A lazy Sunday in New Orleans

Live music on every street corner. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sunday afternoon. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography 

Locals. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Barkus parade. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sunday Mardi Gras parade. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Tourists. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Locals. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Throwing beads. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Purple, green and gold. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

Barkus parade. 2013. New Orleans, LA. ©Jill Richards Photography

I had big plans for my trip to New Orleans — being in bed with the flu was not one of them. Sadly, I only got one day out in the sunshine with my camera. Being sick in New Orleans is a special kind of torture, but then again, one day of shooting in The Big Easy is better than 10 days shooting in other towns. Cheers to New Orleans.

On Assignment: Ripe 2013

The creative geniuses at Salt Agency hired me to photograph five Valley chefs to be honored at the first ever Ripe Awards held in January. I know these chefs. I adore these chefs, but this assignment felt a bit like a reality television show challenge. I had 20 minutes to photograph 5 chefs, on-location at a museum, but I could not photograph the art or move the furniture and I must include a prop...a pomegranate. Ready. Set. Go.

Ripe Award winners. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Ripe Award winners. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Ripe Award winners & Charleen Badman, FnB. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Bernie Kantak, Citizen Public House & Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Cafe. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Josh Hebert, Posh & Greg LaPrad, Quiessence. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Ripe Award winners. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Billboards: This is Phoenix.

Attention people of Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco, the sunny city of Phoenix is looking to lure you to the desert with a batch of new fancy billboards. Hope it works.

The billboard design ties in with the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau's advertising campaign using Instagram/Hipstamatic-type images. Basically we're saying to travelers, "If you come to Phoenix, these are the memories you will make."

This is Phoenix billboard #1. 2012. ©Jill Richards Photography

Golf at The Boulders. 2012. Carefree, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

This is Phoenix billboard #2. 2012. ©Jill Richards Photography

Poolside at The Phoenician. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

This is Phoenix billboard #3. 2012. ©Jill Richards Photography

Poolside at The Phoenician. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

This is Phoenix billboard #4. 2012. ©Jill Richards Photography

Rock Climbing. 2012. Superior, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Snapshots of downtown Phoenix

This is downtown Phoenix, through the filter of Hipstamatic and the vision of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. This social media-inspired advertising campaign grew out of the idea that visitors will want to come to Phoenix, not because of a slick advertising campaign with paid models, but because their friends shared groovy pics of their trip on Facebook and Instagram.

So went out to recreate those types of snapshots, while showing off the kind of hip spots that only Phoenix locals know about.

The ads will run in various trade and consumer magazines and on billboards, while the social media campaign is just getting started. The Phoenix CVB is inviting Phoenix photographers to submit their "This is My Phoenix" photo via Facebook for a chance to win an invitation to attend a 3-day media tour with professional photographers.

Mongolia, pt. 2

I started my adventure in Mongolia in Karakorum, which is a 10-hour drive, on dirt roads, from the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. We spent two weeks living with a family of herders in a ger (similar to a yurt.) During this time, our group ventured out on horseback to get a closer look at the Mongolian steppes, as well as meet other herding families. The scenery was breathtaking, the food was bizarre and the horses...well, they were a little difficult. Let's just say, we spent a day catching them before we road them. I named my horse El Diablo and I'm thankful he didn't kill me.

Gers. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sukbat. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Hov the Horseman. 2012. Orkhon Khürkhree, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Tour Bus. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Milking Yaks. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Curious Yaks. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Kids and livestock. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Land to graze. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Catching wild horses. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Tsendbaatar and sister Khatantuul. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Tsendbaatar herding. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Cooking goat and cleaning sheep. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Mongolian wrestling or Bökh. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Night and Day. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Guest bath. 2012. Karakorum, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Welcoming committee. 2012. Orkhon Khürkhree, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography