Mardi Gras Madness

There's just something about New Orleans that makes you not want to leave. Maybe it's the classic streetcars that seem to take you back in time. Maybe it's the cafe au lait and beignets you had at Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter. Maybe it's the afternoon walks you took while observing the beautiful homes along St. Charles Street. For me, it's the community and spirit of the people of New Orleans. The people of New Orleans are different than anywhere else I've been. They're spirited and spicy, and make you wish you had been born there like them. They're artistic and creative, and think of outrageous costumes for Mardi Gras. Most importantly, they aren't afraid to be who they are. In fact, they flaunt it. They don't care what people think of them, and they're not afraid. Of anything. Even Hurricane Katrina, which would have washed away the spirits of people had that tragedy happened anywhere else in the country.  But not New Orleans. The people of NOLA are just as they always have been. Outspoken, original, and unafraid. Everyone there has a story, and they'd be more than willing to tell you. You usually don't even need to ask.  


Here are some select photos (in no particular order) from my most recent trip to NOLA for Mardi Gras over last week for spring break.

The Flambeaux are one of the most memorable parts of the night parades in Mardi Gras. They spin the fire on their poles, dance with it, and walk along the entire parade route.

Night parades are hard to shoot, but often have the coolest floats because of the lighting. My aunt and I ended up finding a prime spot along the parade route to view everything...it was obviously good because AP and news photographers were there both of the nights we were. Normally in the parades, the order is band, float, band, float, etc. We were at the start of the parade, and the bands would come in from the one side of the street, and after them, the floats from the other, and they would both converge on Napoleon Ave. to continue the parade. Pretty cool.

This photo is one of my favorites. It's one of those things where I don't really know why, and it's not even really exposed properly, but it really gives the feel for night parades in Mardi Gras with the crowd, confetti & lights.

The members of this krewe were actually getting in trouble by one of the directors in this photo. Apparently, one of the guys on the float had part of his costume removed and his face could be seen, which is something they're not supposed to do. The guy speaking up to the guys on the float was yelling at these guys to not let it happen again.

Most of the floats are two and sometimes three-tiered creations. Here, a band is playing below the Trojan horse and krewe members are throwing trinkets from the top.


Day parades are definitely a different atmosphere. Here are some from the weekend before Fat Tuesday.

Yes, people dress up their dogs. And even their...ponies?

This rider was really interesting looking. I ran up as soon as they were stopped, and then the little girl came up. So cute.

Then there's Bourbon Street. On Fat Tuesday. Yea, you can't even imagine. It was my first time in the Quarter for Fat Tuesday, because I had always been younger and we just hadn't gone. There were some unbelievably creative costumes, and some that I still don't know what they were trying to be. Lots of naked people, and surprisingly a lot of children. Bourbon Street, home of the brave.

Two from a gay costume competition on Bourbon in the afternoon. AMAZING costumes:

Goldilocks & The Three Bears

And then there's the other assorted non-Mardi-Gras photos.

I love the high ceilings in my aunt's house.

Locks are always a personal favorite. I photograph them wherever I go.

I'd never want to clean up the Mardi-Gras aftermath:

All photos are my personal property. Please ask before use of any purpose.

Cupcakes at *ndulge Bakery

Cupcakes are on display at Ndulge Cupcake Boutique on the 200 block of West College Avenue on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, 2010.

Sara Bintrim, 21, of State College, poses at Ndulge Cupcake Boutique on the 200 block of West College Avenue on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, 2010 in front of the Halloween gingerbread house that she made with fellow staff members. Bintrim, originally of Pittsburgh and a graduate of the culinary school of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has worked at the boutique for five days a week since it opened in May 2010.

Vickie Milton Henry, 61, of Bellefonte, Pa., packages cupcakes for delivery at Ndulge Cupcake Boutique on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Henry, who retired from Penn State in 1999 after 33 years of managing endowments, has worked at the boutique since it opened in May 2010 "for fun." Henry said her favorite flavors are carrot and coconut, but says she hasn't been able to finish a whole cupcake that she has baked at the boutique. 

Pastry chef Sara Bintrim, 21,  answers phone calls at ndulge Cupcake Boutique on the 200 block of West College Avenue on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Bintrim, originally from Pittsburgh and a graduate of the culinary school of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, now lives in State College working at the boutique five days a week since it opened in May 2010.

Election Day Coverage

For the election, we were sent to find interesting polling places to photograph. After viewing the website for voting in Centre County, I decided to pay a visit to Mike's Video and Electronics on North Atherton Street, as well as Remodeler's Workshop, a kitchen and bath remodeling store in Boalsburg.
All photos by Chloe Elmer, all taken on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

From left; Jeanette Baumbach, 60, Jean Brownley, 68, and Naomi Leubuscher, "over 60," sit and wait for voters in Mike's Video and Appliance store on North Atherton street on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. By the afternoon, they had seen a few hundred voters turn out. 

Jeanette Baumbach, 60, of State College, counts up voters at Mike's Video and Appliance on North Atherton Street in State College on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

Naomi Leubuscher, "over 60", of State College, helps John Fegyveresi, 33, and a first-year geoscience Ph.D. student, sign up to vote at Mike's Video and Appliance on North Atherton Street in State College on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

From left; Louise Young, 52, Nancy Swartzell, 65, Nancy Kurzinger, 68, and Helen Alters, 67, await voters in the Remodeler's Workshop, a  kitchen and bath remodeling specialist store in Bellefonte, Pa., on Tuesday afternoon.

Clockwise from left: Louise Young, 52, Nancy Kurzinger, 68, Helen Alters, 67, and Nancy Swartzell, 65 sit and await voters in the kitchen and bath remodeling store Remodeler's Workshop on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. The group had been there from 6 a.m. and expect to be able to leave around 9 p.m. At 5:00 p.m., they had seen around 1/3 of their 300 registered voters.

Campaign signs are displayed outside of the Remodeler's Workshop, a full-service kitchen and bath remodeling specialist store, on Tuesday November 2, 2010 in Bellefonte, Pa., where voting took place all day.

Studio/Photo Illustration

A coconut-cream pie with a graham cracker crust accented with cranberries, chocolate morsels, lightly toasted chopped pecans and a swirl of whipped cream.

Photos By: Chloe Elmer

Assignment 4: "Defining Beauty"

This week's assignment was to define what we see as beautiful. As a former dancer, I wanted to show the beauty that dancers can portray through their work. I had contacted the ballet club at Penn State, Volé, asking to photograph a point technique class. When I showed up at the time the girl had told me, however, I was surprised to find that it was only a rehearsal for a piece for their semester showcase. More than a little bit disappointed, as it was Monday at 11 p.m., I continued to shoot hopefully to get something useable. I found out that the girl who was choreographing the dance had knee surgery, yet still keeps dancing because it is her passion. To me, displaying her scar and continuing to go for her dreams even after overcoming a major obstacle is the definition of true beauty.

Becky Kelley, a Penn State senior majoring in integrative arts and dance, instructs four fellow Volé club dancers in the White Building on Monday night. As a senior and member of Volé, the ballet club on campus, Kelley choreographed a dance for Volé's showcase for the Fall of 2010 set to Ella Fitzgerald's "Fever." Kelley continued to pursue her passion of dance even after having knee surgery, which left a scar on her right knee.

Melanie Angle, a Penn State Senior majoring in psychology dances during a rehearsal for a showcase piece for Volé, Penn State's dance club, in the White Building on Monday night. The piece was set to "Fever" by Ella Fitzgerald, and was choreographed by senior Becky Kelley, an integrative arts major.

Assignment 3: "A Real Superhero"

For this assignment, I photographed volunteers of the organization Meals on Wheels on Friday, September 10th, 2010 at the Grace Lutheran Church in State College. It is here that the organization prepares meals to be delivered to clients. A number of volunteers work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to prepare and deliver meals. Supervisor Anna Carol Buffington said "I think everyone in our organization is a hero. They go about their volunteering in a quiet manner, but they make a huge impact on the clients whom they serve." The State College branch of Meals on Wheels is now in its 39th year of operation, and has served between 1.2-1.3 million meals in that time period. 

Photo By: Chloe Elmer
Dawn Crews, 42, of State College, Pa., puts cling wrap on cheese sandwiches for Meals on Wheels at the Grace Lutheran Church on Friday morning, September 10th, 2010. Crews has volunteered for Meals on Wheels for three years, but says "I love it. I feel like I've been here forever." Meals on Wheels delivers hot and cold meals  to eight different routes in the State College Area School District. After preparing the meals for two hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the volunteers pack up decorated brown bags and insulated packages and deliver them to the clients. A team of eight prepared 160 of both hot and cold meals to deliver this day.

Photo By: Chloe Elmer
Bob Lindsay, 69, of State College, Pa., delivers a hot meal and a cold meal to Margaret Budd on Fairmont Avenue on Friday morning, September 10th, 2010. Lindsay, a retired employee of the U.S. Department of Justice and Penn State Alumnus, has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for about 5 years. Lindsay drives Route 7 (out of 8 different routes throughout the State College Area School District), which is the local route, including homes in his own neighborhood.

Assignment 2: "Alphabet Portrait"

For this assignment, we were instructed to find someone with a profession beginning with the letter we picked out of an envelope. I got the letter "n," and I found a nail technician. We then had to take 2 portraits of this person, one as an environmental posed photo and the other as a candid.

Nail technician Rachel Taylor, 26, poses in front of an O.P.I. nail polish display in Looks Hair Design on Friday, September 3rd, 2010. Taylor has worked at the salon for almost two years after graduating from Empire Beauty School doing manicures and pedicures among other procedures. Taylor says her favorite part of  working as a nail technician is the variety of clientele she serves.

Nail technician Rachel Taylor, 26, paints the toenails of Tiffany Zak at Looks Hair Design on Friday, September 3rd, 2010. Zak, a Penn State senior majoring in biotechnology, gets manicures and pedicures often, but came to Taylor because she "heard she's really good." Taylor, originally from Altoona, Pa., has been a nail technician at Looks for about two years. She enjoys her job because of the variety of clientele she serves.