NOLA, April 6

I think it's difficult to communicate what I've been seeing thus far. New Orleans is a large city, much of which saw some flood damage, some did not. When you get to the edges of the city, crossing into other smaller cities, you start to see much different scenery. St. Bernard Parish has so far only 20% recovered from the flood. It's difficult to explain why. Some people are open to talking about the politics involved in rebuilding, I hope to get a better idea of this for my next blog entry.

So why am I down here? Why New Orleans and the surrounding community?

I decided to come down here near the end of last year, 2007. After talking with the St. Bernard Project extensively, my project's focus became imminent; give families something they'll treasure. They are already receiving a home, how about photographing them and giving them a portrait to hang on their newly built walls. So that's where it all started. I'm going to create my project so that it can be ongoing. If the St. Bernard Project is still building homes, my Project will still be photographing portraits. I think I'm going to be creating a website just for the "project" where I will show the portraits taken, discuss the mission, allow for photographic internships, and create a community for others who'd like to help through photography. This is a turning point I feel in my life and I cannot wait to share with you all the portraits and stories I obtain this week.

I'm going to leave you with this image for today. This house hasn't been worked on. But you get a sense of life out of it. I hope they are well and do hope they return someday.



Until next time, keep me and my fellow photographer in your prayers.

Erica