The crescent city is a treat for all the senses-from powdery beignets to swinging jazz music. There’s so much beauty to behold that its inhabitants want nothing more than to capture its essence in some permanent form. Photography is the perfect medium for this. From the romantic Victorian architecture of St Charles Avenue to the mysterious swamps, there’s no better place to take pictures than the Big Easy. However, there are some New Orleans locations that stand out as the best for photography. This blog will act as a guide for photographers, ranging from amateur iphone users to professionals, to embody the spirit of New Orleans in their photographs.
New Orleans wouldn’t be the same without the classic beauty and charm of the French Quarter. Thankfully, it has endless subjects that represent different parts of New Orleans’ identity. You can’t miss the ironwork balconies on Royal and Bourbon street. Those with hanging beads, plants, and flags make an even better picture. Creole cottages with pastel facades and different colored shutters embody the quirky, eclectic spirit of the crescent city. These can be found on Burgundy, Dauphine, and Ursulines street. Colorful doors and aged textures tell the story of New Orleans’ history. These can be found all over the city. There’s nothing better than capturing a person doing something that they’re passionate about. The streets of the quarter have plenty of street performers and musicians whose talents make up the lifeblood of the city. You can’t forget the timeless beauty of the St Louis Cathedral. You would be amiss to not photograph the elegant building that tells the story of New Orleans’ faith. Visit the French Quarter on our New Orleans city tours.
You can’t forget the quiet regality of the garden district. The grandiose mansions, along streets like First and Prytania, with their white columns, cast iron fences, and wraparound porches are classic and refined. Don’t miss the tiny details like white columns, cast iron fences, and wraparound porches. Sometimes the smallest things make the best pictures. New Orleans’ iconic and beautiful oak trees line these streets and form intricate shadows on the pavement. Lean into the spooky mood of the city by photographing cemeteries such as Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. It’s always necessary to get a shot of the earthy green streetcar in action on St. Charles when in New Orleans.
Nothing quite captures the wild, yet tranquil, nature of the crescent city like its bayous and swamps, crawling with flora and fauna. On Bayou St. John, you can shoot water reflections, lazy kayaks, and bridges with sunset light. Take a stroll in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park or Barataria Preserve to see the romantic Spanish moss hanging from the trees. If you are safe and patient, you can capture animals like alligators, egrets, herons, and turtles in their natural habitat. At the right time of day, you can see a misty fog or golden hour light peaking through the trees that would make a lovely picture.
You can encapsulate the history of New Orleans through an image by photographing historic buildings such as plantations. The Oak Alley plantation tour from New Orleans is a great place to start. It has an oak-lined path that leads up to the Greek Revival mansion. The Whitney Plantation is another powerful symbol of the past that tells stories of enslaved people. You can photograph the symmetry and repetition of the plantation architecture, including characteristics of the buildings like columns and shutters. Besides the main house, it’s imperative to capture the gardens, slave cabins, and outbuildings as well to contextualize the whole story. These historic buildings are the perfect place to shoot skylines and tree silhouettes during sunrise and sunset. You can check out our Whitney Plantation tour from New Orleans.
There are many different ways to photograph the iconic Mississippi river and waterfronts in New Orleans. The Crescent Park in the Bywater offers views of the city skyline, train tracks, and rusty industrial buildings. Woldenberg park has steamboats, joggers, and artists populating the waterfront. At the Algiers Point ferry landing, you can capture the downtown skyline and the ferry itself. During twilight, you can shoot the Crescent City Connection bridge, with the river and cityscape in the background.
One way to celebrate the funky soul of the city is to photograph its street art and murals. In the artsy Bywater, you can find colorful murals on textured backgrounds on Chartres Street, Press Street, and St. Claude Avenue. On Frenchman street in the Marigny, you can find soulful portraits and tributes. In Central City, there are murals honoring Black culture and resilience. The Warehouse District contains large, contemporary murals on brick and warehouse buildings. Throughout the city, there’s various unique tags, street art, and other graffiti to capture.
It’s important to remember photography etiquette, especially if you are a tourist visiting an unfamiliar area. You must ask permission before photographing people. Be aware of what constitutes private property and do not invade anyone’s privacy or encroach on their property. You may need a permit for tripods and commercial shoots in Jackson Square, City Park, and some plantations. Swamp tours also often require permission in advance for commercial photography. For sustainability purposes, when in natural habitats like swamps, it’s important to stay on specified trails.
New Orleans is a unique location for photography, because it has subjects spanning from romantic architecture to funky street art. Every neighborhood has its own personality and vibe that you can capture through your lens. When you’re out photographing, it’s important to slow down and let the moment find you. For practical reasons, it’s important to bring extra batteries/memory cards, respect local photography rules and locals’ privacy, and be prepared for weather conditions. Also, try out different styles of photography and use wide and tight lenses to capture detail and more broad imagery. New Orleans is a city full of multitudes. To capture its essence, you must put yourself in a local’s shoes and photograph the full spectrum of its personality.
Riding down St Charles, you can’t miss the ornate and colorful buildings enticing you as you cruise past. From shotguns to sprawling mansions, each house has a unique character. Architecture in Louisiana is more than just buildings, instead, it reflects history, identity, and survival. Louisiana architecture is known for being a blend of cultures, French, […]
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