The Sites: Playmakers Theatre

The Playmakers Theater stands at the center of the UNC campus, a Greek Revival building surrounded by the staunch architecture of the University's historic architectural core.  Under the columns of its facade, two windows face out onto Bynum Circle, which, along with Bynum Fountain, serves as a popular crossroad on campus.

As the seasons change, the trees on campus flush with color, framing the circle in a setting of natural fire.

The doors to the theater stand guard against the elements.

But the window on the front is my favorite subject on a campus rife with material:

Winter

Autumn

Spring/Summer

The Shots: Giraffe Eyelash

Paired with my affection for aquariums is a zeal for zoos.


On my recent trip to Chicago, I found myself free of scheduled obligations on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  I was meeting a friend for dinner that evening up in her neighborhood near Lincoln Park, so it seemed logical to spend the day at the Lincoln Park Zoo.


On all my previous trips to Chicago, I'd never made it to the zoo.  Now, having been, I can't imagine not going every time I'm there.


The African Journey occupies most of the northern end of the park, with both exterior and interior habitats (for some reason, the polar bears are up here as well, while the lions are more towards the center by the entrances, an arrangement that only now just strikes me as odd).  In the interior habitat, somewhere between the spoonbills and the meerkats, there is an observation area for the giraffes.


Creatures of ridiculous beauty, giraffes are incredibly fun to photograph: between the interesting angles of their bodies and the expressiveness of their faces, they have so many details to capture.


On this particular day, one of the giraffes was making a meal for herself out of the moss growing along a rocky outcrop adjacent to the observation window.  I attempted to capture an action shot of sorts, trying to catch her tongue as it crept through the nooks and crannies in search of a snack, but nothing quite came out as I'd hoped.


As she bent to drink from an elevated fountain immediately outside the glass barrier, I received something even better: