Weddings
Second Line Photography
15–30 MINUTES · BRASS BAND, PARASOLS, HANDKERCHIEFS, AND THE STREET
The second line is the part of a New Orleans wedding that guests from out of town talk about for a decade. The doors open, the band steps off, and a private event becomes a public one — with strangers on the sidewalk cheering people they have never met.
Second Line Parades are also some of the challenging photography we do. The light is whatever the street is doing, the crowd almost always moves faster than they need to, and there is exactly one take. Photographing it well requires experience and lots of technical skill. Knowing the choreography: where the band forms up, where it stalls, which corner opens into a beautiful scene, and when to turn around and shoot the crowd behind the band as well as the band and the curious, happy onlookers.
Marc Pagani Photography has shot hundreds of these special parades that were born in New Orleans. We know how to capture the fun, the chaos, the light, the band, the participants, and the magic of a New Orleans Second Line Parade and we do it artfully and professionally. We wanna be in that number!
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Logistics
Second Line Questions
- HOW LONG SHOULD A SECOND LINE BE?
- If it's for a wedding, it's usually immediately after the recessional, while the ceremony energy is still up — or as the exit from the reception. What it should never do is collide with the last good light if couple portraits are not already made. Second Lines for any other occasion really happen at any time of the day.
- Do you need a permit for a second line in New Orleans?
- Any route that uses the street requires a City of New Orleans parade permit, and police escort requirements depend on the route. Most bands and planners handle the filing; it is worth confirming who is doing it rather than assuming.
- What happens if it rains?
- New Orleans rain is usually short, violent and then gone. Every session gets a rain plan built in advance: an interior portrait location or a covered location option. Umbrellas photograph well, and a courtyard after a storm is actually prettier than a courtyard before one.