Photo dump
Here are some highlights from the weekend. VMB first (pathetic a selection though it is), then some animals, all with commentary.
So, I genuinely thought I'd taken twice as many photos as I did. When I reviewed them, I realized that I had utterly failed to get any shots of cupcake_goth or her Stunt Husband or domichan, to say nothing of outfits worn by people I don't know but that I really loved (such as the meticulous black and red satin 1880s polonaise, or the contingent of gorgeous and well-done French Revolution and Empire outfits--yes, really, and I don't normally like that period--or the group that was all in crimson and silvery-white brocade). And I'm kind of mortified about it. The problem is that I get so wrapped up in socializing and enjoying that I forget to deploy the camera until it's too late. Oh well. Here's everything.
Here are two terrible shots of my outfit, taken in the mirror in my hotel room with a camera on which I apparently can't turn off the flash. If any other shots of this outfit exist, I haven't seen them. I said this outfit had something of a theme: most of the materials were repurposed. The mind-numbing details can wait for a more appropriate time, but in short, the coat is made (brilliantly, by Kambriel, based on a vague hand-waving idea and "figure out what you can do with this") from a pair of curtains found at Value Village (that includes the braid trim and lace flounces) and velvet from a dress that belonged to my grandmother; the black velvet skirt is second-hand (from cupcake_goth), cut off a velvet gown and refinished at the waist; the fascinator is made from a heart-shaped candy box, covered in more of the grandmother velvet, some black lace and velvet ribbon left over from other projects, and a bit of a flocked Halloween garland. (I did have to buy the ostrich plumes.)
cass404 and her friend Amy.
dbvictoria, glamourous in slinky red.
A crap photo of Vienna la Rouge at the beginning of her utterly adorable routine set to Adam Ant's "Strip."
An outfit I loved that I actually managed to get a photo of.
A couple of shots of the Vendors Room.
I thought the decor of the Ball this year was especially good. I really liked these candleholders on the tables in the main ballroom.
marc17 in a glittery velvet suit.
dark_industry in the outfit she made of repurposed black leather coats.
noxenlux with her wares. Oh by the way, I bought a hat, which cannot be seen in this particular shot because she'd already boxed it up. It's a variation of her tilted mini-bowler style with a slightly wider, front-pointed brim, and purple satin and feather trim. Because I needed another hat, you know.
I spent about three hours at the zoo and mostly got to see everything I wanted, although the cheetah was off exhibit (which was particularly disappointing) and the caracal was hiding due to the rain. I took a lot more than this, of course, but these are particular highlights, both photographically and experientially.
Black bear with a bit of a snack--a spruce branch.
Busy bobcat.
A different black bear, digging in some snow the zoo brought in as enrichment.
Mama cougar and her six-month-old female kitten. I saw the adult female peering out the glass as I approached, and only realized after I got to the exhibit that there was a kitten, which was absolutely thrilling. They're watching the black bear shown above, whose exhibit window is directly across the walkway from theirs.
Head-exploding cuteness. Look how intent she is. Note also that while she's largely lost the spotted coat of babyhood, her eyes haven't changed yet and are still mostly blue.
Humboldt pengiuns. This shot just cracks me up.
Polar bear, tearing up a big plastic oil-drum toy. I watched him for about 10 minutes and he was brutal on that thing; at one point he bounced up and down in the water and used the force of that to leverage into a pounce. The drum cracked in half.
White-cheeked gibbons grooming each other. There is far too much hilarity in this.
African wild dogs.
Young reticulated giraffe, having a snack.
Fruit bats. I took dozens of photos in the bat exhibit--which is huge and fabulous--but the lighting is weird and the glass is so scratched and dirty that it's difficult to get clear shots with the camera I have. This ended up being the best of a poor batch.
Swamp monkeys.
Hadada ibis. There are sacred ibis in the same exhibit, all striking black and white plumage, but the dang things either hid in the grass or moved too fast for good photos.
Slender-snouted crocodile. This is the beastie that roared at me during last year's visit. It was vocalizing today as I came into the exhibit building.
Amur leopard. I came to her at the very end of my visit. Her viewing window is surrounded by a little cubbyhole building; I tucked myself in there and sat down on the ground next to the glass, and had nearly 10 minutes of her entirely to myself, no other visitors, just her and me separated by an inch of plexiglas. It meant a great deal to me. Mostly she just laid there as seen in this shot, in that feline zen half-asleep pose, but at one point I did something that caught her attention...
...and this was what resulted. There are maybe 30 of these cats left in the wild, and only around 200 in the entire world. That I got to sit so close to one, and have her acknowledge my presence, was a really, really big thing for me.
So, I genuinely thought I'd taken twice as many photos as I did. When I reviewed them, I realized that I had utterly failed to get any shots of cupcake_goth or her Stunt Husband or domichan, to say nothing of outfits worn by people I don't know but that I really loved (such as the meticulous black and red satin 1880s polonaise, or the contingent of gorgeous and well-done French Revolution and Empire outfits--yes, really, and I don't normally like that period--or the group that was all in crimson and silvery-white brocade). And I'm kind of mortified about it. The problem is that I get so wrapped up in socializing and enjoying that I forget to deploy the camera until it's too late. Oh well. Here's everything.
Here are two terrible shots of my outfit, taken in the mirror in my hotel room with a camera on which I apparently can't turn off the flash. If any other shots of this outfit exist, I haven't seen them. I said this outfit had something of a theme: most of the materials were repurposed. The mind-numbing details can wait for a more appropriate time, but in short, the coat is made (brilliantly, by Kambriel, based on a vague hand-waving idea and "figure out what you can do with this") from a pair of curtains found at Value Village (that includes the braid trim and lace flounces) and velvet from a dress that belonged to my grandmother; the black velvet skirt is second-hand (from cupcake_goth), cut off a velvet gown and refinished at the waist; the fascinator is made from a heart-shaped candy box, covered in more of the grandmother velvet, some black lace and velvet ribbon left over from other projects, and a bit of a flocked Halloween garland. (I did have to buy the ostrich plumes.)
cass404 and her friend Amy.
dbvictoria, glamourous in slinky red.
A crap photo of Vienna la Rouge at the beginning of her utterly adorable routine set to Adam Ant's "Strip."
An outfit I loved that I actually managed to get a photo of.
A couple of shots of the Vendors Room.
I thought the decor of the Ball this year was especially good. I really liked these candleholders on the tables in the main ballroom.
marc17 in a glittery velvet suit.
dark_industry in the outfit she made of repurposed black leather coats.
noxenlux with her wares. Oh by the way, I bought a hat, which cannot be seen in this particular shot because she'd already boxed it up. It's a variation of her tilted mini-bowler style with a slightly wider, front-pointed brim, and purple satin and feather trim. Because I needed another hat, you know.
I spent about three hours at the zoo and mostly got to see everything I wanted, although the cheetah was off exhibit (which was particularly disappointing) and the caracal was hiding due to the rain. I took a lot more than this, of course, but these are particular highlights, both photographically and experientially.
Black bear with a bit of a snack--a spruce branch.
Busy bobcat.
A different black bear, digging in some snow the zoo brought in as enrichment.
Mama cougar and her six-month-old female kitten. I saw the adult female peering out the glass as I approached, and only realized after I got to the exhibit that there was a kitten, which was absolutely thrilling. They're watching the black bear shown above, whose exhibit window is directly across the walkway from theirs.
Head-exploding cuteness. Look how intent she is. Note also that while she's largely lost the spotted coat of babyhood, her eyes haven't changed yet and are still mostly blue.
Humboldt pengiuns. This shot just cracks me up.
Polar bear, tearing up a big plastic oil-drum toy. I watched him for about 10 minutes and he was brutal on that thing; at one point he bounced up and down in the water and used the force of that to leverage into a pounce. The drum cracked in half.
White-cheeked gibbons grooming each other. There is far too much hilarity in this.
African wild dogs.
Young reticulated giraffe, having a snack.
Fruit bats. I took dozens of photos in the bat exhibit--which is huge and fabulous--but the lighting is weird and the glass is so scratched and dirty that it's difficult to get clear shots with the camera I have. This ended up being the best of a poor batch.
Swamp monkeys.
Hadada ibis. There are sacred ibis in the same exhibit, all striking black and white plumage, but the dang things either hid in the grass or moved too fast for good photos.
Slender-snouted crocodile. This is the beastie that roared at me during last year's visit. It was vocalizing today as I came into the exhibit building.
Amur leopard. I came to her at the very end of my visit. Her viewing window is surrounded by a little cubbyhole building; I tucked myself in there and sat down on the ground next to the glass, and had nearly 10 minutes of her entirely to myself, no other visitors, just her and me separated by an inch of plexiglas. It meant a great deal to me. Mostly she just laid there as seen in this shot, in that feline zen half-asleep pose, but at one point I did something that caught her attention...
...and this was what resulted. There are maybe 30 of these cats left in the wild, and only around 200 in the entire world. That I got to sit so close to one, and have her acknowledge my presence, was a really, really big thing for me.