The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that focuses on remembering friends and family that have passed away. The celebration usually takes place on October 31, November 1 and 2 to coincide with All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
One of the traditions is the face painting and that’s what I mainly went to capture at the Dia de Los Muertos celebration at Old Town.
There were lots of different face painting areas set up all over Old Town but my favorite was this woman working on the South end of the main street. I photographed with my D4 and the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and the SB-900 Speedlight to help with evening out the light.
I spent a few hours walking around just watching the people. It really was a fascinating afternoon, but I still hadn’t come across that one shot. you know, the one shot that sums it all up. I was looking for a face, one that would sum up the day. That’s when I saw one of the woman handing out candles for the final procession walk. She had the face that I was looking for. I took a few photos of her as she moved around the table, then she looked up and right at me.
I am very happy with this shot. But that doesn’t mean I stopped shooting and packed up. I knew I had the shot I wanted but that didn’t mean that there was nothing else to photograph.
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