Photographing New Orleans Cemeteries: Rules, Access, and Respectful Planning

New Orleans’ above-ground tombs are world-famous, but access and photography rules have tightened significantly over the last decade. Here is what couples, visitors, and commercial clients need to know before planning a shoot.

New Orleans’ historic above-ground cemeteries—often called "Cities of the Dead"—are iconic architectural treasures. Because the city rests near or below sea level with a high water table, burials historically took place above ground in ornate family vaults, society tombs, and wall crypts. It is natural for couples and commercial teams to ask about using them as a dramatic backdrop. However, photographing in these sacred spaces requires strict adherence to property rules, active preservation efforts, and basic human respect.

Access rules depend entirely on who owns and operates the cemetery. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1—the city’s oldest extant cemetery (established in 1789) and resting place of Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau—is privately owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. Since March 2015, general public access has been restricted to prevent vandalism and tomb deterioration. Visitors may only enter accompanied by an authorized, licensed tour guide, and professional, commercial, or wedding portrait photography requires formal advance written permission and a permit from the Archdiocese Office of Catholic Cemeteries. St. Louis No. 2 and No. 3 operate under similar Catholic cemetery guidelines.

Across town in the historic Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is owned and operated municipally by the City of New Orleans Department of Property Management. It has experienced extended closures for essential infrastructure repairs, historic brick wall stabilization, and underground drainage improvements. Before scheduling any shoot in a municipal cemetery, always verify its current operational status with the City rather than assuming the gates will be open.

For clients interested in historic mausoleums and winding avenues, Metairie Cemetery (located off Metairie Road near the parish line) is privately owned by Lake Lawn Metairie. It remains an active cemetery with spectacular Victorian, neoclassical, and Romanesque funerary architecture. Casual, respectful visitors are permitted during gate hours, but commercial or staged portrait photography is strictly regulated and requires prior approval through cemetery management.

Regardless of which cemetery you visit, the rules of etiquette are non-negotiable: never lean, climb, sit on, or place heavy camera equipment on crumbling plaster or exposed historic brickwork. Keep voices quiet, stay on designated paved aisles, and immediately yield right-of-way and step back whenever a family or funeral service is present. When planned with respect and the proper authorizations, these spaces offer deep historical perspective, but they must always be treated as sacred resting places first.