As the year ends, and a new one begins i can’t help but reflect and get philosophical about life, the world, photography and art and culture. So as i make you sit through my rants to get to my BEST OF 2013…enjoy

 

What is social media becoming? The show flyer pileup on a pole on Frenchmen Street.

First off, i feel that social media is helpful, but is becoming the show flyer wall on Frenchmen St. You know the one, 20-30 flyers tacked to each other that comes off the wall 4″ thick? As one flyer’s date passes, another gets nailed to it – but when you walk back and realize that there’s so much information thatyou can read one clearly…they all become stuck together on the wall: their words stuck together in our heads our brains can’t process them. We now have FB, twitter, instagram, tumblr, vine, and who knows what else that’s competing for our eyes, our time, our $ – i look out at the world and see the tops of peoples heads walking towards me, staring at their phones…Soon you’ll be the smart advertiser and post your adds in sidewalk chalk. Let it rain, Let it rain…

What is Photography? “JPGrapher’s Dumbdown” What is a JPGrapher??

From 2001-2003 i worked the sales counter at Lakeside Camera and saw digital start its slow creep into the local commercial world as local photographers were pawning their old Hasselblads and Mamiyas (i still have 2 from that period i bought at Cost+10%) and “trading up” for the NEW Nikon D1x – 5.4 MP and the Canon D30 w/ a whopping 3.3 MP – read the

reviews here!!!

.What i saw slowly happen, was the dumbdown of what a “good photograph” is being: as our eyes and lives slowly turned more to the backlit world of our now pixelized-life. All the new photographers in the digital age (JPGraphers) know nothing about film, but more importantly about light – their end result of a stunning photograph starts w/ a 2″ LCD screen and ends with a 17″ LCD screen…of course its’ gonna look RAD! – I see more an more every day what people think a good photograph is, and it’s becoming more technically poor, not lit well, and probably would stand the test of time on a wall. Will we be using computers in 20 years? Will we be admiring the prints of Herman Leonard, Ansel Adams? Trust me folks, THE PROOF IS, WILL BE, AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN….IN THE PRINT.

Here’s to 2014. Good intentions, Great content. – Do Good Work, and Stick Around!

See you on the Streets

Zack

 Aerials shot during French Quarter Fest 2013

 Chalmette Battlefield Graveyard

 Maggie Koerner

 Kronos Quartet

 Josef Makkos and his Newspapers

 Gambit Weekly Cover shot, December 2013

 PitFire Grill

 Tulane University Marching Band at New Orleans Bowl

 David Batiste at Ponderosa Stomp

 Eddie Daniels

 Chris Clark

 Cindy Scott

 Honey Island Swamp Band

 Kuffa and Ryan

 Marco Benevento

 Best Damn Booze Photographer, Sara Essex

 Sweet Crude

 Young Pinstripe Brass Band

 Zion Harmonizers

I love collaborating with like minded folks to make stunning, creative, and lasting images in New Orleans, Louisiana.

And 2013 wouldn’t have been what it was w/o the excellent client of Krewe du Optic and Stirling Barret. KDO is why i photograph – i love collaborating w/ like minded folks to make stunning, creative, and lasting images. Here are some of my favorite from the 2013 campaign…