I called Charmaine on Wednesday, and we arranged to meet at her house the next day (I was leaving early Friday morning). When I walked into her hallway, I noticed that it was freshly remodeled and she explained that she was still in the process of fixing up her house since being flooded after Katrina three years before (she lives in the same neighborhood as David & Roselyn, who were also still working on their home.)
Explaining the New Orleans Walls project to Charmaine turned out to be much easier than anticipated. She just looked at the original "wall" pictures (those taken 16 years ago), and was immediately very supportive. Of course she would pose! Now, I had in mind a specific "wall" image for her, but the actual wall was uptown, at least a half hour drive from where she lives. I also quickly figured out that between her touring schedule and my living 3000 miles away, if I didn't get a picture that day, I may as well forget about it. So I asked Charmaine, "If I find a wall in your neighborhood today, could we take the picture?" She thought about it briefly then she said, "I have to go to Home Depot, but we can do it when I come back."
It took about half an hour to find the right wall, which actually stands just a few blocks from Charmaine's house. One side of the wall was in the shade, which is where we took the first shots since it matched more what I had in mind. But it was too dark and too busy and it didn't work out. So we moved to the right, where the sun was: the picture turned out better than expected. It WAS Charmaine's wall. This photo will give you a little idea...
I left New Orleans the next day with just two pictures for the project; yet I knew I would be back for more.
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