Cholula Sanctuary

invisible

I've spent the weekend working on a backlog of photos, specifically a chunk of images from my December trip to Mexico. I'm almost done, and this one looks like the shot I'm most happy with, noise and all.



This is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Remedies (built in 1594) in Cholula. The church is at the top of a hill, at whose bottom there's an archeological site.

Cholula is a fairly small city (by Mexican standards) a few minutes away from a big city (Puebla). As tiny as Cholula is, it has the highest ratio of churches per inhabitant in all of Mexico, which is a lot to say At the same time, the city is known for its nightlife.

Thanks for looking.

Panther

Howdy Federico,

Oh My, this is just so spectacular on so many different fronts.

Mexico and it's people is one of my favorite places on Earth,

and this shows so much of the true look of Mexico's and it's feel.

Wonderful lighting and subject, and the composition is just perfect.

So very nicely done.

Kindest Regards,

Craig

black mamba

Hi Federico,

This is a terrific shot. I've spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years and your picture does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the place. It's a real shame those those great people down there are in the grips of terrible crime.

Dogdots

I really like this Federico. What really draws me in is the man sitting under the tree with head bowed down. Very fitting in front of a church.

lizzard_nyc

There really needs to be an emoticon that lets out a long admiring whistle.

The comp is perfect!
the lights, the combo of the people, nature and church.

Very very nice .

wendell

Very good looking shot with great color and containing many interesting elements. The people moving about adds a lot to the total image. I do wonder what are the inky blue areas in the upper towers?

invisible

Panther wrote:

Howdy Federico,

Oh My, this is just so spectacular on so many different fronts.

Mexico and it's people is one of my favorite places on Earth,

and this shows so much of the true look of Mexico's and it's feel.

Wonderful lighting and subject, and the composition is just perfect.

So very nicely done.

Kindest Regards,

Craig

Hi Craig, and thanks for what has got to be the kindest comment on any of my photos this month I'm glad that you can connect so deeply with this image. I agree about Mexico and its people, both are very unique. I travel there at least once a year to visit family, but very rarely do I get the chance to go out and shoot. Too bad, because the opportunities, like the well-kept secrets of Mexican culture, are endless.

invisible

black mamba wrote:

Hi Federico,

This is a terrific shot. I've spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years and your picture does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the place. It's a real shame those those great people down there are in the grips of terrible crime.

Thank you very much, black mamba. I hear you about the rising levels of crime that this very nice people have to put up with. It didn't use to be that bad, but this last couple of years it exploded. I'm not bringing my gear with me on my next trip there, that's for sure.

invisible

Dogdots wrote:

I really like this Federico. What really draws me in is the man sitting under the tree with head bowed down. Very fitting in front of a church.

Thank you, Mary. I really owe this man for making my shot different. (In fact, I also owe his wife for keeping him waiting and waiting and waiting 'til he felt the defeat...)

invisible

lizzard_nyc wrote:

There really needs to be an emoticon that lets out a long admiring whistle.

The comp is perfect!
the lights, the combo of the people, nature and church.

Very very nice .

Muchas gracias, Liz The church looked nice in the afternoon when we were climbing the hill to get there, but it became sensational the moment they turned on the exterior lighting. I just had to sit on one side and press the shutter.

invisible

wendell wrote:

Very good looking shot with great color and containing many interesting elements. The people moving about adds a lot to the total image. I do wonder what are the inky blue areas in the upper towers?

Thank you kindly, wendell. The inky blue areas are just the black light (or something like it) that they use to illuminate the interior of the bell towers. It makes quite the impression when you look at the sanctuary from three or four blocks away.