Montana in January

Back in January of this year, I went to Bozeman, Montana for a chance to work photograph some cougars. I was a little hesitant, because, it’s JANUARY in MONTANA, which normally translates into snow, cold, snow, and cold wet snow.

Have I mentioned the snow? For a California girl like me, snow is something you "drive" to in order to go skiing. But, it was a chance to work with some large cats, so, I packed up my snow gear meant for very very cold weather (not skiing gear, but boots rated to 0 degrees Farhenheit, my different layers (base, secondary, outer, and shell), baklavas, as well as hand/foot warmers, not to mention all the gear to protect my camera equipment, and off I went.

I arrived on a Thursday afternoon, and proceeded to spend days in the snow (walking through, laying in snow, and having snow fall on us). While it was ‘cold’, it wasn’t ‘cold’ by Montana standards, hovering around 28-32 degrees Farenheit throughout the entire time I was there. For the San Francisco Bay Area, that type of weather is COLD, but whether it was because I was bundled up or because I was too busy having fun, I never really minded the snow.

And, I did have fun. Each day was even more fun than the previous day. I got some amazing shots of the large cats in their natural habitat, and as an added bonus, I also got to photograph a large alpha male (I couldn’t get the alpha female) wolf while snow came down around us. It was an amazing experience.

For those interested in copies of these prints, you can purchase them at my new Etsy shop:

Etsy Buy Handmade WyldFireStudios

Venice: Costume Accessories

A lot of the maschera models have little props that they often us in addition to their masks and costumes. These often compromise of little things, such as mirrors, dolls, staves, hand-bag, or some hand-held trinket that complements their costume.

Just as with any costumer, some props become integral to the costume, some are merely something to hold, and for others, it's just an accessory that could be left behind. Some models use their accessories well, some don't know what to do with theirs, and some use them badly.

Regardless of their use, they often add a touch of something to the overall photo instead of just having a masked costume.

Mask with Mask

Again, an allegory for the different masks an individual wears, but in this instance, the mask is the same exact one as what she is wearing.


Mask & Her Dog

The dog was dressed almost exactly the same as its mistress. They were a large hit with the crowd...and the photographers.


Pirate

I suppose a pirate isn't exactly complete without his sword, and this pirate was more than willing to use it as a prop throughout the day.


Hearts

The little doo-dad this model was carrying complemented her outfit, but, unfortunately, she didn't know much what to do with it outside of holding it infront of her or in a single hand. She was often instructed on exactly how to use her accessory to the best photographic advantage.

Mask Types in Venice

The following is a very very brief and summarized of mask types. It's meant to give a brief overview.

A majority of the maschera models in Venice tend to favor the "volto" mask, which completely hides their face. The volto is not a completely historically accurate Venetian mask (except for the moretta, which was an all black velvet mask made for women held in place by their teeth, which was supposed to add to their mysterious air. You were supposed to charm a man without necessarily "talking" -- ala Little Mermaid.)

The Volto Mask type

In terms of other masks, there are the different traditional types: "bauta", the Venetial "plague doctor" (or anything with a very long ibis-like nose), and the half-mask, etc. You see quite a bit of the bauta, the beaked mask a little less so, and the moretta is extremely rare.

The traditional bauta mask allows you to eat and drink without removing it as it jets out from the face by several inches. It's also known as a "spoon mask.

The Bauta Mask type

The plague doctor mask was said to protect you from various diseases with its very long nose.

The Plague Doctor & Volto Mask type

Visitors and tourists will often wear the half-mask variety more frequently than the other types, whether or not they are in costume, as these tend to be cheaper than other masks and you can get them from any street vendor (being mass produced in China.)

The initial purpose of the mask was to completely conceal the identity of the wearer so that they could enjoy in the festivities of Carnivale and let commoner intermingle with the elite, so almost-full face mask coverings were popular.

As time went on, people wore masks throughout the year, you were forgiven anything (much like if you're drunk in Japan, no one faults you...). However, after a time, the Venetian government outlawed them during certain times of the year (religious holidays) and from wearing them in certain buildings (i.e. churches). Men were prohibited from dressing as women, and vice versa.

Carnivale in Venice, Italy

I'm woefully behind on keeping up this blog, so, first and foremost, my apologies. We recently got back from a trip to Venice for Carnivale (much like last year). I never tire of Venice. It's a small jewel onto itself. And I while I detest the crowds of Carnivale, we still have a lot of fun.

I'm currently working my way through more than a few photos from the trip, and I'll be posting them up here, as well as the ones from my Montana animals series shot in Jan 2008.

I'll do a small write up on the various parts of my trip later, but for now, just a small image of one of the many models from Venice.