "one shot shoot" in that it was all there was.

Okay, so shoot me if this comes off sounding like "ten hot tricks and tips to wow your friends" but I tweaked it a little:

not hard to do. Many ways to do it. I use Viveza quite often for this. There, tips and tricks over.

So, day before yesterday, in the rain, I photographed in a very different way, working to make a series or perhaps a couple of connected triptychs (sixtychs?), sliding along under buildings's overhang to stay dry in the swamp*, going click, moving four feet to the left, going click, moving along four feet to the left and going click, moving along four feet to the left; well, you get the idea.  

all glistening in the rain and fetid. Perfect, actually.

and then towards the end something sticking in there, imposing upon the space with total disregard

curving out like one of those elevated concrete ramps that take traffic off in a new direction on the interstate, 

and then at the very end, after I'd made this last one

I turned to make this, this skull sitting on the top shelf of a bookshelf about 8 inches from where the camera sat on its tripod:

Just go with it, I heard myself say.

I did.

* BTW: the swamp pictures are from Jean Laffite Barataria Preserve, south of the city.