Live Oak Collage

I've wanted to play around with making photo collages for a while. Since moving to Texas, I've been overwhelmed with how to try and photograph the live oaks down here. (The larger trees form cave-like areas underneath their branches. From a distance, the intricate limbs are tough to pick out, and when you're close, the scene is too large for a typical photo.)  On my trip to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge last week, I came across this cluster of trees on the aptly named Big Oak Trail. I've shot a few more and will post any that turn out OK once I get the time to edit them.

James Balog put out a great book that provided some inspiration here.

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.

Bevier

I recently went up to the small town of Bevier. This was just after a midnight fire destroyed part of the downtown area. I spoke with a few of the residents about what was lost in the fire, what was saved, and where to go from here. Take a look:

Bevier, Missouri from Benjamin Zack on Vimeo.

Graduation

After ten years, five states, two schools, and a six-year-break, I graduated last week from the University of Missouri with my photojournalism degree. As you can probably imagine, the folks from the photo department were the ones with cameras hanging over their robes. As one of those people, here are some photos from commencement. Enjoy.

Sneak Peek

I've been out shooting several different photo stories and videos recently. For this coming week, I'm going to be plugged into the computer on some long editing runs. Here are some teasers of what is coming soon. Check back soon for more.

Monster Bike Bash

Monster Bike Bash from Benjamin Zack on Vimeo.

In the spirit of Halloween, costumed cyclists descended on the Katy Trail for the annual Monster Bike Bask, a 20-mile bike ride/party/costume contest/concert series. I went out with a camera and put together a little film from the day. Enjoy!