AUGUST MARKS THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of Hurricane Katrina, which ripped through New Orleans to devastating effect. Photographer Kris Davidson went to university in the city, and – such was its pull – moved back a few years ago. She now loves to document its peculiar charm. ‘One of my favourite things to do is to take a walk through New Orleans just as the sun starts to set,’ she says. ‘Street musicians often provide a soundtrack. Whimsical homes unfold on the stroll – a cityscape seemingly conceived of by a team of five-year-olds armed with a box of crayons.’ But that’s just the setting: it’s the character of its people that has allowed it to bounce back from calamity. ‘The city is alive with an indescribable human spirit born out of a complicated 300-year-old history,’ Kris believes. ‘The people of New Orleans have weathered many storms, but this is a place of survivors and wonderful stories. As a photographer, it is an endlessly engaging home.’ We share her glimpse at some of those stories, and the indefatigable spirit behind them, below.
Kris Davidson’s work can be seen at krisdavidson.com and on Instagram at hellokrisdavidson