Louisiana - New Orleans - Steamboat Natchez

Steamboat Natchez, New Orleans


The 9th steamboat of this name was built in 1975 but is plenty historical:
The docked boat and view west on the Mississippi River, or river north. New Orleans treats the river as east-west despite its 180-degree meanderings, so "west" is actually due south at this point. The only direction this isn't is east.


The boat starts heading river south, or New Orleans east, or cardinal north. These are the sights along the left shore (the New Orleans side) as it does so, with a half-glance back toward downtown.


Two views back toward the city (opposite the boat direction), then three images that pan along the river from left to right in that direction, from shore to shore. I'm scared to say directions, but this is river north/New Orleans west/cardinal south. (The south/west physical photo angle is why the sun's starting to set in a "northward" photo.)


Big wheel, keep on turning. It doesn't slow down at any point, but a fast shutter slows it down to a near stop in the second photo, and you can see the water spray off the flat boards with the city in the background.


More views back toward the city as the river begins to curve east again, simplifying me to two directions. The last four photos are northward toward the east bank where there is a gigantic Domino sugar refinery and a Panamanian cargo ship, very likely unloading more of that crystalline fuel.


Throughout the cruise, the band plays on, with a few breaks. Live, on-key jazz is a blessing that you can't appreciate until you leave New Orleans and don't have it anymore.


The boat turns around as the sun begins to set in late May (8 PM), and here are some photos back west toward the city as it does so.


Cardinal east/river south views of the sunset's effect on the opposite sky. Manufacturing continues in full tilt as the red moon rises over the horizon.


Here's how a steamship goes. Thelma and Louise are in the correct order, but why is Louise numbered 1? The paddlewheel mechanism keeps moving parts going at a blur as the wheel turns smoothly.


The boat fortunately goes past the dock and makes a second U-turn by the Greater New Orleans/Crescent City Connection Bridge so that it's angled properly for the next excursion. That gives architectural, structural, and highway enthusiasts a great chance for excellent photos. These are a few of my favorites - note the long, smooth waves caused by overexposure in the first photo, and varying exposure lengths with a contrast between the ship's structures and the bridge in the latter photos. I've taken others as well, on the bottom of my Business US 90 roads page.


To flash or not to flash? Flash has nothing to reflect off of, so all you see are lights that come out crisply from the short exposure length. Avoiding flash requires a much longer exposure, which brings everything into the picture but smudges the lights from overexposure. I know there are ways to a) merge these two photos and b) avoid the negative aspects of either. That probably requires a lot more expensive equipment than I would rest on a steamboat railing.


Leaving the boat, a bookend to the first image on the page.

More New Orleans photos

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