Mardi Gras in New Orleans

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There are several things that New Orleans is famous for but probably the top of the list has to be Mardi Gras.  The origins stem back to the religious idea of giving up things for lent, traditionally prior to giving up things people would party (to make the best of it whilst they could) and gradually over time the mardi gras parades were formed.  Very few people give up something for lent these days, but there's no reason the parties can't take place.

What I hadn't realised was that Mardi Gras takes place over a whole week and throughout the whole of Louisiana.  Most towns have their own parades but it's in New Orleans that everyday massive parades thread through the streets with hundreds of thousands of people watching as and the people on the incredible floats throw beaded necklaces.  Its really strange that it's almost impossible to attend a parade and not shout out for the beads, on the floor there are hundreds of the necklaces but the act of actually catching the beads is what it is all about.  

Many of the locals bring along ladders to give them a height advantage, but in truth all they offer is a higher view, if the aim is catching beads that's easily achieved from the floor.  All in all Mardi Gras is an incredible time and I feel sure it won't be the last time I experience it.

You can see a slide show of some of my images from two of the Sunday parades below.  Again you can download this or any other of my slideshows via i-tunes by clicking this link and then add it to your video i-pod/i-phone.

Colonel Rogers Promotion Party, New Jersey, USA

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It takes exceptional ability and leadership to be promoted in the US Army to the rank of Colonel, so on the rare occasions it happens its something that is often celebrated by the officers friends and families.

I was honoured to be asked to photograph Stephanie's day and also to capture some family images which will be uploaded at a later date.

The day started with Stephanie preparing her uniforms and various family members visiting at her parents house.

The trip to where the party was to take place took a "New Jersey 45 minute drive" which I was to discover several times over the weekend could be anything between 30 minutes and an hour and a half.  When we arrived there were plenty of people already there.


The actual military presentation of the rank was a short part of the day with a short reading.  Stephanie's, dad then placed the Colonel badge of rank on her uniform and her mother, sister and brother added the rank to her dress uniform and cap.


With the formalities out of the way it was time for everyone to eat the excellent buffet meal that had been provided and carry on the conversations as Stephanie did the rounds and visited every table being an excellent host.


You can see a short slide show of some of the images from the day by clicking play below.  You can also download Stephanie's slideshow via i-tunes by clicking here, allowing you too add it to a video i-pod or i-phone.

Rayna, Tyler and Hannah, Lifestyle Photographs Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Over the last few weeks i've had the real pleasure of getting to know the three little ones pictured above.  We've played football (soccer) in the garden and struggled with homework in the evenings but every moment has been a joy.

The images in the slidehow below were taken over a couple of days at the Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Louisiana state capital building in Baton Rouge. 

The slideshow below can be downloaded via i-tunes by clicking this link and can then be added to your video i-pod / i-phone.