2014, Day 21 - Climbing

When we walked through Guanajuato it seemed like there were churches on every other corner.  Most were empty as it was mid-week and midday but others had a surprising number of people praying.  This particular church only had a couple of people praying and under the pulpit we were told there is a mausoleum.  However I was more interesting in the restoration work that was going on and while I am not sure what specifically they were doing I stood in the middle of the nave and was able to take a really well centered picture, maybe God helped to steady my hand...

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f4, 1/80 sec @ 100 ISO

2014, Day 19 - Sanctuary

After walking aimlessly through the street of Puerto Vallarta and dodging the night clubs that were just opening their doors we turned down a side street and found this church.  Our Lady of Guadalupe is known for its crown of angels but what I liked best about it was that it wasn't pumping out bass.  I am a terribly grouchy old person and I find little interest ing clubs but enjoy culture when I travel.  This was the saving grace of our first day in Mexico.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f5.6, merged layers of 1/20 and 1/5 sec @ 320 ISO

2013, Day 335 - Pure

This is the Iglesia Santa Lucia Suchitoto and the restoration work was completed this past spring.  Although small compared to some of the other churches we saw this one is nicely scaled to the size of the town and to the central plaza which it borders.  They ring the bells to call the city to mass and given that El Salvador is a very observant Catholic country the ringing becomes quite insistent as the time for mass draws closer.  It is a beautiful building and very well maintained although I wonder how long that will last with all the pigeons perched along the facade.

I took this photo the morning we left Suchitoto and it was absolutely beautiful backlit by the clouds and the sun started to crest the horizon.  It it is one of the enduring memories I have of our time in Suchitoto.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f4, merged layers of 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, and 1/60 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 307 - Holiest

This morning we had a mysterious start to our day because our hotel room has no exterior facing windows so it was difficult to just what time it was without checking the clock.  Finally I got up to use the bathroom just before seven and in the process spurred everyone into action.  We got dressed and walked into town to look at all the Dia de los Muertos decorations without the crowds, check out the historic buildings, and get a little site seeing in before we leave in a few hours.

The churches were massive and quite spectacular, the photo below is from the Catedral de Guadalajara.  Boy does God ever have a bunch of nice homes, I suppose it vindicates my career, invest in real estate!  Since it was early the only things we could get into were the churches but that was fun and we felt a little less cheated that we were spending so little time in that most interesting of cities.

We returned to our hotel to clean up and get our packing done before finding breakfast.  My slightly dodgy belly is still a little bit of a concern though much improved so I had fruit and yogurt while Francene ate a mountain of eggs and Araceli had a pile of chilaquiles.  Although I was a little jealous I was concerned about the upcoming four hour journey.

This time we decided against hiring a private car not only because of the expense but we knew that realistically we wouldn't be stopping on the way.  Therefore we opted to take the bus.  Now I know the idea of taking a four hour bus ride in Mexico sounds scary but for forty dollars you get a new luxury touring bus with recliners, massive leg room, onboard individual entertaining, free wireless internet and a snack.  It felt like a bargain to us and the suspension was so smooth that it was like being on a cruise ship.

When we stopped in Guanajuato it didn't look that exciting but it was only the bus terminal.  Once we collected our bags and found a cab we wended our way into town.  First we went through new construction with lots of big box type shops until we passed through a small tunnel and it got less commercial.  After another tunnel the roads narrowed and the traffic increased.  Though another tunnel and the streets became cobblestones and the buildings we looming above us.  It is so European here!  The city limits signage so it doesn't distract from the architecture.  There are churches and theaters all over the town and each is an impressive monument.  We were and still are so excited to be here.

Our hotel is right in the middle of everything in the historic district and the rooftop patio had wonderful views.  There is no air conditioning in our building but the high today was seventy-five degrees and the low tonight is supposed to be fifty-five with almost no humidity.  It is such a welcome relief!

So after soaking in our new accomodations we headed into town.  First we wandered aimlessly and kept finding all kinds of little gems of buildings, streets, and alleys.  Then we decided to find dinner and between a guidebook in Francene's bag and Araceli's sharp eyes we found a little place at the top of a lot of narrow winding steps.  It was a house that was converted to a restaurant and we didn't really know what kind of food to expect but the view was amazing and we were hungry.  When it turned out to be Italian we were all find with that and happily ate our various pasta dishes.  It was delicious and we had an ideal vantage point from which to watch the sun set over the city.

After dinner we wandered some more, explored and took pictures.  There was a candy shop we passed earlier and a walk down an alley deposited us right at its doors so we went in.  It's like the Mexican version of Willy Wonka's factory.  They offered us samples of so many little treats it was had to decide what to buy.  Of course we say we're buying for our friends and family back home but they may end up with the stuff we didn't like so much.  It will still be good and they will be none the wiser.

Even though we sampled a bit of candy we also wanted ice cream so that was our next mission.  We found a little helado shop and both Araceli and I wanted the same flavor, pinon, pine nut.  It was in a fruit base and was delicious.  All this time we continued to wander and after a series of turns came to a tunnel.  When I asked my companions if we should take the obvious alley back to the hotel or explore the tunnel the latter was the resounding choice.  It is crazy, there are intersections in the tunnel!  After quite a bit of walking we came out the other side and it was only another five minutes to get back to the hotel.

There was no fighting for the shower, we're quite civilized about that, and soon we were all clean, well-fed, and generally content.  So I loaded the day's pictures and sat down to share all of our adventures.  Tomorrow we explore more of the city and I am like a kid before Christmas!

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f2.8, 1/60 @ 2500 ISO

2010, Day 322 - Devil is in the details

I don't know why but churches always seem like sinister places to me. My family is agnostic and I've never found places of religion to be inviting especially, maybe it's because all my friends who went to church hated it but I've never been able to shake the negative connotations.

Today's picture is, in my mind, a good corollary because there is something that looks a little foreboding about this church. Maybe it is the clouds and the side lighting that suggests the sun is reluctant to touch this building...

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

16mm, f5.6, HDR of 1/4000, 1/1600, 1/640, 1/250 and 1/100 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 245 - CPL fun

I've had my Canon 16-35/f2.8L ultra wide angle zoom for ages but the only problem with it is that all my other lenses take 77mm filters and this one is 82mm which means that my awesome circular polarizer is too small. Polarizers not only reduce reflections but give more depth and definition to the sky making them ideal tools for wide angle photography.

Thanks to some photographic closet cleaning (I didn't really need two flash brackets) I was able to get a great deal on a B+W Kaeseman Slim Circular Polarizer. Granted it was used but indistinguishable from new and less than half the price. With its arrival yesterday I had to try it out and here are the results. Nothing was done at all to the skies in post except for a little overall color adjustment, this is how well defined a polarizer makes them.

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

16mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

35mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 200 ISO