Several months ago I met Frank Aymami (http://www.eye-creative.com), an award-winning, New Orleans photographer who is working on a book for Save Our Cemeteries using infrared photographs. Upon seeing his infrared images, I fell in love with their ethereal, film-like quality. I also became fascinated with the way that infrared makes green leaves and grass look like snow and turns a bright blue sky black and shades of grey. After Frank mentioned that it was relatively inexpensive to obtain an old DSLR and get it converted to infrared, I decided to try it myself. I bought a used Nikon D200 on eBay which I then sent to a company called LifePixel to be converted to a black and white monochrome infrared. The whole process took only a few weeks but, unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to use my infrared camera until quite recently.

Once I attempted to use my infrared camera, I quickly realized that making infrared images (both the taking and editing of them) is completely different from "regular," DSLR photography. It is a whole other ballgame that I did not understand and could not figure out for the life of me. I was in desperate need of a crash course so I talked Frank into giving me a lesson last week. I, thus, became his first infrared photography student.

My lesson took place in Greenwood Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in New Orleans. Many locals know Greenwood for the bronze elk statue which sits atop an earthen mound at the top of Canal Street. The mound houses the tomb of Lodge No. 30 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks (hence the bronze elk). On a personal note, since the late 1990s, my parents and I have lovingly referred to the elk as "the horse" (that's a whole other story to be told another time). In any event, while I was there I could not resist taking a shot of the horse, err, elk.

*Elk atop the tomb of Lodge No. 30 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks.*

There are many things that I love about New Orleans but at the top of my list is the deep history and unique culture of the city. That deep history and unique culture is epitomized in New Orleans' cemeteries. Greenwood Cemetery is no exception. Established in 1852 by the Firemen's Charitable and Benevolent Association, the Cemetery still averages 1,000 internments a year. The cemetery's most famous occupant is likely John Kennedy Toole, author of The Confederacy of Dunces. Unfortunately, I did not realize he was buried there until after my visit so I do not have a picture of his tomb. But that's just another reason to return. For more information on Greenwood's history, please visit the Greenwood Cemetery website - http://www.greenwoodnola.com/history/.

Here are some more infrared photos from my lesson in Greenwood Cemetery.