4 Culturally Rich Photo Shoot Venues in New Orleans

New Orleans is an incredibly important place when it comes to American history and culture. There are few venues better than those listed below to plan your upcoming production to capture the essence of “The Big Easy.”

Add a dose of culture to your New Orleans film shoot at these 4 venues

Delight in the architectural prowess and history of the French Quarter

Of course, as soon as you saw “New Orleans,” you had to know the French Quarter would be on the list of must-visit photo shoot venues in New Orleans!

Also known as the Vieux Carré (a French term meaning “Old Square”), the French Quarter is one of New Orleans’ most famous landmarks, known and adored by millions of people the world ’round.

It earned its nickname back in the 1890s, just as it was beginning to draw in tourists and become one of the city’s main travel destinations. You can find the Quarter along the Mississippi River Banks at the very site of New Orleans’ original 1718 establishment.

This French Quarter embodies the core of the city’s history, as it was all New Orleans consisted of for about 70 years.

Setting your photo shoot here is the perfect way to capture the heart and soul of this remarkable metropolis, overflowing with international heritage, vibrant art, and rich cuisine.

The Quarter is home to New Orleans’ most famous street as well: Bourbon Street. So, you can include several renowned landmarks in your shoot while reflecting the beauty of the timeless French architectural influence at the French Quarter.

Set a beautiful, natural scene at Longue Vue House and Gardens

This is one of the most widely beloved locations in New Orleans to do photo shoots of any kind. It offers vast landscapes of breathtaking natural landscapes, featuring:

• 8 acres of beautiful gardens
• 22 fountains
• Numerous statutes
• Towering live oaks

It’s the perfect setting to whisk your models away into a dreamscape of beautiful flowers, succulents, and rich sunlight. Thanks to the beauty of Longue Vue House and Gardens’ exterior, you’ll hardly be bothered by the fact that they don’t allow interior photography (generally).

Even better, they offer special packages to make your production even more worthwhile:

• Gardens Access Only: You’ll get access to the beautiful grounds of Longue Vue House and Gardens, decorated in spectacular plants of all sorts of species and historic furnishings. This package costs $100/hr (one-hour minimum) for up to 5 people with photography credentials and an additional $10 admission fee for each additional person.
• Photography Credentials & Dressing Space: This is a great bridal package thanks to the inclusion of the dressing space. However, if you’re not shooting for a wedding, it still serves as a dreamy venue for a “special occasion” production. You’ll also get private access to the Whim House, a restroom, and seating, all for $250 for the first two hours.

Reflect the deep cultural significance of the Mississippi Riverfront

Louisiana is a state endowed with water bodies of all kinds. From the bayou to the oceanside to the riverfront, you can find water in seemingly every corner of the state. The same is true of New Orleans, which lies near the Atlantic Ocean and the great Mississippi River.

This is no ordinary river. The Mississippi (or, in the Ojibwe language responsible for its original name, Misi-ziibi, meaning “long river”) holds a vast amount of significance in the American experience, which is part of what earned it its nickname, “the ancient father of waters.”

It once acted as the barrier between American and Spanish territories until 1863, when the Union soldiers overtook Vicksburg, Mississippi. Abraham Lincoln marked the historical moment with the famous quote, “The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea.”

Indigenous photographers and models will find even greater cultural significance in the Mississippi’s waters than their settler-descended counterparts, as the Ojibwe, Dakota, and Chitimacha tribes still call portions of the river home.

It holds great significance for African Americans as well, whose community took advantage of The Great Flood of 1927 to embark on the Great Migration to reach prosperity in Chicago and Detroit.

The event is marked by Bessie Smith’s “Homeless Blues,” as she sings, “Old Mississippi River, what a fix you left me in.”

The significance of the Mississippi Riverfront is endless. Any photographer whose production aims to celebrate the richness and beauty of America’s cultural heritage, especially that of Indigenous and African American communities, should make this their go-to venue.

Choose the perfect backdrop at NOLA Spaces

The NOLA Spaces photography venue has a deep history in this city. It’s served a wide variety of purposes over the years, starting as a firehouse and now functioning as a production studio for all sorts of artistic endeavors.

The original firehouse doors were repurposed into the current “shiplap” aesthetic, along with other portions of the original building. The architects even included the original firepole in the lobby as a callback to the establishment’s original purpose.

NOLA Spaces is the perfect photography studio for those looking for a retro interior design style that perfectly mixes a farmhouse and mid-century aesthetic. The repurposed interior wooden doors complement the wooden floors. Plus, the rooms are sultry and romantic thanks to the deep red paint gracing the walls.

You can choose between a bright green brick wall to pose your models or a blue brick backdrop juxtaposed to a white brick wall in another room with beautifully simplistic lantern lights.

For a more classic brick look, visit the kitchenette, where you can capture a pure farmhouse style in your photos.

NOLA Spaces is full of personality and offers several options to capture the precise style and feel you need to make your photo shoot come alive.

Feel the history and magic of New Orleans in your production

New Orleans is a city that is near and dear to America’s heart. Visit any of these venues described above to capture its full essence in your photo shoot, or find another photo shoot venue in New Orleans that’s perfect for you.

Links to images

1: https://unsplash.com/photos/tUoA7sCrRto
2: https://unsplash.com/photos/K0l4GwGX-Ec

References

French Quarter Management District, https://www.fqmd.org/history-of-french-quarter/
Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/geological-history-mississippi-river-180975509/
Longue Vue and Gardens, https://longuevue.com/photography/
NOLA Spaces, https://www.nolaspaces.com/