Meghan and Bily's French Quarter Wedding

Meghan and Billy were married in the bishop's church, St. Mary's Catholic Church on Chartres Street. Built in 1845, it is connected to the Ursuline Convent, which dates back to 1725. The couple got ready at the Place D'Arms Hotel, which is conveniently located next to their reception venue, Muriel's on the Square. This is all in the shadow of Jackson Square. The bride and groom and all their families and guests followed a Dixieland Jazz Trio and Second Lined from the church to Muriel's for a fun reception with lots of seafood, wine and music. It was the first chilly evening of Autumn, and the cold snap gave everyone that extra bit of energy the entirely lovely day! And I especially love to photograph a French Quarter wedding. Thanks for a great day, Meghan and Billy!
Location: French Quarter, New Orleans

Minal & Kenji's Bollywood Portraits!

Minal and Kenji were married on October 11th. I was hired to photograph their pre-wedding celebration the night before... Minal really wanted to do some fun and cheesy (her words) Bollywood-style photos that were going to include all of her family and guests. So, you're going to see shots like the Indian cinema industry uses in their film trailers and ads... afterwards, Minal did a ceremonial dance for her groom, Kenji, while her single girlfriends kept him company. Then, all the ladies danced in a large, circular dance formation, followed by a rhythmic stick slapping dance. Sorry, this was my first Indian wedding and I don't know the names of all the dances, but I'm willing to learn. The ladies were lovely in their sarongs and everybody had a bunch of laughs and lots of fun...
Location: Temple Sinai, Calhoun & St. Charles Avenue, N'Awlins

Halloween 2009 !!

Wow, Halloween has already come and gone! We're relieved to have cooler temperatures after a hot, humid, hurricane-free summer. But what a great fall evening and perfect full moon for an All Hallow's Eve celebration. Here are some images from last night's fun, photographed in the front yard of my neighbors' house. Lee and Linda love Halloween! Lee set up a spooky cemetery on the front lawn, complete with headstones, skulls and bones, creepy ghouls who speak to you and glow, and jack o'lanterns to light your way into his living room (where all the candy is!). We showed you images last year of his creepy but fun living room with a mechanical witch, a full size mummy, pirate, wolfman and other characters. This year I stayed outside to photograph the dogs playing in the cemetery and the trick-or-treaters who came to visit.
The photos of Dracula and his bride are of Jason and Debbie, at their costume party last weekend. What a neat but heavy candelabra...and some fun costumes! The food was great and everybody had great fun!
These doggies are howlingly hilarious in their cosbumes... that's Dusty in the hotdog bun, Conan in the devil costume and my dog, Foxy in the skeleton outfit. They barked like crazy everytime children came to vist, but of course they don't bite! Much... bwahahaha!!! Enjoy...

Portrait Sessions!

Amanda & Matthew's Seashore Engagement Session

Amanda & Matthew are to be married in Gulfport in October. The couple currently reside in Maryland and are excited to be wed in her hometown!

I've always wanted to do a beach engagement session, and although our first session date was rained out in June, we managed to dodge the September daily rainfall to complete this assignment. In fact, it rained on the interstate on the way to and from this session!

We chose the beach just west of the Beau Rivage for this late afternoon, with only an hour or so of useful light (sweet light) remaining. It was a lovely evening with a nice sunset, and Amanda and Matt were just as sweet as could be.

Kick off your shoes and go for a stroll - the steady gulf breeze kept us comfortable and cool...

Amanda and Matt's engagement session was included in their Cayenne Wedding Package - call today for details and availability for your wedding date!

Middendorf's Restaurant 75th Anniversary Party

Karen and Horst Pfeifer threw a huge shindig to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Middendorf’o, ne of Louisiana's greatest seafood restaurants. Located on I-55 at Pass Manchac, Middendorf's is between LaPlace and Hammond.

Known for it's thin fried catfish, boiled crabs, shrimp, oysters and other seafood, Middendorf's just moved next door back into its original building, newly remodeled since the flooding of Hurricane Ike last September.

The weather was simply perfect for the mostly outdoor event, after weeks of nearly-daily rainfall. Middendorf’s now features an outdoor dining area and bar, complete with a sandy beach, palm trees, pelican and hula dancer sculptures, a pier, Adirondack chairs and hammocks.

Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu presented the Pfiefers with a plaque of special recognition for their contribution to Louisiana tourism and tradition.

Also in attendance were State Representative Steve Pugh and his wife, Liz, Parish President Gordon Burgess, Ponchatoula Mayor Bob Zabbia, Clerk of Court Julian Dufreche, and Amber Burch from Senator David Vitter's office as well as representatives from Tangi Tourism and other government agencies.

Hammond Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board Daryl Ferrara and Chairman Elect Michelle Blum Gallo are pictured with Landrieu.

Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman and his wife were also guests of the Pfeifers.

The Todd O'Neill Band entertained the crowd of about 150 and sang "Happy Birthday" to the grand, old restaurant, located on the waters between Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, at the southernmost tip of Tangipahoa Parish and under the shadow of Interstate 55 and US Highway 55.

Virginia & Richard's Wedding - May 30, 2009

Virginia and Richard were married in Holy Name of Jesus Church on lovely St. Charles Avenue (my old parish!). The reception was held in the Waterbury Room of the Sheraton Hotel Canal Street. Between the ceremony and reception, we walked across the street car tracks to Audubon Park for a nice photo session with the bridal party. It's such a luxury for the photographer to have this time to create some really memorable images for the bride and groom. Usually, after the group formals, everyone is immediately whisked off to the reception, leaving little or no time to create these images, like Virginia being dipped by her groom in front of her alma mater, Loyola University. The guests appreciate the Cocktail Hour before the reception starts,too - so brides, please consider planning that extra time! A traditional Dixieland jazz band played at the reception, and the Sheraton staff and food were top notch as usual (Blackened Catfish, Oysters Rockefeller... Phillip's faves!). Virginia got ready on the 45th floor of the Sheraton, giving us all a spectacular view of the City, and the Sheraton gave us the use of the Lagniappe Room balcony overlooking Canal Street. Guests (many from New York) were treated to the busy-ness of the red streetcars, shoppers and even another wedding's Second Line parade! The bride and groom will honeymoon in Merry Old England, where Richard's best man will hold his wedding... turnabout is fair play, mate... Richard will be Sara and Jon's best man! I offered to photograph their wedding, too - if only they would buy me a round trip ticket! Congratulations, Virginia and Richard!!!

Tina & Paul's Riverview Room Wedding - French Quarter

Tina and Paul were married in the Riverview Room of the Jax Brewery in the French Quarter! This reception hall is on the top floor of the old Jax Brewery and features four balconies that overlook the French Quarter and Mississippi River... including one large, crescent-shaped window in the center of the dance floor. It's a perfect spot for a ceremony and reception, and we made the most of it's photographic opportunities. The day's coverage began with a rare rooftop visit atop the Monteleone Hotel, and we continued by limousine to the Jax Brewery for the ceremony and reception. After the ceremony, we all second lined over to Pat O'Brien's for more photos and continued the celebration until the wee hours of the morning... congratulations Tina and Paul, and thank you for a wonderful night!

Juliana and Her Parents - Outdoor Session

Juliana just had to get out of the house to bring her parents down to the lazy Natalbany River near Hammond for a lovely outdoor photography session! It was a lovely day, just a little overcast, and springtime is definitely here... Juliana just had to bring along some Easter eggs in her basket for an informal Easter egg hunt, just to get in a little bit of practice for the big day to come. Of course, she wore her finest Easter dress, while her folks preferred to kick back in some jeans and polo shirts for the afternoon. Just a casual, laid back day by the old river... gotta bring a fishing pole next time!

Call us when you're ready for your Outdoor Family Session, too! We would love to photograph your family...