Photo by Bridget Mayo
“Everyone that drives down River Road knows they’re there,” said Bridget Mayo, of the jutting brick columns. They serve as the remnants of the splendid Cottage Plantation, a twenty-two-room estate that survived the war as a Union-occupied yellow fever hospital and enjoyed new life in the next century as a museum, a Hollywood film setting, and a haunted house. Fire claimed the Cottage Plantation for good in 1960, save for those columns that called to Mayo’s camera.
She planned her shot ahead of time. “I knew I wanted to go in the morning because the sun coming up would be behind and to the side,” said Mayo, an avid member of the Louisiana Photographic Society, which she credits as “a source of encouragement, support, and learning.”
Through the society, Mayo has relished sharing her experiences and advice with new photographers, leading workshops with an emphasis on hands-on shooting. “I still come across a lot of happy accidents,” said Mayo. Even the Cottage Plantation shot, timed and composed by the photographer well ahead of the shutter snap, delivered a surprise when the columns appeared to form a tightly grouped line, reminding Mayo of soldiers at alert. “It’s a bit hazy too,” she continued, “but I think it adds to the mystique.”
On March 19, Mayo will teach a photography basics workshop at the Bluebonnet branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library from 9 am–1 pm. Visit laphotosociety.com for details.
Details on Relics 2016, our ongoing photography series, can be found here.
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