Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/01/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I'll post a few shots randomly as I scan them. I'm going "back in" next weekend. The task is overwhelming, as the area of destruction is so large. Jeffery Smith New Orleans, LA http://www.400tx.com -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Steve Barbour Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 6:32 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: [Leica] the lower 9th ward... etc On Jan 23, 2006, at 5:16 PM, Jeffery Smith wrote: > Hi Lee, > Quite a bit of the city still has non-functioning traffic lights > (they just > flash red off and on). I'm not going back into the lower 9th ward > without > knee boots. I tried hopping over mud in sneakers, and it is so > slick and > slimy, I just about fell on my butt several times. > > I've driven down twice to New Orleans with camera in hand, and I > can tell > you there's a barrier to documenting what I saw. the world is unaware of all this (see above and below... ) . People are out there taking photos in Iraq and Niger, and many other God forsaken places... so forget the mud.... and get out there and get some quality photos... I believe you are missing the chance of a lifetime... Steve > I went to medical school > in New Orleans, and I know the city intimately. I exited the > expressway at > Loyola and into downtown and went through three intersections before I > realized the traffic lights had no power (this in November). Stop > signs had > been torn off their poles and nailed to saw horses and put in the > intersections to notify this was a four way stop. The busiest > intersection > I remember in New Orleans (Canal St. and Claiborne Ave.) had no > traffic > lights, but it didn't matter. There was a four way stop, but > absolutely no > traffic (the Saturday following Thanksgiving). > I went first down into the French Quarter to see if A Gallery > for Fine > Photography was still open. It was; just the owner, though. No > employees. > A sign said "Open Fridays through Mondays, and some other days." > Afterwards > I drove out Canal St. and into the Mid-City area where I used to > deliver the > mail when I was working my way through school. Four hundred yards > from the > French Quarter (which looked almost undisturbed except for the > trash that > there weren't enough workers to pick up) there was nothing--rien. > Just > homes with water lines on them and spray paint to indicate there > were or > were not dogs there, or cats, and mounds of debris piled everywhere > as high > as the houses. The doors swung open and the windows, too; there > wasn't > anything worth taking. For mile after mile after mile it was all the > same--no one. Cars ruined by the flood were everywhere--it's said > there're > 350,000 of them. > I took pictures in the French Quarter because it looked like it > always > did, just without people. But out Canal the thought of taking a > picture > simply didn't occur to me. It was too awful. I don't care what > you've seen > on TV, it's worse--16 times worse. Finally I got out to the > cemeteries at > the end of Canal St. and things looked again like they used to. > It's an > attractive spot for artistic photographers. So I started shooting > some > more; it's just that the grass was all dead and the flowers left in > August > were all wilted. > That was my first visit. I went back a few weeks ago, and this > time I > was able to take some pictures in the devasted areas. But I can > tell you > there's a barrier to taking them. It takes time to overcome. > Maybe I can > put some up in the PAWs. > > Lee England > Natchez, Mississippi > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information