Town Square and church on Christmas Eve in Mesilla, NM.
This picture of the Town Square at Mesilla, NM, is typical of small New Mexico towns. Luminaria are lit by designated locals at sunset and extinguished by 10 PM. Mesilla is on the Camino al Norte of Don Juan de Onate's 1598 expedition. Later it was a favorite destination of Billy the Kid, and was a hub in the days of The Pony Express. I spent over an hour and a half taking a total of eleven exposures on 4x5 sheet film from 2 to 5 minutes each on a cold Christmas Eve. Cars and people are blurred or eliminated due to exposure time. To get to the right vantage point, I climbed a ladder with a backpack on my back and perched on a steep and slippery metal roof across the Square from the church. By the time this picture was made, I could no longer see my watch and had to time the exposure by counting!
