Victoria Advocate, Week 1

It has been just over a week since I started a photo internship at the Victoria Advocate in southeast Texas. I posted some photos earlier from the nearby Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, but I wanted to include some photos that I've shot for the paper as well. So far, it has been a week of circuses, agriculture, BBQ, beauty pageants, and fires. Take a look.

This week marked my first time photographing a beauty pageant:

A couple photos from the afternoon following an overnight apartment complex fire:

On a slow day, I went out and did a brief photo story on KB's BBQ trailer on the edge of town:

A few photos from the visiting Shrine Circus:

The rest of the photos are from a package on 4-H and FFA for the upcoming Victoria County Livestock Show:

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

After a few days in Texas, I had my first day off and headed to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf coast. The refuge is currently filled with wintering birds from all over the country. The diversity and quantity of large birds was unlike anything I've ever seen. Enjoy the photos and take your best guess at identifying the animal in the second photo.

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

The eye in the second photo is a black vulture.

A Colorful Week

Last week ended up being a rather slow week for shooting, but every time that I did bring out the camera, there was plenty of color. River's ran green, firetrucks were pink, Mozart was teal, and there was the red, white and blue of a Texas flag. This is what the Missourian was like over the last 10 days.

Green dye flows down Flat Branch Creek on Wednesday morning in downtown Columbia.

Jessica Crews, left, and Elizabeth Tate watch green dye flow down Flat Branch Creek on Wednesday morning in downtown Columbia. The City of Columbia Public Works Department and Trekk Design Group are using non-toxic red and green dyes to test the storm sewer and sanitary sewer system.

Drew Arnett from William Woods University rehearses the role of Mozart for the school's production of "Amadeus."

A photo shoot with some of the MU football players from Texas.

Kaleigh Turner, left, and Lexi Hayob look for a place to sign the JennieLee on Thursday afternoon on Lowry Mall. The truck is based out of Kansas City and run by Guardians of the Ribbon, a group of firefighters supporting women with cancer. It has been painted pink and on the road since September 2010.

Thousands of signatures cover the JennieLee. Notes from the hubcaps to the bumpers are both in memory of those who have died of cancer and in support of those currently fighting cancer.