New Orleans Portrayed
Photographs by David G. Spielman
Dorothea Lange said, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” My job as a photographer is not to direct or manipulate a picture, it’s to capture something that presents itself to me. The architecture, light, shapes and people have to come together in a special way within the boundaries of my viewfinder. A good photograph is the culmination of life lived, books read, music heard, food eaten, and experiences had.
New Orleans Portrayed represents thousands of hours of wandering and wondering, with good days and bad light, with bad days and good light. Photographers don’t find the picture; pictures find the photographer. As Walker Evans said, “Good photography is unpretentious.” These ideas continue to inspire and drive my work.
About the Author
Originally from Oklahoma, David Spielman has called New Orleans home for the past four decades. He has worked on projects on six continents, ranging from fine art to hard news photographs published in books and journals. His work has been exhibited in such venues as the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Margaret Mitchell House, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Whatcom Museum. His previously published books include: Southern Writers, Katrinaville Chronicles, When Not Performing, and The Katrina Decade. In 2016, Spielman was awarded the Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities Documentary Photographer of the Year award. In addition to photography, Spielman often gives lectures and presentations about his work, offering a very personal view of his New Orleans.
Praise for New Orleans Portrayed
“David Spielman’s images of New Orleans during its tricentennial year celebrate everyday life and special occasions with straightforward presentation and unvarnished honesty. Long- honored traditions are reflected in his views of citizens of every stripe and of New Orleans’s varied neighborhoods. While the photographs in New Orleans Portrayed mark a specific time, they are also timeless.”
–Priscilla Lawrence, former President/CEO of The Historic New Orleans Collection
“With the loving eye of an insider, David Spielman’s rich black-and-white images capture the city as New Orleanians know and love it. Avoiding the clichés of the tourist souvenir books, he celebrates the people and places that make this such a special town.”
–Tom Sancton, musician and author of Song for My Fathers
Hardcover 120 pages ©2020
ISBN 9781946160607