• Home
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • 2022 Guide to Cleveland in The Winter
  • View The Blog
  • Work With Me
  • About
  • Shop My Amazon Faves
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Social

    Search

Local Love & Wanderlust | Cleveland-Based Travel & Lifestyle Blog

Local Love & Wanderlust | Cleveland-Based Travel & Lifestyle Blog

All Things Cleveland Ohio & Travel

  • Destinations
    • Arizona
    • California
    • Illinois
    • New York
    • Louisiana
    • Nevada
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Washington
  • Guides
    • Travel Guides
    • Cleveland Ohio Guides
    • Hotel Guides
    • Itineraries
  • Cleveland
    • 2022 Guide to Cleveland in The Winter
    • Neighborhood Guides
  • Shop
    • Shop My Faves
    • Shop Photo Prints

Photographing New Orleans: 15 Things You’ll Want to Capture

Destinations, Photography

Neon sign set on top of red chairs

Photographing New Orleans is easy as it’s one of the most photogenic cities in the United States. I will take you through the 15 things I think are musts when photographing New Orleans from a photographer’s perspective. 

I tend to always look at things with a creative eye finding beauty and things worth capturing in so many places. Below, I will take you through my thought process, share photo tips, and some other helpful tidbits along the way. If you are planning your trip to New Orleans you’ll want to make a list as you definitely don’t want to miss these things. Throughout the post, I will leave my notes from a photographic perspective in this format. Keep an eye out for the little camera icon!

Photographing The Colors Of New Orleans

Pastel colored buildings with wrought iron balconies and green plants in New Orleans
Colorful Doorway in New Orleans
Colorful Doorway in New Orleans

1: Colorful Doorways & Architecture

As you stroll through New Orleans you’ll notice that almost every single building is bursting with colors. Most notable are the beautiful doorways on homes and businesses. This is part of the heart and soul of New Orleans and something you’ll want to remember. 

As you make your way through photographing New Orleans, look at the textures of the paint chipping, the worn iron, and keep an eye out for the unexpected bursts of colors

Colorful Doorway in New Orleans
Colorful Doorway in New Orleans
Colorful buildings in New Orleans
Gorgeous home in the Garden District
Literally one of my favorite buildings, love the logotype.
Pink building with white doors and wrought iron fence balcony in New Orleans
Brennen’s, the master of pink

2: Pink, The Unofficial Color Of The City

One thing you will notice if you know to look is there really is a lot of pink buildings in New Orleans. I’m a big fan of a lovely shade of pink/coral so I am completely here for this. If you are a pink fan, too, keep your eyes peeled and you will see it everywhere. If pink isn’t your thing, challenge yourself to find a few buildings in the color you like best and then focus on the most unique element of each building.

Pink building with wrought iron balcony and plants in New Orleans
Pink building with white doors in New Orleans
Wrought iron fence with colorful Mardi Gras beads draping in New Orleans
Intentionally draped in the Garden District

3: Mardi Gras Beads Draping On Everything

Another detail you will notice when photographing New Orleans is that Mardi Gras beads are draped on everything. This is more prevalent in the Spring during Mardi Gras season, but often the beads linger in hard-to-reach places and with those who embrace them as a form of permanent decoration around town. 

You’ll see beads in all kinds of places. Try to get in some background for context so you remember where the beads were hung. You can always have fun with close-up shots, too.

Tree with colorful Mardi Gras beads draping from it in New Orleans
Stuck in trees in the Quarter
Male and Female wearing Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans
Pictures of yourself with beads count!
Tomb with colorful graffiti x's and Mardi Gras beads draped in New Orleans
Beads are literally everywhere, tomb in St. Louis Cemetery #1

New Orleans Has An Eye For Detail

Tiles embedded on sidewalk with street name in New Orleans
Bourbon, the most popular street in New Orleans?

4: Ceramic Street Name & Floor Tiles

These are some of my favorite things to take pictures of throughout the city! I love how each one has its own character and unique look to it. It’s also fun to get your feet in here so you can remember what type of pants and shoes you used to wear, for posterity, of course!

Tiles embedded on sidewalk with street name in New Orleans
Feet on top of decorative tile

“Shoe-fies” isn’t everyone’s thing and that’s OK. You don’t have to be in the shot at all. You can also challenge yourself to find unique angles to photograph street tiles to show a little more context to the area. If you do choose to photograph your feet in each shot, try to take photos on different days so you have a variety of shoe and outfit styles in each photo.

Feet on top of decorative tile
Feet on top of decorative tile
Tiles embedded on sidewalk with street name in New Orleans
Wrought Iron fence with Fleur de Lis finials in New Orleans
Look at this incredible patina
Brick building with wrought iron balcony and hanging plants in New Orleans
One of the most photographed corners, The LaBranche House

5: Wrought & Cast Iron Details

From wrought iron finials on top of fences to the balconies and galleries, you will find iron details all over the city. Keep an eye out, some of the detail is spectacular and makes for great photos that are distinctively New Orleans. 

Palm tree next to building with wrought iron fence in New Orleans
Get creative with angles when photographing fencing
Wrought iron fence detail in New Orleans
Get up close with amazing details

Fun Fact: What you think is a balcony may actually be a gallery! A BALCONY is a narrow platform that juts out from a building with no supporting beams. A GALLERY comes out over the sidewalk and often wraps around the building with support beams that reach the ground. 

Learn more about the hidden history of the French Quarters balconies with this great article from Atlas Obscura 

Wrought Iron fence with Fleur de Lis finials in New Orleans
Fancy finials

▸▸▸ I love shooting fences like these with a shallow depth of field to get a nice bokeh effect in the background. This is great when you want to put less emphasis on the background and more on the textures and colors of the iron piece. If you are shooting with your phone, try it in Portrait mode, it’s not perfect but sometimes it works. If shooting with a DSLR you’ll achieve this look with a lower F-Stop or by using a fixed focal length lens like a 50mm.

Nature Galore

Man walking down wooden trail into the swamp
The trail over the swamp in Barataria Preserve

6: Swampy Situations

You know, I’ve been to the city nine times and my last trip was the first time we explored the swampland. Crazy, I. know, but I am so glad we did! Visiting the swamps will often be a drive just outside of the city but are tied into the culture and plans of many visitors so I added them to the list. 

Want to know what it was like to be SO close to all this wildlife? Check out my post on Barataria Preserve where I share our experiences and see what it’s like to be so close to an alligator!

Alligator floating in the swamp in New Orleans
Gators galore in Honey Island Swamp
A snake slithers through green plant life on the surface of the swamp
Snake floating in Barataria Preserve

▸▸▸ The swamp is very busy visually and I found focusing on an object or creature helped make my images feel more dynamic and visually interesting. Sure, get some overall shots but then try to focus. Use the reflections of the water for balance. The curving lines break up the symmetry. Don’t be afraid to crop later on. Sometimes you just have to shoot to capture the swamp animals before they disappear.

Turtles climbing a log in the swamp of New Orleans
Turtles as seen in Honey Island Swamp
Large live oak tree covered in moss in park setting
Large Live Oak in Audubon Park

7: Huge, Live Oak Trees

We visited these trees in Audubon Park and were blown away by how huge and knotted they were with large, draping trunks and moss hanging. These are not unique to New Orleans but definitely part of the nature experience and make for beautiful photographs. 

There is so much beauty within the trees, try photographing them up close for a more macro approach. Look up from beneath, focus on the long, winding branches.

Large live oak tree draped with moss in park in New Orleans
Large Live Oak in Audubon Park
Palm trees fanning out in New Orleans
Palms in Jackson Square

8: Plant Life In The City

Sometimes I forget that New Orleans is a sub-tropical climate with palm trees and other tropical-climate loving plant life. Mixed in with these tropical plants are beautiful trees and flowers and the combination makes for a wide variety of beautiful plant life and trees throughout the city. Keep an eye out for unique-looking plants and trees with swirling branches reaching in all directions. 

Orange flowers next to ornate fence pole
Pretty flowers growing in a fence in the Quarter
White window frame with green scene
A peak of St. Peter’s Street through the Cabildo Window

The juxtaposition of plant life in the city makes for the perfect subject. Don’t be afraid to show the building or structure next to the plants as it can help balance and make your photo really stand out. Challenge yourself to find a creative perspective on the greenery and plant life – like this view framed perfectly by the arched door and windows below.

Burgundy colored plant in front of purple building
Love the colors found here in the Garden District
A lovely manicured Neutral Ground on Esplanade

Memorable Architecture & Interiors

Cathedral in front of park
Jackson Square

9: Beautiful Exteriors, Funky Interiors

Just about every building you see in New Orleans is going to be striking whether it’s old and peeling or new and trendy. Photograph your favorite spots to remember them always. 

Taking great photos in dim light isn’t always easy. If you don’t have a tripod (and I’ll be honest, I rarely ever do) you’ll want to rest your camera and arm on something to hold it steady when taking your photos. Because your camera’s aperture will be open longer, any movement can potentially cause blur. This isn’t always a bad thing! Notice the bartender above is a blur while everything else is in focus? This gives your image movement and helps tell a story. Some editing would be needed to really make your photos pop.

Lit up carousal inside bar
Love the colors found here in the Garden District
Small cafe at night
The Garden District, it’s not just a clever name
Bar wall with writing and picture frames
Love the colors found here in the Garden District
Brightly colored bathroom
The Garden District, it’s not just a clever name
Statue in front of pool surrounded by greenery
Fenced in courtyard
Colorful homes surrounding rain covered courtyard

10: Spooky Alleys & Dreamy Courtyards

Perspective can help make an alley shot great. You can be perfectly symmetrical with it, or try to move at an angle to make it more dynamic. Shoot between fences but include the fence. Think of what you want to remember most and use that as your guide. I always want to remember the overall vibe of the place so I try to include elements to add context.

Rain covered alley at night
Colorful homes surrounding courtyard
Aging brick cemetery
Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s resting place
Aging brick cemetery
These textures are incredible

11: Cemeteries Like You’ve Never Seen Before

These cemeteries are more than likely going to be extremely unique to you as not many other places in the world bury their dead this way. What about these cemeteries caught your eye? For me, it’s often all of the color and textures from the aging brick and concrete to the offerings left behind.

Greenery surrounding aging brick
The textures and colors are astounding
Pyramid tomb cemetery
Nicolas Cages’ unique future final resting place
Cemetery in New Orleans
A very unique cemetery

New Orleans Is delicious

Orange colored rice dish on teal tablecloth
Jambalaya from Pat O’Brien’s

For me, experiencing the food scene is a huge part of travel. Many destinations have food that is very tied to their culture and who they are as a city. That’s why food is on this list. Sure, many people take food pictures but here are my tips on taking appetizing, beautiful food photos using your phone or camera. 

When photographing food it’s best to photograph it in bright, natural light. Especially if shooting with your phone. Regardless of how good the light is, sometimes your photo will turn out a bit too warm or cold. This is where you’ll want to do some editing before posting to make your food photo as appealing as it was when looking at the food itself.

potatoes, eggs, toast, and beignets on table
Angle your shot to get nice and close on your dish
potatoes, eggs, toast, and beignets on table
We literally eat here daily, Cafe Beignet is memorable

12: Red Beans, Jambalaya & So Much More

Looking at these photos I just want to be back in New Orleans sitting at my little outdoor cafe table savoring the cajun flavors and spices. There are lots of ways to photograph your food and while some may find this an obnoxious trend, don’t worry about them, they don’t care about memories as much as you do. 

▸▸▸ Be polite to those around you, not everyone wants to watch you stand on a chair to get the best shot of your food. My process? Take a few quick shots then put my phone away. This is really important if you are eating with someone and want to include their dish in your photo, don’t make them wait. Take a quick shot or two then let them eat their meal. 

plate with chocolate chip cookies and cookie dough on blender
Willa Jean knows how to do details.
Breakfast dishes set out on table
I’ll always remember these Abelskivers from Toast!

▸▸▸ One thing I try to do when photographing food is to put emphasis on a detail I thought was special. For example, how cool is it to get served cookie dough on a blender attachment with your plate of cookies and milk? I also try to make sure the name of the restaurant is visible. Is it on the coffee mug, the napkin ring? If you don’t feel like standing up and taking photos is an option, try to shoot at the level of your food and capture some background of the restaurant.

Biscuit on a plate with butter and jam
A biscuit at Mother’s right before the line got long
Donut covered in green, yellow, and purple sprinkles in New Orleans
King Cake donut at District Donuts stylish establishment
Puffed donuts covered in powdered sugar in New Orleans
Fluffy, sugary goodness

13: Beignets For Days

I love beignets! Fluffy clouds of dough served over a pile of powdered sugar, what’s not to love? These make the list because it’s such a distinctive New Orleans experience that you should document eating them, at least once. 

Hand holding powdered sugar coated donut
My favorite beignets at Cafe Beignet

Document the mess! Eating beignets is messy and that’s ok. Sometimes it makes for funny results – an extremely messy table, clothing covered in powdered sugar, the aftermath of the sugar piles. What about eating a beignet was memorable? Focus on that.

Table covered with powdered sugar
Tried to clean our Cafe Beignet table
Plates of powdered sugar on marble table
Look at all that sugar at Cafe du Monde
Bright green drinks in front of a pink door in New Orleans
Be careful with these guys! Note the little hand grenade floating
Colorful jester drinks in front of pink door
Jester drinks from Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris

14: Silly Novelty Drinks

Ahhh, sugary sweet novelty drinks. I don’t spend a lot of time on Bourbon Street these days but it’s a must for everyone to experience at least once. While you’re there you will notice people walking around with silly drinks. Fishbowls, aliens, Jesters, hand grenades, Fleur de Lis shaped containers and so many more. These drinks are fun and some of them pack a punch so be careful as you may not realize how much you’re drinking through the sugary goodness. Okay, these aren’t always that good but they can be fun to drink when hanging out with your friends or walking around and people watching.

On my first trip to New Orleans, I tried to take home my novelty glasses. Now I opt to just take fun photos of them. It’s way easier to cram into your suitcase at the end of a trip!

Machines with colorful frozen drinks against blue wall
Yum, sugary frozen daiquiris! These shops are all over the French Quarter. Frozen Hurricanes are yummy!

Tip: Not into alcohol? No worries. Some of these places offer alcohol-free versions. Just ask or look into it ahead of time so you know where to go. 

Green and red drinks with two males and female holding
If you don’t have a blurry photo of your novelty drinks did you even Bourbon Street, though?
Friends toasting tall cocktails with garnishes
Pimm’s Cup cheers with friends at Napoleon House

15: Classy Cocktails

New Orleans is known for so many drinks from the classic Hurricane to the Sazerac and so many more. Cocktails always make great photographs as they often get a very stylish treatment to them before they are handed to you. Who doesn’t want to remember that pretty drink? 

Man holding red cocktail drink on teal tablecloth
The best Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s
Garnished cocktail on napkin
A Vieux Carré (back) at the Carosaul Bar

▸▸▸ Are you in a dimly lit bar? Cameras and phones these days have better low-light capabilities but if you’re struggling, try these things: Move a nearby candle closer to your drink, use a friend’s phone flashlight feature to light (read the room here, don’t disturb other patrons!), or sometimes just moving as you may be blocking a light source. As always, if in dim light hold your camera or phone absolutely still to avoid blurry photos.

Garnished cocktail with napkin
Include pretty details like this monogrammed napkin that came with the drink

Bonus: Photograph It Even If You’re Not Sure It’s Photo-Worthy

Man in green cape standing on crate on the street
Street Performers make for great photos (they may expect a tip if you take a photo)

Unless you are shooting with film, you should have an almost limitless amount of photographs you can take so don’t be afraid to take a few weird and random photos, especially if it helps you remember something about your trip. After all, photographs and memories are what you’ll bring back. I could keep making categories of things for you to photograph but I’ve covered some of the unique things New Orleans has to offer and hopefully it’s got your creative brain thinking of ideas and feeling inspired. Keep your eyes peeled as you never know what interesting things may pop up. 

Green and red neon sign
A neon sign reminds us of our favorite late-night pizza spot
Lock covered fence gate
Love the locks of love found on a fence by the river.

Pin This Article For Later

Find more content like this under: Destinations, Photography, Louisiana, New Orleans

Other Posts You Might Like

St. Charles Cathedral behind palm trees.New Orleans Travel Guide: Epic Things to Do, Eat & See
Your First Mardi Gras In New Orleans (What To Know, How To Plan, & What To Do!)
Man walking on wood trail through tropical swampWalk Through The Swamp in Barataria Preserve Near New Orleans

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Next Post >

Epic 8-Day Pacific Northwest Itinerary: Part 1 Seattle

Primary Sidebar

Behind The Blog

Hi there, I’m Jen. Cleveland-based photographer and designer with an eye for well-designed spaces and places. Local Love & Wanderlust is a travel and lifestyle blog that shares photo-focused guides and content with a focus on life in Cleveland, the outdoors, and postcard-worthy destinations across the US.

Learn More

Let's Connect

Reader Favorites

  • Cleveland A Look Inside City Goods in Ohio City, One of Cleveland’s Most Unique Shopping Experiences
  • The Lone Cypress on the 17-Mile Drive Monterey, California
    Destinations , Guides , Outdoors Where to Stop Along the 17-Mile Drive in Monterey, California
  • View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer across the Golden Gate strait.
    Destinations , Guides San Francisco to Big Sur: Iconic Views, Things To Do + Huge 5-Day Itinerary
  • Palm Trees lining a desert oasis in Palm Springs
    Destinations , Outdoors Andreas Canyon, An Easy Desert Hike In Palm Springs, California

Shop My Travel Faves

Away Luggage Away Luggage

I love this cary-on sized luggage, complete with a battery charging pack. It fits all my luggage perfectly.

We both get $20 off when you use my link


“Fjallraven Fjallraven Kanken Daypack

Is it trendy? Sure. However, it’s been my favorite travel companion, camera bag (they have inserts!), and the perfect personal item on flights.


“Fuji Fujifilm x100v

This is the perfect compact mirrorless camera when you don’t want to carry your bigger DSLR around.

Here is the wrist strap I use link

Disclosure

Local Love & Wanderlust is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Read our disclosure for more details on other partnerships we have.

Follow Along

@localloveandwanderlust

Have you seen these Pop Art gems in Cleveland? To Have you seen these Pop Art gems in Cleveland?

To celebrate #popartday I wanted to share a few great pieces you can see in Cleveland museums from one of my favorite artists and someone I share a birthday with, Andy Warhol 🤍

1-3 Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species exhibit currently going on at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History @gocmnh 

4-6 Two Warhol pieces currently hanging at the Cleveland Museum of Art: Marilyn x 100 in the Contemporary Art wing, and Jaqueline Kennedy II in the Photographs in Ink exhibit.

That’s just a preview, there’s more great Pop and other art to discover in Cleveland. Do you have a favorite piece or artist?
.
.
.
.
#andywarhol #popart #clevelandmuseumofart #museumsoftheworld #thisiscle #ohiofindithere @ohio.findithere
4 Exciting Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Clevela 4 Exciting Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Cleveland on the blog now!

You’re going to want to save this one.

Visit localloveandwanderlust.com

Of course there is the New Orleans style revelry, but did you know Cleveland celebrated 3 other cultural festivities with ties to Mardi Gras?

PLUS Did you know Cleveland is also going to have a Mardi Gras parade and big celebration downtown?

We even have a New Orleans-themed restaurant!

It doesn’t end there- I also reviewed menus from so many local restaurants, bakeries and other shops to find who is making Beignets, King Cakes, Paczki, New Orleans cocktails, and delicious Cajun & Creole food.

If you love this, please share! If you learned something new or feel I forgot somewhere, let me know in the comments 💜💚💛
.
.
.
.
#mardigrascleveland #mardigras #thisiscle #paczkiday #clevelandkurentovanje #ohiofindithere #clevelandfattuesday
I need your help! What other Ohio winter hikes sh I need your help!

What other Ohio winter hikes should I add to this wishlist??

Tell me in the comments
.
.
.
.
#hikeohio #winterhiking #ohiohikers #clevelandblogger #clevelandmetroparks #summitmetroparks #lakemetroparks #ohiofindithere #thisiscle #hike24in23 
Winter hike in Ohio, snowy hikes, Ohio Parks
Love hiking that first fresh snowfall! The vivid Love hiking that first fresh snowfall! 

The vivid green pops of the hemlock trees truly made the views something special.
.
.
.
#lakemetroparks #remarkablelakecountyoh #hogbackridgepark #snowyhike #instanature #exploremore #hike24in23
This is my new favorite Ohio winter hike! Our sec This is my new favorite Ohio winter hike!

Our second hike on our goal of hiking 24 new-to-us trails this year was also our first snowy hike of the year.

@lakemetroparks feed influenced me to add this park to our list. The vivid hemlock trees really pop against the snowy and leafless tree landscape. It was so worth the drive to get there.

What I liked most was how much visual and trail surface variety this park has. It’s a new favorite and I hope to return in the spring when an abundance of wildflowers are said to be in bloom. 

You’ve got to see this place, it’s dreamy.

📍Hogback Ridge Park part of Lake Metroparks
.
.
.
.
#hike24in23 #ohiofindithere #lakemetroparks #hikeohio #hogbackridgepark #ohioblogger #beautiful_ohio_scenes #thisiscle #remarkablelakecountyoh #bestofthebuckeyestate #ne_ohio_parks #snowyhike

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

On The Blog

  • Cleveland
  • Destinations
  • Lifestyle
  • Outdoors
  • Guides
  • Photography

Info

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclosure

Search The Blog

Copyright © 2023

 

Loading Comments...