Le Touch

I think no matter how short or long of a time you stay somewhere, you become a part of it and it becomes a part of you.

I love you. Je t'aime.

Parc Zoologique

In Plaisance du Touch (where I was living outside of Toulouse), there was a small zoo. I decided to visit it, because there was a driving area where zebras, ostriches, wildebeests, and other animals roamed freely.
There was a petting zoo (no, I didn't pet any animals!) with pigs, goats, rabbits, and little horses. I thought this little guy looked lovely in the light.

A natural-born performer.

This was the loudest belch I've ever heard. She's got talent.

On my driving "safari", I got to see these camels eating, with the exception of their napping friend. I don't think you are supposed to stop your vehicle, but I did stop and roll down the windows so I could get some better photos.


These guys were so animated, loving on each other one minute and being moody the next. It amazes me how similar that is to humans... I guess we're not as different from animals as we think.

Blending in never looked so awkward.

Ostrich! I think they're dangerous to a degree, yet I rolled down my window to get this photo (with a telephoto lens, of course... I'm not completely insane!).

Musée des Augustins, take 2

I loved taking photos around the museum. Here are a few more that I liked.

Musée des Augustins, take 1

I visited the Musée des Augustins (Museum of the Augustines) in Toulouse to see their collections of paintings and sculptures. The museum used to be a "Gothic convent" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_des_Augustins).

La Garonne and Pont Neuf

"La Garonne" is a huge river running through the city of Toulouse in France. My first time seeing the river was at night (the same night that I attended the Cirque Bang Bang), and it was so beautiful with the lights under the bridges. On weekends, the banks of the river are covered with people bathing in the sun. I usually tried to go on a weekday so I could have it mostly to my self.

Lights under Pont Neuf change colors at night.


On a Friday, the Garonne isn't nearly as crowded as on the weekends.


Space reserved for dogs... keep out!

This little guy was such a great model... he let me get very close to him and take tons of photos of him without getting upset or flying off.

Cirque Bang Bang

I was invited by another au pair in Toulouse to attend an interpretive dance put on by "Cirque Bang Bang". It was one of the most unusual things I've ever attended. The show took place in a parking lot with two large tents, one for food and drinks and one for the show. I'm so glad I decided to take my camera along, because it was such a neat experience that I'll never forget. I love the shadows the lighting created, as you can see from the photos.

Carcassonne, Cité Médiévale

When I was living in France, I visited Carcassonne, the Cité Médiévale, about an hour away from Toulouse. It was a great place to visit, since the United States isn't nearly as old as Europe.

An ancient doorknob! I made it a point to try to photograph doorknobs, in Toulouse and in Carcassonne. They were works of art all on their own, I think.

I imagine this being their Christmas card for 2008.

It was really humbling to think that these streets have been walked on for several hundred years. And I love thinking how much has changed since the beginning of the Medieval City, from technology to fashion to society.

Old Carcassonne, meet new Carcassonne.

Peace, ya'll.

Capitole

Look! I found the only fat chick in France!


In the "Capitole" area of Toulouse, kids go for a spin on a modern day merry-go-round near an old statue.

Some things are universal.

Every day when I drove into Toulouse, I would see this old abandoned building with graffiti all over its sides. I love how "babe" is such a universal term, used in many languages. It makes you have a feeling of being at home in a completely different country.

Carousel Details

Our State North Carolina magazine recently asked the photojournalism students at RCC to photograph the Endangered Species Carousel at the North Carolina Zoo. I went on Thursday to shoot, and it was a gray day, but I was able to get some details of the carousel. I wish I could have gotten a beautiful overall, but with the weather, it was very blah. It'll be interesting to see if I have anything published... here are a few of the photos I submitted for publication.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

Firefighters gather at a home in Pfafftown to have a controlled burn, where they put their skills to the test.

Serving the Community

Randolph County Emergency Medical Services provides excellent urgent care to the residents of Randolph County.

Go Dog Wash

The Go Dog Wash in Winston-Salem provides a unique dog-washing experience for dogs and their owners. The business opened in January 2004. On April 7, Wayne Cooper and Jennifer Goldman brought their dogs to the dog wash.

Haley

I shot more portraits for my portfolio this weekend, and experimented with back-lighting. I photographed Haley Pierce. She was really natural and photogenic, which never hurts. I am definitely getting into this portrait thing more than I ever expected to....


Shot on Canon 30D with 70-200mm lens, ISO 100, 1/250 sec @ f/7.1, lit with Vivitar 285 in Vivitar softbox using Pocket Wizards.

Bathtime for Abigail

Once a week, Abigail, a two and a half year old Boston Terrier, visits the Go Dog Wash in Winston-Salem with her owner, Jennifer Goldman. I'm going to make a SoundSlides with the audio and images I captured from the shoot, and that should be posted next week. Shot on Canon 30D with 18-55mm lens, ISOs ranging between 400 and 640, between 1/40 sec to 1/80 sec with f/3.5, used only available light.

Jill

This weekend, I shot portraits of Jill Dozier for my portfolio, and to get more experience with lighting portraits outside. I'm really interested in environmental portraits... I think it's more fun doing an on-location shoot than being in a studio. I wish there had been more of a hairlight, but the sun went down right before we started the shoot. All of my images were shot on a Canon 30D with a 70-200mm lens, ISO 100, shot between 1/125 sec and 1/200 sec at f/2.8 to f/4.5. I used one Vivitar 285 with a softbox on a lightstand to light Jill, and fired using Pocket Wizards.