Kerri McCaffety

“Kerri's work is lush with natural light that makes the images sensual and rich, and transforms the places she photographs into poems.”

–Francis Ford Coppola

Bachelor of Science in anthropology at Tulane University, New Orleans, 1989

Internship with Peter Woloszynski, World of Interiors, 1995

Kerri McCaffety has photographed twelve books, six of which she also wrote. Awards for her books and images include a gold Lowell Thomas award, gold and silver Benjamin Franklin Awards, an Alpha award, New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association’s Book of the Year, and two silver Independent Publisher awards. While documenting the city’s architectural and cultural history, she has been called “stunningly skilled,” “a genius,” and “the reigning Queen of New Orleans color photography.” Her works have been deemed “pillars of Louisiana’s cultural record.”

In 1998, McCaffety published her first book, Obituary Cocktail, The Great Saloons of New Orleans, a photographic essay and history exploring the city’s social and architectural heritage through its tradition of drink. It was named Book of the Year by regional booksellers, broke sales records in New Orleans, and became a local sensation. Obituary Cocktail went on to inspire a fan club and a popular bar tour while winning major awards from the country’s two leading independent publishers’ groups.

McCaffety's latest book, New Orleans New Elegance, published by Random House imprint Monacelli Press, is scheduled for release in May 2012.

Her books include:

Obituary Cocktail, The Great Saloons of New Orleans, 1998

The Majesty of the French Quarter, 1999

The Majesty of St. Charles Avenue (with writer Cynthia McCaffety), 2001

Masking and Madness: Mardi Gras in New Orleans (with writer Cynthia McCaffety), 2002

Etouffée, Mon Amour: The Great Restaurants of New Orleans, 2002

St. Joseph Altars, 2003

The Chandelier Through the Centuries, 2006

Napoleon House (with writer Mikko Macchione), 2006

The Finest Rooms in America by Thomas Jayne, 2010

Big Easy Style by Bryan Batt, October 2011

New Orleans New Elegance, May 2012

McCaffety’s work has been featured in Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, Interior Design, Colonial Homes, Southern Accents, The Oxford American, Home Magazine, Town and Country, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, Historic Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Her photographs are a part of the permanent collection at the Louisiana State Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

In 2007 and 2008, McCaffety served as Features Editor at Louisiana Homes and Gardens Magazine.

visit kerrimccaffety.com