The Lagniappe Brass Band at The Maison

I was completely surprised by four of my former students from 20 years ago in New Orleans on Friday night who trekked all the way from Chicago, NJ, and DC to visit me.  We shared a great dinner at NOLA, great conversation, then head out into the New Orleans scene.

For our first stop on Frenchmen Street, we jumped into the Maison because of the crowd trying to get in. It was packed with people enjoying the brass sounds of the Lagniappe Brass Band. It was my first time checking them out, and the word that I kept feeling was 'passion'. These players worked it so well with one another and the crowd, and were very intense in each song played. As more musicians checked in at the door, they made room for them to perform and have their moment. It was a great first impression of the band, and I'll definitely check them out again. I couldn't have asked for anything better to start off our music adventure.

I love this photo set.  No matter how minimal the light source, go for it to grab what you can to tell your story.

CSS at the Varsity Theatre + Lovefoxxx Feature Set

Topped off my birthday by catching CSS at Baton Rouge's Varsity Theatre.  It was a good move because I so appreciated tapping into their energy and sounds reminding me of my younger self.  Danced a bit, photographed a bit, ran into photographer Mark Bienvenu who took of photo of me in action, and was able to grab an event poster after the show because of the kindness of a fan who had two.  Thank you to the drummer for the night (wish I knew his name) who autographed it then took it back stage for two more signatures.  It came back deco'd for my bday which I think is awesome!

When reviewing and processing my photos, I really gravitated towards the captures of Lovefoxxx, the band's lead vocal, because of her creativity and free spirited presence. I edited a feature photo set of her in black and white with one image cross processed.

Photo taken by Mark Bienvenu. Thank you, Mark! Check out his CSS photos, too. He works the light and captures so well.

The LOVE belt buckle

My brother sent this my way for my birthday this year.  It's a gorgeous belt buckle with glittering rhinestones and a garnet red stone set in the hand.  From the moment seeing it, I felt that I wanted to wear it to The Cult show if I was able to get tickets.  I knew that hand image, but couldn't source it.  It wasn't until speaking to my sister-in-law when calling to say 'thank you' that I realized the Cult connection was intentional.  Right away I knew this hand as one of the icons appearing on The Cult's 'Love' release artwork.  It's an excellent and thoughtful gift!  Love it!

The view from 47

The glowing, early morning orange and pink sky filled the room where I sat reading from the computer.  It pulled me outside in wonder of the bright colors and gift of the day.  Stop to think that after 47 years of sunrises, they'll still amaze in their uniqueness and beauty.


Inspired, I prepped for an early bike ride, and was excited to kick off my birthday outside.  Once out there, my egret friend greeted me from its spot on the pine, then I finally made myself stop to take pictures of the tree hanging over the lake.  Each were uplifting, with newness in their familiarity.

 

Ridin' it home

Inspired by two friends racing the NYC Triathlon on Sunday morning, I woke up early and went out for a biking trek.  It was the first time I cycled for the purpose of exercise versus transport to work.  I decided to ride across the Ford Property and head towards the Pennington Research Center instead of towards the lake, and I really appreciated the route change.  Similar visual goodies with the added bonus of a couple low slope hills made it all work for me.  When entering the field, both going and returning, I stopped to soak it all in and smile at the thought of my many past walks with camera in hand.  I can now add myself to the many cyclists who frequent and value the passage.  Now to just get myself back out there and continue being inspired by my active friends.  :))

Ford Property entrance via Sweetbriar

Night dancers

The lights had always fascinated me as they shimmered and danced.  Immersed, I felt cool relief and a sense of companionship in the dark.

Life story

Every time I go for a hair cut with Josh, the experience is a sensory mix of relaxation and stress relief, as well as great conversations with him.  We chat it up about music, bands, and cool nooks and crannies of Baton Rouge, and I love asking him about his latest tattoos and the stories behind them. I walk out of there with a cut I like and feeling like a connected human being again.

On this given day, it was my daughter's turn giving me an different look into Josh's work.  As I watched him cut 8 inches off of my daughter's hair, I followed the form of his hands and arms underneath the salon lights.  It was a great study of lines, perspective, reflective light and shadows, and I took a few shots to see if I could capture just a bit of the vision.  I told him that it would be very interesting to sit a stylist chair underneath studio lights with clients coming in for haircuts as usual.  Photographers would be there, too, for the experience of learning more about the relationship of form and light.

The salon lights in this case weren't powerful, but I did pay attention to when illumination of Josh's arms were stronger than not.  This shot was about angle and the light, and when reviewing and processing I became very excited about the final look.  With his approval on the colors, I share it here.

Of course, if you're in the Baton Rouge area and would like a great hair cut, visit Josh Chataignier at the Paris Parker Salon on Jefferson.

I heart

This sunset followed me as I rushed from home to the shopping mall tonight.  Its golden colors kept me peeking in my rear view mirror and side window, and slowed me down to soak up its light.  Just like an old drive-in movie, I pulled into a spot just right for the show.  Leaning on the car hood, still warm from the ride, I watched, enjoyed and smiled.  I wondered who else out there was keeping company with this beauty and feeling the joy.

What a treat, too, to see the surprise heart mark created by the glare in the image.  I couldn't have personalized it any better.  :))

We're Upward Bound

July 2:  These dedicated, young people are making my ride into LSU every morning worth it.  Thank you, for being there, Algebra II classes!

Here are some preliminary shots of the Upward Bound students.  With a couple days left, there are many more captures to be had.

Photo by Vivian

July 3 and 8:  We took a few more shots to add to our originals.  A good number didn't want to have their picture taken, but did respond to my encouragement and reminder that they are making history as LSU's  first Upward Bound students.  Congratulations!  Kudos to the program's director, Stephanie Givens, for initiating Upward Bound's presence at LSU and making it all happen.  :))

Morning egret

I finally strapped on the camera today for my ride into work with the intention of taking pics of the students.  Upward Bound's summer session ends on Monday, so its appearance was way overdue.   I got to use it way before seeing the kids as my morning egret friend was sitting it the pine catching the rising sun.  It had made the same appearance once or twice before, and each time it had been such a treat to catch it sitting high.  Seeing it again while toting my camera was a sweet surprise, and without hesitation I jumped off to grab some shots.  Despite doing my best with my sleuth photo stalking skills, it sensed me and flew away after a few minutes or so.  I did have enough time, though, to appreciate the show of subtle light in the curve of its neck.  Ooh, I so enjoyed it, along with the long, wispy feathers gently sitting on the ends of its wings.

Let us see if it will be there again "knowing" that I'll have my camera with me while keeping out a watchful eye.