My Shots from New Orleans

[chrisburke]

I don't think I posted a link to my shots from New Orleans. We just did a trip there with 50 students to do relief work, got some really cool shots. I'll post to the collection, there are about 7 sets to check out, the best day was day 7 as i had some free time to go to the ghetto.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisburke/collections/72157604081914206/

my faves

 

[JIP]

Exscuse me for being overly sensitive here but why is going to the "Ghetto" a good day. I can't see where you would take pleasure in documenting other people's misfortune for your own gain or enertainment.

 

[chrisburke]

excuse me for you taking it the wrong way, but the reason is was a good day is because we spent 10 hours on the streets cleaning up and helping the people get out of their misfortune...and I enjoy helping people, thats why i consider it a good day... think before you jump to conclusions next time

 

[JIP]

No I looked at your site and totally understand what you are doing. But you still took pictures.......

 

[chrisburke]

clearly you are not a photographer if you complain that i took pictures of such a disaster as Katrina which tells me that your quote in your signature is not something you live by "never have i found the limits of photographic potential... EVERY horizon, upon being reached...

 

[itsanaddiction]

Hey Chris! I just wanted to say thank you. I am from outside of New Orleans, and though I am tired of seeing or hearing about it, I am glad that y'all were down to help. It means a lot to everyone down here that people are still coming.

And to the person that responded to you: Some of the world's best pictures came out of the most tragic moments - 9/11..WW pix, so please don't say anything. You're not from here so you have no right to call it a "ghetto". You never know, they may have been in the nicest area pre-Katrina. Please watch what you say. Thank you.

 

[chrisburke]

hey itsana thanks for your kind words. I totally agree with you on the worlds best pics.. I do have to stick up for him though on the "ghetto" he called it that, because I called it that, and I called it that, because thats what everyone called it (including the people from that area of town who worked with us) so it seemed acceptable to call it that.

to JIP Hurricane Katrina was something that has completely changed the world, whether its for the good or bad is your decision. This natural disaster was the worst one in DECADES, photographers like myself (i use the term lightly, becuase I just do photos for fun) take pictures of life, Katrina was a reality, a reality that I wanted to document... if you don't like it, perhaps you shouldnt have clicked on this forum Topic.

That aside, I did not post these images with the intent of someone out right slamming me, I merely wanted to show the pictures I took, I wasnt even looking for comments, I just wanted people to see the state they are in down there, because the news just shows the cleaned up sections of town (the french quarter) meanwhile, literally blocks outside of the quarter, is still in ruins, areas of towns where 180,000 people lived, that are totally deserted because of the destruction... the news doesnt show stuff like this anymore, because they want the world to believe that New Orleans is all better, but it isn't, and the fact is, it's an estimated 10 years before it will be back to where it was before katrina..

so stop debating whether what i did is ethical or not, because ethics is all relative, I see my motives behind the images I took, you see me as a terrible person, thats your opinion, and I'm over it.

 

[itsanaddiction]

thanks for replying. i understand and i must have missed that, but even so, i would never call someone else's town a gheyto. it looks like you were in the 9th ward or around the area. and yes it is the ghetto.

 

[chrisburke]

thanks for replying. i understand and i must have missed that, but even so, i would never call someone else's town a gheyto. it looks like you were in the 9th ward or around the area. and yes it is the ghetto.

yes we were in the 9th ward... and as I said, the people who were from that area referred to it as the ghetto, and they found it funny when we (the sheltered white people from canada) called it the ghetto... it seemed acceptable to refer to it as that

 

[ChrisP]

Chris - I like that second photo. I was in NOL the summer following Katrina and that reminded me of the early morning streets in the French Quarter (attempting to stay as far away from Bourbon St. as possible). I'm heading down in few weeks for business and think I'll try to capture some of those early-AM shots.

And by the way, thank you for what you and group did.

 

[Sarah23]

You have some great shots there! I say as long as its allowed, shoot away!!!!! Like you said, some of the best pictures came from tragedies...and they seem to show the most emotion when it comes to photography.

 

[chrisburke]

Chris - I like that second photo. I was in NOL the summer following Katrina and that reminded me of the early morning streets in the French Quarter (attempting to stay as far away from Bourbon St. as possible). I'm heading down in few weeks for business and think I'll try to capture some of those early-AM shots.

And by the way, thank you for what you and group did.

i totally understand what your saying about steering clear of bourbon st I've been down 3 times now for relief work, and seeing bourbon street once was enough for me... it is certainly not a place for kids (we had 50 of them there) but I lucked out and was able to send the kids off with our other leaders, so I went to "select" areas on bourbon, where it wasn't all sex... the first block is good... then about 10 blocks of pure garbage (meaning nothing but sex and drunks) then beyond that, you see buildings like the one in the second picture

 

[itsanaddiction]

how old were the kids?

 

[chrisburke]

how old were the kids?

youngest was 12 oldest was 18 (plus we had 11 adults ranging from 23 to 50)

 

[chrisburke]

heres another image i just finished (HDR)