Christmas Eve on the Plaza

Coming back over the river and through the woods from Grandma’s house we stopped by the Plaza on our way home and I took the opportunity to practice some more night photography. Hope you like it.

Luminarias on the Plaza. Luminarias are a New Mexico Christmas tradition. (They’ve also been called Farolitos, but I’ve lived in New Mexico my whole life and never heard anyone from here call them that) I was expecting there to be more and for all the street lights to be out like I’d seen when I was little but not so this year. I know they still do that in Old Town in Albuquerque and its supposed to be an amazing display they put on there, we’ll have to see that one next year.

Susan, our secretary, thought it was an awfully quiet night on the plaza to get these with no people.

This is where they all were. We arrived just before Midnight Mass and crowds of people were squeezing into the Cathedral. Those ghostly figures in the pictures are the result of the timed exposure and anything moving not showing up too well, not the spirits of Christmas Past!

And of course, the Loretto Chapel with its miracle staircase. An amazing sight and interesting story. Read about it here and here.

We had to go inside the Cathedral to warm up a bit and rush back to the car. They had caroling before the Mass started.

Oh No! Dang cars kept driving through my shots! However, these are my first car light streaks I’ve ever taken if by accident and kinda cool looking.

The famous luminarias on the Inn at Loretto. Shots of these have been on the covers of countless photography books and calenders. Its been my goal since I’ve moved to Santa Fe to get my own pictures of it, see above at the top of this post. One shot to get before I die checked off 🙂

Trying to get a picture of the moon and the luminarias on the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Heres an eagle statue by the parking lot of the Inn at Loretto. The flames were long and thin like a lighter thats turned up all the way. I took this over several seconds so it looks like flaming torches really going heh.