Last weekend was packed full of adventure. The kids have been particularly difficult and rambunctious lately. In an effort to make sure we were doing right by them, we planned many activities so that their energies would be directed towards outdoor activities instead of their, increasingly common, pestering of each other. We took a trip down to Tumacácori National Historic Park. Almost immediately upon arrival, the weight of the rain in the clouds above became too heavy to remain suspended and began falling. We took cover in a small hut on the grounds of the park for a few minutes. The kids quickly found it entertaining to run through the rain screaming with delight. The remainder of our visit persisted in the rain and all of my photos are in or around the church as that was the other location we could attempt to avoid the rain – frankly, a foolish endeavor.
The church doors are very pretty. I couldn’t quite capture the pattern how I wanted to. The handle seemed like the next best thing. The worn spots on the handle contrast the plate nicely. I pumped up the ISO here and in hindsight I’m not sure why that was necessary. I probably could’ve adjusted my distance and focal length to allow a similar depth of field with a larger aperture.
The baptistry and entrance to the choir loft is immediately to the right when walking in. The arch here made for a dramatic scene. I wanted a more shallow depth of field to bring the arch out. Perhaps I should’ve set the focus point closer to me. It’s on the far side of the arch here. Another option would’ve been to use a shorter focal length to make the far wall seem further away but that would also bring it back into focus which I was trying to avoid. Black and white seemed like the right choice here as there is very little color in this church.
Entering the church from the entrance around back, visitors walk past this wall looking toward the front of the church. I have many questions about this wall. Did the middle box have a back at one point in time? Why are none of them the same size? Were these crafted for specific items? If so, what? I have a single digit reader base right now so I don’t expect to crowd source these answers but I am still curious. It’s a question I intend on asking one of the rangers next time I’m there.
On our way out, I noticed these rays emitting from the clouds. I snapped a quick photo (not the ones here) and then realized that I could actually change how the rays look! After running about 50 yards to get a different perspective on the scene, I was able to compose these photos where the rays seem to be directed toward the church. Perhaps I am getting better at composition. I don’t know which edit I prefer, though. Editing seems to be another learning curve.
