We went to Santa Fe New Mexico for Spring Break this year, as I was lucky enough to have the entire week off.. I tried some different types of shots, especially ones that emphasized lines, shapes shadows etc. Let me know what you think. Enjoy
John

Lines and Curves by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

Stripes resize by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

A couple more B/W's

Old Santa Fe by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

Adobe Q*bert by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

And a bit of color.

NMRX resize by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

Cathedral Basilica by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

A couple more shots.

Chasing Ghosts by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

The Bird by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

A productive week indeed.
1,2,& 4 are exceptional.

John;

I believe that you're getting to a very fine place in composing your frames wit your subjects of sattention; the B&W architectural set is outstanding, with thanks to the beautifully proportioned structural features.
While I love all photos, the 'Stripes' shot is especially nice for its inclusion of the wall lantern, the window and the wooden beams that cast their shadows like a translucent blanket.

The colour photos are good pop-art frames; some are even reminescent of mural paintings...

Thanks for sharing,
Good work! : )

Yildiz

Thanks JBT and Yildiz, I wish I could have spent more time photographing the architecture there, but there just wasn't time.. I did get to spend a couple of nights out shooting with my son Ian, and that was absolutely wonderful. The night picture of the cathedral was taken with him... The hotel we stayed at was right next to the Guadalupe Rail Yards, so I was able to see the trains often. The bold dramatic colors of the commuter trains really inspired me.
Yildiz, when I was walking alone shooting, I shadowed a group of photogs walking through old Santa Fe. They walked right by the building that had the bold shadows crossing the windows.
I wish that the sky would have had the same clouds the entire time. After the first day, the sky was virtually cloudless..
I think the clouds really added to the drama of the train shots. Thanks again, John

Very nice! All good, but I think I like the one with the diagonal shadow lines and the old truck the best. In the one with the shadow lines it seems like the lower diagonal lines are shadows since the edges are a bit soft and the upper ones are painted on since the edges are very sharp. I don't see how they could have painted lines on that would be perfectly parallel to the real shadows though unless you just happened to be there at just the right time on just the right day of the year when that happens. I guess it is just that the top shadows are much closer to the beams causing the shadows so the result is sharper edges.

The one of the truck next to the house is also good. The side of the hood looks blown out so if you could recover some of those highlights it would help, I think.

We visited Santa Fe while on a 2-month road trip in 1999. We should get back there.

Great collection of shots John - I especially like the graphic B&W shots of the buildings.

I like the stripes because of the novelty and the alien looking Lego style house, also the immaculate looking train; the Cathedral is very nice as well.
Greg

Thanks everybody!
Henry- you're right about the side of that truck- I re-edited it and sure enough it was a bit blown out. The paint was down to bare metal in that area. I highly recommend going back to Santa Fe the next time you are on the mainland.
Greg- good to hear from you again! I think the stripes were one of my favorites of the trip, and I came by them by accident. I had been shadowing a group of photogs on a photowalk, hoping to get some shots of the three of them taking a picture of the same object. They walked right by that building and didn't see them. They never stopped to take any pictures, but at least I got my shot!
Here is one last shot, the world famous "Miraculous Loretto Staircase" The story goes: The sisters of the chapel could not afford a staircase, so they prayed to St Joseph. On the last day of praying a man came and built the staircase with only simple hand tools. It took 8 months, and the man asked for no money. Believers say that St Joseph himself built it. Here is a link to read more about it, and to see pictures by people who got to go past the ropes guarding the staircase!
http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html


Loretto Chapel Stairs II by JohnLeBlancII, on Flickr

That’s a great story about the stairs John, the stairs themselves are a work of art, I bet he had a few more tools than a saw and a square though, doing joinery with dowels is a very exacting business you need some kind of drill or auger to make high precision holes and then the dowels need to be exactly the right size so I’m inclined to treat the man on a donkey with almost no tools story with a little bit of suspicion.
Greg
Ps but they sure are a beautiful piece of work however they were done and whoever did the job, that is for sure.

Fabulous stair-case John - interesting story

Thanks guys- Greg I don't know what to think about it. It is a great story, but like you said- that kind of work is very difficult, especially for one man... But who knows...It is definitely a work of art. I learned that the hand rails were added later, because the nuns were crawling down on all fours. When you look at the staircase, you can tell that they weren't done a the same time.

Yes those stairs are fascinating (good shot too), and worthy of close study just for the sake of the workmanship involved even if one looks on the story as a bit of romantic embellishment. And yes the railing was added later for safety sake and also a couple of extra steadying attachments to the pillar and wall as the entire assembly acts like a spring when walking up or down (no central column). I saw that they have been closed now for use by the public, further safety concerns I think.
Greg