Louisiana from the Sky
by Philip Gould and Ben Sandmel
Coming December 2025
About the Book
We seldom get a full sense of Louisiana’s landscape from the ground. The horizon can elude us, as foliage and structures often obstruct our view. From above though, the landscape opens up, revealing a broad sweep with remarkable depth. Louisiana from the Sky focuses on the world around us: landscapes, landmarks, and, from a distance, people. With clear eyes, the book also portrays the immense environmental challenges the state faces.
Since 1974, celebrated photographer Philip Gould has built a career capturing the Boot, primarily from ground-level. In this collection, he uses both a drone camera and high-winged aircraft to see Louisiana anew. Bolstered by essays from journalist and folklorist Ben Sandmel, Louisiana from the Sky offers a new vision of the Pelican State.
About the Authors
PHILIP GOULD is a cultural documentary and architecture photographer who has made Louisiana his home and favorite subject since 1974, when he moved to the Bayou State from California to work on the Daily Iberian as a photographer. Based in Lafayette, Gould has photographed throughout the state, the nation, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Louisiana from the Sky is his twentieth book.
Author, musician, and folklorist BEN SANDMEL travels Louisiana documenting traditional music, produces the musicians’ interview stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and was the drummer/producer on the Grammy-nominated album Deep Water by the historic Cajun band the Hackberry Ramblers. Sandmel wrote the books Zydeco! and Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans. His articles appear in academic anthologies and such magazines as The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal. In 2021, Sandmel received a master’s degree in musicology from Tulane University.
© Philip Gould
Softcover with flaps | 216 Pages | 9" x 11" | ISBN: 978-1-959569-28-2