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An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Sat Sep 10, 2005 at 11:36:00 PM EST
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This photolog of 197 photos from August 28 until September 6, all with diary type descriptions, is one of the best I've seen. Judging from the comments, many others feel the same way.

It's published in Der Spiegel, and composed by a man named Alvaro who worked at the Chateau Sonesta hotel. The photos give a better sense of the evolution of the damage and of what the streets really looked like before and after the flooding than most MSM photos. There's no dead bodies, close-ups of victims or politics - it's really about New Orleans. The personalized descriptions of the photos and their chronological order really made me feel like I was there. I highly recommend it.

Update: Digby also has high praise and thoughts on this photoblog, and puts some of the photos in context.

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    An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog | 6 comments (6 topical)
    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:40 PM EST
    My favorite caption on photo 112:
    "The copulation of the devastation of a local landmark and the remarkable sunset created a direct contrast of how things really were."
    Yeah, I'd say we've all been screwed since 12 noon on 1/20/01.

    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#2)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:41 PM EST
    Something I don't understand. Tuesday the streets were dry. The flooding didn't occur until Wednesday.

    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:41 PM EST
    Digby points out how insidious racism is and how it is the operative word in the NO disaster, not to mention the operative word in the US. He takes an example from the photo essay above.
    And throughout I've heard many good people insist that race is not a factor. They seem to think that racism is only defined as an irrational hatred of black people. It's not. It also manifests itself as an irrational fear of black people.
    He draws his conclusion from the caption of photo 193 which seems spot on to me:
    This was number 193 out of 197 pictures with captions. In earlier pictures he was pretty judgmental about looters but I thought that he was maybe just a law and order type. He is also Nicaraguan, so I didn't chalk up his vague condemnation of looters to racism although I've known many non-whites who actively dislike black people. And I don't chalk the above to overt racism. It is, as I've pounded the last few days, a sub-conscious fear of the black mob.
    The whole piece is well worth a read as it extends far beyond the borders of NOLA. Digby

    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Sadly, the photo diary is no longer at that link. It has been removed from the site.

    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#5)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    Photography is so immediate a form of expression that often is reveals as many things about the photographer as the subject, especially in the hands of a talented amateur. After reading Digby, the photographer may have become embarrassed because photographs were revealing something about him that he was uncomfortable about.. Could that be why they were withdrawn from the net?

    Re: An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    My sister emailed those photos to me and they were simply breathtaking Perhaps the magazine Der Spiegel can assist viewers in purchasing the issue in which the photolog originally appeared.

    An Exceptional Katrina - New Orleans Photolog | 6 comments (6 topical)