San Juan Capistrano is a very pretty colonial small city, 1 hour south of Los Angeles. It is also the home of the San Juan Capistrano Mission. From the rustic ruins of the Great Stone Church, to the soft serenity of the gardens, it is place that combines the grace and charm of nature with the richness of California history - the timeless "Jewel of the California Missions." The Mission was founded in 1776: http://www.missionsjc.com/

This was my second time around in the Mission and visited it on Sunday, a mistake. The sea of people made it impossible to take the photos I wanted; there were always a line of people waiting for photos and score of others getting in front of you with their P&S. I also made the mistake of leaving the 16-85 VR at home. I just took whatever I could get; they are not the ones I had in mind when I set out for San Juan Capistrano. For example, the Junipero Serra Chapel has been restored. It is the only church left standing, mostly because of earthquakes, that Father Serra, the legendary and controversial founder and head of the Missions, celebrated mass in. I was lucky to get two photos in. I have decided to photograph all 21 California Missions, because of the wonderful architecture, colors, and pastoral settings. I do it under protest :) , sort of. The enslavement of people is nothing to celebrate and commemorate. But the photos...

For this shoot, I used the D5000, the AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8, and the Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4. Most of the photos were shot with the DX 35mm except for the city ones, but they are in a different gallery: http://www.hektorsphotos.com/Souther-California/Cities/City-San-Juan-Capistrano/11517052_aJAxj#811627419_MhDEc.