art, photography, random thought, travel, writing

south louisiana red fishin’

a few weeks ago, i had the priviledge of fishing the gulf for reds.

my good friends and clients took me on one of their corporate retreats to capture the activities of the weekend.

i didn’t fish much, but as you can image, i shot a ton. it was just too much fun…

we landed in new orleans, one of my favorite cities. but after a long cajun lunch and a few beverages, we headed south. way south.

in fact, i didn’t even know where we were going actually existed. thought it was all marsh land. no highways, buildings, people, etc.

i was obviously wrong. happens every once in a while…

we stayed at woodland plantation, a fantastic old set of 100+ year old structures.

one of which is the famous house on the southern comfort bottle.

local cat and mouse game.

but that mouse bites back.

so the next morning we rose early to a dense, eerie fog over the gulf.

we headed out, deep into the byways and bayous of deep south louisiana. the light was gorgeous for me. bad for fishing.

the fog finally cleared in the afternoon and we started catching a few fish.

back at the plantation, we could see the massive ships coming up the mighty mississippi river over the levee.

there it is… recognize it?

spirits hall was a 138 year old church, converted into what else… a bar!

beautiful on the inside.

the next day there was still plenty more fishing to do…

and alligators to watch…

it was a fantastic experience.

meeting these guys, the great food and drink, and of course that famous south louisiana hospitality.

i love my job.

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2011

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photography, random thought, travel

i hate valentimes? caddo lake

elle, hunter trek, and i spent valentines day out at caddo lake on the texas-louisiana border.  swamp country.

it’s a whole other world out there.  we enjoyed the signs in uncertain, texas…

it was incredibly cold, but by far the best valentines day i’ve ever had.  neither of us like the “holiday” and feel it’s a bit contrived.

but spending the weekend hiking, playing card games, cooking out, and drinking wine was so enjoyable, i think it might become a tradition.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2010

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photography, random thought, travel, writing

the big easy, matrimony

they call new orleans “the big easy”, and if you’ve ever been there, it is just that.

marriage, however, they say is not so easy.

“it’s a lot of work,” the old couples will tell you.

well, my friends Al and Leslie decided to take their vows in the shadow of bourbon street, and we all had a blast.

st. louis cathedral is a popular ceremony venue.  understandably so… it’s historic and incredibly beautiful.

Joe and Erin ham it up at the rehearsal dinner.

it was great to see all of my old austin friends…

the girls got ready, and the rains came down.

this calls for champagne!

the mom’s got all dolled up and felt beautiful…

the ceremony ended, but the rain kept up.  we were all praying that the levees hold…

but the rain can’t stop a good party in nola… and even though i was shooting, i had a great time too!

Al and Leslie danced the night away…

early sunday morning, i wandered the soaked streets of the french quarter looking for coffee.

i saw a weathered older couple stumbling down the sidewalk with tall boys in their hands, partially concealed by brown paper bags.

i grew an affinity for a city struggling somewhere between poverty and excess.  it’s a city with real soul.

music, cuisine, and art unique to its people.  drugs, alcoholism, and prostitution.  good and bad… all weighed heavy on me.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2010

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