More Travels

Ahhh travel.  As it grows increasingly hot here in the South, I find myself longing for vacation.  And, while this is highly unlikely to occur, we can at least reminisce via some travel photography.  Having been nowhere near as spiffy as Jen's Europe, I nevertheless have some gems to offer.

Guanajuato, Gto Mexico

Travel photography can manifest from such a variety of motivations.  For me, photography, whether I'm traveling or not, is first and foremost an art form and an expression of my creativity.  Travel photography specifically is also very much about capturing the feel of a locale as well as preserving my memory of it.

This photograph was taken from the lookout point at the statue of Pipila in Guanajuato.  I like this photo because it offers cityscape vantage of Guanajuato.  It captures the European influenced architecture and vibrant Mexican colors that are so much a part of the city and its life.  I can smell the air and feel the dry heat of the place as I view this photo, which is part of what makes it effective: it fuels nostalgia.

Taking the Virgin to La Basilica

This photo demonstrates another potential aspect of travel photography by capturing part of the culture of Guanajuato. Every afternoon in May, there's a parade through the streets of the city, carrying the Virgin to the major Basilica in el centro (downtown) of Guanajuato.

We can see the people of the city in a somewhat festive setting, which adds interest. And the composition of the photo, with the crowd curving toward the viewer and beyond makes us feel a part of the crowd and the moment (which, indeed, I was).

Gothic Cathedral in downtown San Miguel de Allende

Here we see some more of the interesting Mexican architecture.  This cathedral differs greatly from the majority in Mexico; it's architect wanted to pull from the old world gothic style and prove that it could exist outside of Europe.  This creates an interesting juxtaposition of distinctly European architecture in an otherwise very Mexican setting of el centro.

Mountainous Mexican Countryside

I'm particularly fond of the composition of this piece, with the cathedral peeking over the sculptured trees (typical of town squares in the area).  As all good gothic architecture should, the cathedral juts dramatically upward towards the heavens, further emphasized by the angle of the photograph.  I also love the clear blue sky and the palm tree to the right of the cathedral, which remind us again that we're in Mexico.

Lastly, I offer a landscape view of the Mexican countryside to counterbalance my initial cityscape photograph.  And, since blogger's formatting refuses to cooperate any longer, I'm off.  Please stay tuned for some more photography analysis (along with some awesome photos) on Monday!