Photographer: Philip Gould

New Orleans was on a high like no other when the city celebrated its beloved Saints playing in the Super Bowl last year. It was a moment of deliverance. Finally New Orleanians could rise above the pervasive sense of purgatory that had afflicted their beloved city since before Hurricane Katrina.

The Saturday afternoon before the game a small krewe paraded down Decatur Street past Jackson Square. Two gentlemen dressed as nuns rode alongside the procession, a second-line effort on a bicycle built for two.

Only later upon review did I see the photo for what it was. In the spirit of Henri Cartier-Bresson, I experienced what he termed a decisive moment, when composition and message converge. And this was only Saturday. The Saints hadn’t even played yet, but I took the photograph as a good sign.

This photograph and other works by Philip Gould are on display in December at LeMieux Gallery, 332 Julia St., (504) 522-5988