James Newman
Member
Just a little south of Tucson in the Santa Cruz Valley this beautiful old, originally Spanish Catholic mission rises out of the desert floor. It is over 300 years old and is still an active church with services everyday. It is undergoing some extensive restoration work and will be for the next couple of years but even so, with scaffolding and barracades, it is still a sight to behold.
My wife and I went to see it a couple of weeks ago and I am just now working on some of the photos. We went at just about the worst possible time of the day but being in the desert, the high noon sun is probably fitting for a place like this. I went mainly on a sort of scouting run to stake out the place for future outings. Sunrise and sunset should be spectacular what with the beautiful white walls, the desert and the surrounding mountain ranges. That is what I have planned next. For now though I just did a black and white showing the detailed front entry to the mission with some of the other people visiting that day. Hopefully it gives a good idea of what the place has to offer.
The inside is even more wonderful, with carved wooden pews and the walls covered almost completely with wooden, painted sculptures. It should be a great test for the low light capabilities of my Nikon D3. They were getting ready for a funeral on this day so I only had a short time inside. I plan on going back soon to explore more and hopefully get some nice shots.
If interested you can read a little about the mission here... http://www.sanxaviermission.org/History.html
My wife and I went to see it a couple of weeks ago and I am just now working on some of the photos. We went at just about the worst possible time of the day but being in the desert, the high noon sun is probably fitting for a place like this. I went mainly on a sort of scouting run to stake out the place for future outings. Sunrise and sunset should be spectacular what with the beautiful white walls, the desert and the surrounding mountain ranges. That is what I have planned next. For now though I just did a black and white showing the detailed front entry to the mission with some of the other people visiting that day. Hopefully it gives a good idea of what the place has to offer.
The inside is even more wonderful, with carved wooden pews and the walls covered almost completely with wooden, painted sculptures. It should be a great test for the low light capabilities of my Nikon D3. They were getting ready for a funeral on this day so I only had a short time inside. I plan on going back soon to explore more and hopefully get some nice shots.
If interested you can read a little about the mission here... http://www.sanxaviermission.org/History.html
).. So take pictures in the nasty, horrible, evil full on noon light!! And maybe some at sunset.. I don't do sunrise...