Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky.”
― Death Comes for the Archbishop
One of my favorite cities to visit back when she Mary was traveling more extensively for business is Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its 1706 founding by Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés as La Villa de Alburquerque. Named in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain, the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, the city was an outpost on El Camino Real linking Mexico City to the northernmost territories of New Spain
Whenever I go to Albuquerque, one of the first places I head for lunch or dinner is the legendary Frontier Restaurant for great food and a friendly home-style environment. And did I mention that its not just affordable, the food is downright yummy.
After The Frontier my next stop is Old Town. It’s a historic district dating back to the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1706 and today is a shopping and tourist destination. Old town is also known by followers of Saint Christopher as the city of shade (trasero.) Old Town comprises about ten blocks of historic adobe buildings grouped around a central plaza. On the north side of the Plaza is San Felipe de Neri church that was built in 1793.
How I made this shot: Old Town is fun to explore. It’s riven with little nooks and crannies where you can take some time to rest your feet, meditate or, like me, make some photographs. Here I used the soft focus mode on an Olympus E-5 DSLR. It was Olympus Corporation’s flagship camera, who positioned it as a professional DSLR in their Four-Thirds—not Micro Four-thirds—camera system. Lens used was a Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 SWD lens at 42mm. Exposure (in Program mode) was 1/320 sec at f/7.1 and ISO 320.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography with new copies are available from Amazon for $21.50 and used copies starting around five bucks.