Tag Archives: costumes

Oh My! I’m Publishing Photos of (GASP!) People!

3 PM UPDATE: Always wanting to make certain that I am doing the right thing, I had a talk just now with two charming gendarmes from the local police department. They assured me that if I was a valid professional, had a press pass (and of course I do!), and was not trying to infringe on people’s privacy, I am certainly allowed to take photos at public events. They also suggested that I just slightly blur children’s faces in a crowd, but they assured me that I was acting quite responsibly and they had no issues with the types of photos I was taking. I had felt quite confident that I was acting ethically and it was good to have that confirmed!
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After yesterday’s interesting little foray into EDITORIAL USE in photography, I’m back with more pictures of people taken in the context of a large PUBLIC EVENT. I can still barely believe that it’s even necessary to write that!

This morning I decided to do a little research above and beyond what I already knew.

Look what I found at the local news online — photos of identifiable people, face forward, including (wait while I gasp again) children. Like I said — NEWS coverage, whether print, online, or television, allows for picture taking at PUBLIC EVENTS such as festivals, parades, exhibits, weekend markets, and rather a lot of other circumstances where there are a lot of people present in one place.

Now, enough of that — let’s move on to the fun stuff…

At the Autrefois Le Courserons parade, these wonderful tall puppets came gliding by with no wibble-wobble whatsoever. And just look at how many people are lining the street on both sides to watch.
 

Giant puppets on parade at the Autrefois Le Couserons celebrations in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
And then bzzzzzzzz — there go the beekeepers.
 

Beekeepers in the Autrefois Le Couserons parade in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France.


 
Look how much fun the sausage makers were having on their float!
 

A jolly time being had by the sausage makers in the Autrefois Le Couserons parade in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France.


 
Hope you continue to enjoy these little slices of life in the South of France because it is fun to share even if I do, to quote a fellow writer and world traveller, encounter the occasional ‘Nasty Nellie’ along the way.

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Autrefois Le Couserons: The Grand Parade Of Tractors in St. Girons, France

A sunny Saturday was perfect for the annual Autrefois Le Couserons celebration of rural and traditional life here in the Midi-Pyrenees of France.

The barricades went up early and people began lining the streets, sitting in fold-up chairs (including right beneath our front windows!) or standing anywhere that there was a small patch of available space that was not on the road itself.
 

Parade spectators at the Autrefois Le Couserons parade in St. Girons, France


 

Parade spectators sitting beneath our windows in St. Girons, France


 
For just over two hours, they paraded through St. Girons — tractors, carts, bands, singers, dancers, vintage firetrucks, you name it! And all of it went right beneath the windows of our apartment where we each stood, camera in hand, taking hundreds of pictures on that bright and clear day.

I am dividing the coverage of this event into several articles and slideshows so that it isn’t an overwhelming amount to look at each time.
 

Vintage tractor on parade at the Autrefois Le Couserons festival in St. Girons, France


 
Now for all of you ‘tractor geeks’ (Ooops! Tractor ‘enthusiasts’ was what I meant!) — Enjoy!


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©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

The ‘Teaser’ Parade for Autrefois Le Couserons in St. Girons, France

The light was thinning as we left the house on Friday night. We hadn’t realised that there would be an opening night parade — a teaser — prior to the multi-hour Autrefois Le Couserons spectacle that was scheduled on Saturday morning. But we were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time once again.
 

Three generations of a French family watch the small opening night parade for the Autrefois Le Couserons festival in St. Girons, France


 
Up and down the streets of St. Girons, people gathered in the windows overlooking the small parade and they followed it on foot in some cases. The night was fast approaching, the temperatures were thankfully dropping, and there was an air of excitement all along the route of the parade.
 


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Come back soon for another slideshow from the hundreds of photos that I took over the weekend.

Coming up next? Tractors and farm vehicles from all eras!

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©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
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Autrefois Le Couserons: Extended Coverage On The Way!

Hundreds — seriously — I took almost 200 photos last night (in spite of the people and cyclists who stepped right in front of my proposed shot again and again!) and well over 600 today. So I have a lot to wade through! Those numbers don’t even take into account the several hundred photos that Mark took, too.
 

Musicians in traditional dress at the Autrefois Le Couserons festival in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
It’s been a glorious two days of vintage vehicles, traditional music, and people in historical costume and we are all quite relieved that the weather stayed clear and bright. As the parades went through St. Girons on both days, people clustered high above the street in front of their windows to watch the spectacle pass by.
 

Watching from above as the Autrefois Le Couserons parade passes through St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
I think I’ll create a couple of slide shows of the (turn down your volume if you don’t want to hear the music track on this link!) Autrefois Le Couserons festival here in St. Girons in the Midi-Pyrenees of France. This is an annual celebration of traditional rural life in the Couserons.
 

Shepherd on horseback with his dog tucked into his arms at the Autrefois Le Couserons parade in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
We now live in such a fascinating place with layers of history and settlement over the centuries since its pre-Roman origins.

Stay tuned for more pictures from this activity-packed weekend!

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Performers At The Palais

Walking through the Midi-Pyrenees town of St. Girons several times each week, I am constantly on the lookout for posters advertising events and performances on the weekends.

Our Saturday morning walk contained surprises as we took our normal route through the gardens of the historic Palais Des Vicomtes (Palace of the Viscounts), a mere 4 blocks from our new apartment, and passed tents full of performers in costume as we headed toward the footbridge over the river that led to the weekend market area.
 

Palais des Vicomtes (Palace of the Viscounts) beside the River Salat in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
The performers were just getting ready to stroll through St. Girons as they gathered in front of one of their vans and I quickly snapped this photo.
 

Performers preparing for the show in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
Towering over her flock of admirers, I was amazed at how easily this painted, powdered, and bewigged creature could glide atop those stilts!
 

Admirers gather around one of the performers in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
Across the bridge, into the old town, and through the streets they strode with a small band of musicians leading the way.
 

Musicians lead the way on a weekend festival in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
This lovely creature was quite obliging about posing for photos.
 

A costumed stilt-walking performer strikes a pose in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 
And here was one of the posters that suddenly appeared on Saturday. What fun these surprise events are!
 

Festival of 7 & 8 July poster in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France


 

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©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.