Over the last several weeks I have been really busy working on the launch of the website for Mardi Gras 2008 - 360 Degrees. Ok, so what exactly is Mardi Gras 360 Degrees? Well, it?s part photo workshop and part what I would call a photo experience, taking place at this year?s Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Photographer Andy Levin and his 100eyes organization, along with the New Orleans Photo Alliance are producing what will be a very unique photographic workshop, designed to document the city of New Orleans, two years after it was devastated by hurricane Katrina. The workshop will run during the two weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday and will culminate in a sort of ?Day in the Life? type of event on Mardi Gras day.

So where do I fit in to all of this? Well, I have been working very closely with Andy to help produce the website, and I have agreed to act as his Director of Operations at the event itself. This means I will be onsite to make sure everything goes according to plan. We will have a central location in the French Quarter where editors will be culling images in a near real-time manner, making prints and hanging them in a ?Salon? style gallery in the space.

Photographers will each be given assignments and will be able to transmit their images via FTP to our Digital Railroad account. The images will then be edited and pulled down for printing, as well as sent of to the DRR Marketplace for possible licensing.

I will also be providing on-site Aperture help and I may teach a short workshop in digital workflow.

We already have a decent stable of professionals slated to attend this year?s event, including freelancer Chris Usher, photographer Shelly Katz, and of course Andy Levin.

Mardi Gras 360 Degrees is going to be an event you won?t want to miss. Space is limited to 50 participants, and there is a starving student rate for those of you currently enrolled in undergraduate programs. The rate for the event is very reasonable considering how much instruction and fun you will have.

So, visit the website for more information, check out our forums section to find out about housing and transportation needs, and get yourself signed up!